A major overhaul of the National Security Council (NSC) has resulted in the abrupt firing of over 100 staff members, according to sources involved in the reorganization. This significant shake-up is part of an effort to “gut the Deep State,” a term used by a White House source to describe the initiative. The NSC, a powerful advisory and coordination body, has seen staff across nearly all its directorates dismissed with little notice, including those handling critical global hotspots such as Ukraine, Iran, and the Indo-Pacific.
The reorganization has been described as a strategic shift aimed at reducing bureaucratic interference and concentrating foreign policy decision-making at the highest levels of government. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also serving as acting national security adviser, is playing a central role in this effort. An administration official emphasized that the goal is to return the NSC to its “original purpose” as a coordinating body, rather than a policy-shaping institution. Rubio stated that the NSC will now be better positioned to collaborate with agencies, although he did not confirm the exact scope of the cuts.
The plan is to cut the NSC staff to around 50 people, down from over 300 under the Biden administration. This reduction is even more significant than the leaner structure implemented by Trump during his first term. Entire directorates may be eliminated or consolidated, including those overseeing Africa policy and NATO coordination. Senior administration officials cited Trump’s recent reversal of Syria sanctions as an example of the new top-down model, where the president gives the order and the cabinet follows, eliminating the need for endless layers of committees.
The dismissals came just weeks after Trump fired former national security adviser Mike Waltz, who had reportedly lost influence after inadvertently inviting a journalist into a private chat about Yemen airstrikes. Waltz has since been nominated as ambassador to the United Nations. The abrupt reorganization, carried out just ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, marks one of the most sweeping institutional shake-ups of Trump’s second term to date, affecting both career officials and Trump’s own political appointees. Rubio is expected to continue leading the NSC indefinitely, with deputy national security advisers Andy Baker and Robert Gabriel assisting him under the new structure.
This significant overhaul of the NSC has raised questions about the impact on the country’s national security and foreign policy decision-making processes. As the administration continues to implement its new top-down model, it remains to be seen how this will affect the United States’ role on the global stage. One thing is certain, however: the NSC will be operating with a significantly reduced staff and a renewed focus on its original purpose as a coordinating body.
