Trump's National Security Shake-up

Описание: Inside the Moment — Executive Power Report
Date: May 23, 2025
Location: Washington, District of Columbia

“Trump Purges National Security Council Staff in Sweeping Shake-Up of Foreign Policy Apparatus”

WASHINGTON — In a dramatic restructuring of the United States’ national security infrastructure, the Trump administration on Friday dismissed scores of National Security Council (NSC) staffers, signaling a major downsizing of the body that has historically played a central role in shaping American foreign policy.

The mass dismissals, which included both long-serving career officials and recent political appointees, were executed under the direction of President Donald Trump’s newly appointed national security adviser and current Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. The shake-up comes just weeks after Trump forced out former adviser Michael Waltz, whom he now intends to nominate as ambassador to the United Nations.

Most of the staffers, many of whom were detailed from other government agencies such as the State Department, Pentagon, and intelligence services, are expected to return to their original departments.

A senior White House official confirmed the cuts and also announced the appointment of two new deputy national security advisers: Andy Baker, formerly with Vice President J.D. Vance’s office, and Robert Gabriel, a policy adviser closely aligned with Trump’s inner circle.

The administration has made clear that this overhaul is not merely a staffing decision, but a philosophical shift. Trump and his allies argue that the NSC, which ballooned to over 300 personnel during the Obama and Biden administrations, had become overly centralized and bureaucratic—an entity they claim undermines presidential authority and slows decision-making.

“The NSC is not there as a think tank or shadow department,” said Alexander Gray, former NSC chief of staff under Trump. “It exists to coordinate policy already determined by the agencies and the president—not to generate it.”

This model mirrors the leaner approach taken by Brent Scowcroft, national security adviser under Presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush, who favored small, discreet advisory teams that functioned behind the scenes.

However, critics view the move as an intentional power consolidation that sidelines experts and eliminates institutional checks on the president. One former senior NSC official described the cuts as both “a reflection of Trump’s paranoia that the NSC is the Deep State” and a calculated effort “to eliminate any internal resistance or alternative viewpoints.”

The move continues a pattern of executive centralization seen across the Trump administration’s second term, where loyalty has increasingly outweighed expertise. Some foreign policy analysts warn that this hollowing out of the NSC could reduce strategic coordination and increase the risk of impulsive or one-sided policymaking.

The consequences of Friday’s purge may not be fully realized for months. However, for now, the West Wing appears united in its effort to strip the NSC of its traditional power and reassert full executive control over national security decisions.

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