President-elect Donald Trump’s selections for key positions in the U.S. national security apparatus have received praise from several defense and foreign policy experts.

Although Trump was elected less than two weeks ago, his team is already moving swiftly to fill Cabinet and senior administration roles, particularly in the areas of defense and foreign affairs. While the final composition of Trump’s administration is still taking shape, many national security experts have expressed approval of the early picks.

However, most of these appointments will require Senate confirmation, and the confirmation process may prove more challenging for some than others, experts said, per the Daily Caller.

One of President-elect Donald Trump’s latest cabinet selections is Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who has been tapped for the role of Secretary of State, a decision announced on Wednesday. Although Rubio and Trump had a contentious relationship during the 2016 Republican primary, they have since reconciled.

Rubio brings years of experience in Florida politics, having been elected to the Senate in 2011. He has a strong background in foreign policy, serving as the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and as a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, the outlet noted.

He has been outspoken about foreign threats from Russia, Iran, China and North Korea, and how those actors are strengthening their relationships.

“Trump could not have picked a better secretary of state than Marco Rubio,” Michael Sobolik, author and senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, told Newsmax in an interview this week. “I would challenge anyone to find a more clear-eyed, strategic mind on how to compete with the Chinese Communist Party than Marco Rubio.”

According to former Pentagon official Morgan Viña, Rubio is likely to have an easier time securing Senate confirmation for his new role as Secretary of State, thanks to his strong relationships with both Republicans and Democrats in the chamber, the Daily Caller noted.

“He’s highly respected in the Senate amongst his colleagues, both on the left and the right,” Viña told the DCNF, noting that Rubio isn’t one to embrace an “isolationist” perspective when it comes to geopolitics. “He does have a very robust, strong approach when it comes to U.S. leadership abroad.”

Florida Rep. Mike Waltz is also set to join President-elect Trump’s team as his national security advisor. In this role, Waltz will advise Trump on defense and foreign affairs issues without needing Senate confirmation, as the position is not a cabinet-level role.

Waltz, who was elected to the House in 2018, serves on several key committees, including the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence — one of the most influential committees in Congress.

“Waltz and Rubio have held Biden-Harris fecklessness to account, while advocating for the restoration of deterrence that President Trump established in his first term that can keep America out of wars and keep our people safe here at home,” Victoria Coates, former White House national security adviser, told the Caller.

Waltz served for over 26 years in the U.S. Army, including as a Green Beret, and earned four Bronze Stars for his deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. His military experience stands in sharp contrast to the background of President Biden’s current national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, who comes from a legal and academic background, the Caller noted.

“Waltz is an excellent choice,” Viña told the DCNF. “He has extensive experience … he’s going to be set up for success given his own background at the same time, though, he’s going to have to corral a lot of challenging personalities.”

“The national security adviser’s role is, in many ways, herding cats, but it’s also ensuring that the president gets the information that he needs to make informed decisions,” Viña said.

Former Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has been appointed by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Gabbard, who was elected to the House of Representatives in 2013, served as a Democratic lawmaker until 2021. After running in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, she shifted her political affiliation to Independent and, more recently, became a Republican, offering her support to Trump in this year’s election.

Gabbard enlisted in the Hawaii National Guard in 2003 and served in Iraq. She currently holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve.

“It’s vital right now to restore democratic accountability and respect for free speech and our rights in parts of the intelligence community. [Gabbard] is a great pick to ensure that actually happens,” former Pentagon official Elbridge Colby wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.

While Gabbard could be a strong choice for the role, Viña noted that she may face challenges during her Senate confirmation, per the Caller. In 2017, Gabbard met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a “fact-finding mission,” a move that some critics viewed as an attempt to legitimize a controversial and dictatorial regime. This meeting could become a point of contention during her confirmation process.

“There will be challenges when Senate confirmation comes around,” Viña said. “I think we’ll have to wait and see the Senate do its due diligence and sort of vet her.”

Another key appointment is Pete Hegseth, Trump’s choice for Secretary of Defense and head of the Pentagon. While Hegseth’s appointment may have caught many in the Washington establishment by surprise—given his recent tenure as a Fox News host—his background extends well beyond cable news.

Hegseth joined the military in the early 2000s and served in Cuba, Iraq, and Afghanistan in high-ranking positions. Throughout his career, he has been a passionate advocate for veterans, chairing organizations like Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America in the 2010s.

In addition to his military experience, Hegseth frequently discussed national security and foreign policy during his time with Trump. He supported Trump’s “America First” approach to geopolitics and expressed concerns over military recruitment and retention, which he believes are not meeting expectations. He has also been critical of the Biden administration’s left-wing policies within the Pentagon.

“I think it’s a really good pick by the president,” Morgan Murphy, former Pentagon press secretary and national security adviser to Sen. Tommy Tuberville, told the Daily Caller News Foundation this week. “It’s going to be, I think, a tremendous boon to recruiting to have a secretary who has served.”

Finally, John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence in Trump’s first administration, has been tapped to serve as the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Trump announced on Wednesday.