A restructuring of the White House National Security Council (NSC) got under way on Friday, as US President Donald Trump moved to slash the size and scope of the once-powerful body, five sources briefed on the matter said.
Staff dealing with a variety of major geopolitical issues, from Ukraine to Kashmir, were sent termination notices in the afternoon, the sources said on condition of anonymity.
The move came just weeks after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio took over from Mike Waltz as national security adviser.
Photo: AP
The NSC declined to comment.
The NSC restructuring is expected to further reduce the agency’s influence, transforming it from a powerful policymaking body into a small organization focused more on implementing the president’s agenda than on shaping it, the sources said.
In practice, the move is expected to grant more authority to the US Department of State, the US Department of Defense and other departments and agencies involved in diplomacy, national security and intelligence matters, the sources said.
The Financial Times (FT) has reported that NSC senior director for Asia Ivan Kanapathy remains in post, but his entire staff, including his China team, has been fired.
It remains unclear whether his deputy, Alex Wong, who is a well-respected official with hawkish views on China, remains in position, it said.
Several high-ranking staffers were fired earlier in the year after right-wing conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer presented Trump with a list of national security staffers she perceived to be disloyal.
The FT said that Loomer, who helped persuade Trump to fire Waltz, had also sought to remove Wong and Kanapathy.
The administration’s aim is to reduce the size of the NSC to just a few dozen people.
Four sources with knowledge of the plans said they expect the final headcount at the NSC to come out to about 50 people.
The NSC is traditionally the main body used by presidents to coordinate national security strategy. Its staff often make key decisions regarding the US’ foreign policy.
The body had more than 300 staffers under former US president Joe Biden, but even before the recent firings under Trump it was well less than half the size of Biden’s NSC.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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