Michael G. Waltz

Michael G. Waltz is a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and CEO of Metis Solutions, which provides strategic analysis, policy development, intelligence support, and commercial development to U.S. government customers worldwide. Michael is also a Co-Founder and Partner of Askari Associates, an international consulting firm that provides strategic advice and consulting to foreign governments and commercial entities, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. He also founded the Sumar Ghul Foundation, which cares for the families of fallen Afghan National Army soldiers.

Prior to joining the private sector, Michael served as Vice President Dick Cheney’s Special Advisor for South Asia and Counterterrorism. He represented the Office of the Vice President during President George W. Bush’s Strategic Review of U.S. policy towards Afghanistan and Pakistan. Michael was previously Director for Afghanistan policy in the Department of Defense, reporting to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and Secretary of Defense. In the Pentagon, Michael also served in the office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics, where he led the establishment of the department’s funding and strategy for counternarcotics in Afghanistan and South Asia.

In parallel with his civilian policy work, Michael commanded a U.S. Army Special Forces unit in the Reserves component with multiple deployments to Afghanistan, where he led a number of teams along the border region with Pakistan.
He regularly provides expert commentary on counter-terrorism and regional issues for Fox News, where as a contributor, “Michael Waltz brings a unique blend of expertise as a special forces operator and policy-maker” according to Bret Baier, Anchor of Special Report. Mike has previously provided commentary on CNN, BBC World News, PBS Frontline, and Voice of America.
Michael is the author of the 2014 book Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret’s Battles from Washington to Afghanistan and was a contributor to “Drone Wars: Transforming Conflict, Law, and Policy.” He is also a Distinguished Military Graduate of the Virginia Military Institute.