Mike Waltz

Mike’s career has taken him through multiple combat tours as a Green Beret commander, to senior policy roles in the White House and Pentagon, standing as a best-selling author and FOX News contributor, and to leading two rapidly growing companies as a successful entrepreneur. Mike currently serves as CEO of Metis Solutions Corporation, a private equity-backed defense firm that provides strategic analysis, intelligence support, and training to U.S. Government customers worldwide. Metis has been named to the INC 500 list of the fastest growing companies in America the past three years. Mike is also a Co-Founder and Partner in an international consulting firm, Askari Associates that provides strategic advisory services to foreign governments and commercial entities in the Middle East and North Africa. Prior to joining the private sector, Mike served as Vice President Cheney’s Senior Advisor for South Asia and Counterterrorism. Prior to his time in the White House, Mike was the Director for Afghanistan policy within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In parallel with his civilian policy work, Mike commanded a U.S. Army Special Forces unit in the reserve component with multiple combat deployments to Afghanistan and the Middle East. In previous deployments, Mike worked closely with allied Special Forces units across the Middle East, Africa, and other locales. Mike is the author of the book Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret’s Battles from Washington to Afghanistan. Warrior Diplomat was endorsed by former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and was named to the U.S. Special Operations Command Commander’s 2016 reading list. Net proceeds from book sales are donated to the Green Beret Foundation. Mike is a FOX News Contributor and previously provided expert commentary on foreign policy and defense issues for CNN, MSNBC, BBC World News, PBS Frontline, and the Voice of America. He is also Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and regularly speaks at industry, policy and charity forums. Mike is a Distinguished Military Graduate of the Virginia Military Institute.