Washington DC [US], November 12 (HBTV): US President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Michael Waltz, a Florida Republican, as his National Security Advisor, according to a source familiar with the developments, ANI reported. 

Mike Waltz has repeatedly emphasized the importance of India for the United States. 

Last year, Waltz led a bipartisan American Congressional delegation and traveled to India to attend the Red Fort address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the country's Independence Day celebrations. During his visit to India in 2023, Waltz praised Modi. 

Waltz appreciated PM Modi's vision of a fully developed India by 2047 and stated that the US and its industries would work with India in tandem with the Make in India initiative by the Government of India.

Commenting on the sustained high-level interactions between the two countries, Waltz said, 

"Meaningful engagements from both countries speak to how strong the relationship is becoming."

He also commented on the rising aggression in Chinese behavior at the hands of the CCP, which poses threats to India from fronts such as 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, who is the co-chair of the India Caucus, has also served as a defense policy director for Defense Secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates. He was elected to Congress in 2018 and is the chair of the House Armed Services subcommittee overseeing military logistics, as well as a member of the select committee on intelligence. 

Seeing India as an integral partner for security, Waltz had previously said, "As a nuclear power with more than 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. It would enable the United States to form a real deterrent to potential terrorist threats in Afghanistan as well as counter China."

(ANI)