President Donald J. Trump’s administration continues its decisive restoration of America’s national security leadership with the appointment of Joe Kent—a decorated U.S. Army veteran, Gold Star husband, and former CIA paramilitary officer—as the new Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced Kent’s appointment Thursday, hailing the combat-tested patriot as a man who has “consistently put country before self.” Kent was confirmed by the U.S. Senate earlier this month and officially sworn in at ODNI headquarters in Washington, D.C.

“It was an honor to swear in Joe Kent as the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center at @ODNIgov,” Gabbard posted to X, accompanied by a photo of Kent taking his oath. “With two decades of military service, including 11 combat deployments, Joe has consistently put country before self… I am proud to welcome soldier, father, husband, patriot @NCTCKent to our leadership team!”

Kent’s appointment marks a clear return to mission-focused counterterrorism policy. Gabbard emphasized that under Kent’s leadership, the NCTC will “reinvigorate its focus on counterterrorism and counternarcotics,” fully integrating federal, state, and local agencies to support President Trump’s border security and national safety priorities.

At 45, Kent brings unparalleled field experience to the post. His elite career spans 11 combat deployments as an Army Ranger, many in Iraq, followed by service as a CIA paramilitary operations officer. His dedication to the mission of protecting the homeland is deeply personal: Kent’s wife, Shannon—also serving the nation—was killed in a 2019 suicide bombing in Syria.

The tragedy propelled Kent into the political spotlight, where he ran as a Republican for Washington’s 3rd congressional district in 2021. He won the GOP primary but narrowly lost the general election to Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in what many conservatives saw as a rigged media-driven upset.

Now, Kent is returning to the front lines of national defense—this time in a leadership role directing U.S. counterterrorism efforts in coordination with the CIA, FBI, DHS, and Department of Defense.

“It’s a profound honor to be confirmed as NCTC Director at this pivotal moment,” Kent said. “I’ve spent over two decades on the front lines of the counterterrorism fight, from Fallujah to Yemen, losing my wife Shannon and countless brothers-in-arms to this war. Their sacrifices drive me to lead with relentless focus to keep Americans safe. There’s no better time to take on this mission, and I’m deeply grateful to President Trump and DNI Gabbard for entrusting me to lead NCTC in defeating the threats we face.”

Kent’s appointment comes on the heels of another bombshell revelation by DNI Gabbard. Last week, she declassified internal intelligence documents that reveal the Obama administration actively distorted the facts regarding alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

According to a Presidential Daily Brief dated December 8, 2016, intelligence analysts found “minimal evidence” of any substantive Russian involvement and concluded that Russian-led data hacks “had no impact on recent U.S. election results.”

Gabbard stated that then-President Obama ignored this assessment and instead ordered the intelligence community to draft a politically driven report claiming that Russia had interfered on behalf of Donald Trump. That report, overseen by then-DNI James Clapper, was subsequently leaked to corporate media and weaponized against Trump throughout his first term.

These new disclosures further confirm what conservatives have long argued: the Trump-Russia narrative was a calculated hoax designed to sabotage the legitimacy of President Trump’s leadership from the outset.

With patriots like Joe Kent and Tulsi Gabbard at the helm of America’s national intelligence apparatus, it’s clear that the Trump administration is committed to truth, accountability, and the uncompromising defense of the American people.