President Donald Trump may appoint Michael Waltz as his national security adviser

Washington: A source close with the situation informed ANI that Florida Republican Michael Waltz is anticipated to be appointed as President-elect Donald Trump’s national security advisor.

The significance of India to the United States has been emphasized repeatedly by Mike Waltz.

Waltz led a bipartisan American congressional delegation last year and traveled to India to participate in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Red Fort speech on the nation’s Independence Day festivities. Waltz applauded PM Modi when he visited India in 2023.

Waltz praised PM Modi’s goal of a fully developed India by 2047 and said that the US and its companies will collaborate with India in support of the Indian government’s Make in India campaign.

The statement “Meaningful engagements from both countries speak to how strong the relationship is becoming” was made by Waltz in reference to the ongoing high-level exchanges between the two nations.

He made remarks on the CCP’s increasing aggressiveness in Chinese behavior, which puts India at risk from fronts including Pakistan, the Indian Ocean, and the Line of Control. “We’re seeing aggression all around, so we need to work together in every aspect to deter that type of aggression.”.

Waltz, the co-chair of the India Caucus, was elected to Congress in 2018 and previously served as the director of defense strategy under defense secretaries Robert Gates and Donald Rumsfeld. In addition to serving on the intelligence select committee, he chairs the House Armed Services subcommittee that oversees military logistics.

“As a nuclear power with over 1 million troops, a growing navy, a top-tier space program, and a proven history of economic and military cooperation with the United States, India would make a strong ally,” Waltz had previously said, recognizing India as a crucial security partner. It would allow the United States to challenge China and provide a genuine deterrence to any terrorist threats in Afghanistan.

He has emphasized India’s responsibility to prevent the situation from becoming worse outside of Afghanistan as well. “At this point, we only have one partner who can successfully monitor Afghanistan. India is the same ally that can monitor China’s southern flank.

He expressed trust and confidence in the two nations’ relationship and said that the US should “give China pause before further expanding into Central and Southern Asia” since India is an essential ally.

Before traveling to India to celebrate Independence Day in 2023, Waltz, US Congressmen Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Andy Barr, and Marc Veasey had already sponsored bipartisan legislation in June 2023 to expedite U.S. weapon shipments to India. By including India on the list of countries covered by the Arms Export Control Act, the legislation’s adoption was seen as a way to increase security cooperation between the US and India.

“By deepening the U.S.-India defense partnership, this legislation will buttress India’s role as a key provider of security in Asia,” said the leaders.

“The United States and India are bonded by our shared national security interests and democratic values, which is why it’s so important we continue to strengthen our global partnership to address the threats of today,” Waltz said.

He has often recalled how India-US relations were thriving during the first Trump administration.

The signing of the 2018 Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement was one significant accomplishment in the Trump administration’s efforts to strengthen ties between the US and India. In order to improve cooperation during a war, the agreement gave India access to more sophisticated communication technologies for military equipment that the United States had acquired. Another geospatial cooperation deal between the Indian government and the Trump administration was struck in October 2020, he claimed, adding sophisticated navigational capabilities to the Indian military’s weaponry.

Important agreements to improve defense relations between the US and India were signed during Donald Trump’s first term.

These were the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), which permits the Indian and American armed forces to exchange supplies, services, and logistical support. The second was the Communications, Compatibility, and Security Agreement (COMCASA), which strengthens the bilateral defense alliance and guarantees communication coordination among the Indian tri-services.

Waltz has voiced his concerns over India’s relations with Russia, particularly the nation’s importation of Russian oil, despite the optimistic outlook for furthering India-US ties. “Placing additional pressure on India and China to sever economic ties to Russia” was in his previous statement.

Nonetheless, there has been a generally good attitude about how the relationship with India has been conducted.

“A’strategic partnership’ is how we now characterize our diplomatic relationship with India. There is an urgent need for an improvement. In the same way that our partnerships with South Korea, Japan, and NATO revolutionized American security in the 20th century, a partnership with India would help ensure our safety in the 21st. “Now is the time to accomplish that,” Waltz said.

One of the president’s senior advisors, the national security adviser, is heavily involved in the formulation of both foreign and national security policy. Senate confirmation is not necessary for the position.