Trump Administration Slashes Bloated National Security Council in Move Toward Leaner, More Disciplined Operations
In a decisive restructuring effort, President Donald Trump’s administration is cutting over 100 positions from the National Security Council, marking a major shift toward a more efficient and responsive national security apparatus.
Roughly half of the NSC’s 350-member staff is being eliminated in what officials describe as a long-overdue “right-sizing” of a bureaucracy that had grown unwieldy under prior administrations. The move is aimed at streamlining operations and aligning staff more closely with the President’s America First foreign policy doctrine. For years, the NSC has been dominated by entrenched career diplomats and agency holdovers who critics argue have worked at odds with the President’s vision.
According to Fox News, many of the personnel being removed were initially detailed from other federal agencies such as the State Department and the Pentagon. These individuals are now being reassigned to their original posts, while political appointees placed on administrative leave are expected to be transitioned into new roles elsewhere within the administration.
Although some former NSC officials have voiced uncertainty about whether the restructuring will result in improved efficiency or compromise the Council’s ability to respond swiftly to global threats, the broader consensus among insiders is that the overhaul reflects the President’s desire for tighter operational control and accountability.
Michael Allen, a former senior director at the NSC, noted the move aligns with President Trump’s leadership style.
“I think he wants people to bring decisions to him earlier than previous presidents,” Allen told Fox News.
The shake-up follows a turbulent period at the NSC, which saw the abrupt resignation of National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in the wake of the Signal chat scandal, dubbed “Signalgate.” His deputy, Alex Wong, also departed shortly afterward. Friday’s overhaul included the removal of key players from the early Trump administration’s foreign policy efforts.
Among those let go were Eric Trager, senior director for Middle East affairs and a close aide to envoy Steve Witkoff during negotiations with Iran, and Andrew Peek, who served as senior director for Europe and Eurasia. Peek played a central role in shaping the administration’s approach to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
In contrast, the restructuring has opened the door for rising figures in the Trump foreign policy circle. Andy Barker, national security advisor to Vice President J.D. Vance, and Robert Gabriel, assistant to the President for policy, have both been tapped for elevated roles as deputy national security advisors.
Victoria Coates, who served as deputy national security advisor during Trump’s first term, emphasized that leadership turnover at the NSC is not unusual.
“This happens naturally on NSCs; the kind of stasis we saw in the Biden administration is highly untypical,” Coates explained.
“For the president, he has legitimate concerns about the NSC from the first term, given what happened, and then, you know, there’s no sugar-coating it: the situation with Signalgate was a problem for NSA Waltz,” Coates told Fox. “The president is taking actions to get the NSC into a condition that he would have complete confidence in it.”
President Trump is expected to rely more heavily on trusted senior officials such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to lead daily intelligence briefings and operational planning, according to Fox News.
Brian Katulis, a former NSC official and fellow at the Middle East Institute, acknowledged that the Trump administration’s decision-making structure is unique—and highly centralized.
“One thing that makes this administration unique is that it’s the president himself and a small circle of advisors who truly matter and make decisions,” he told Fox. “They just don’t see the need for ongoing interagency meetings like in previous administrations.”
Katulis added that the real challenge may not lie in the volume of intelligence, but rather in ensuring unity among agencies.
“Rather than gaps in intel or knowledge, what I’d worry more about is whether different agencies are singing from the same sheet of music,” he said.
As President Trump moves forward with his second term, the message is clear: bureaucratic bloat and internal discord will not be tolerated within the nation’s security infrastructure. The National Security Council is being reoriented to reflect that principle—streamlined, decisive, and squarely under presidential control.