By Meridith McGraw and Alexander Ward
More than 100 National Security Council officials have been removed from their roles or detailed back to their agencies, part of a broader restructuring process under Secretary of State Marco Rubio who is also serving as interim national security adviser.
Three administration officials confirmed the decision to transfer roughly 100 staffers -- around half of the current NSC -- to the agencies they were detailed to before joining the National Security Council.
The goal, according to one official, is to streamline processes within the NSC, which coordinates national security and foreign policy for the president, and empower the State Department and Department of Defense. The officials said the revised structure would give more power to President Trump to dictate policy and speed up national-security decision-making.
The NSC referred questions to the White House, which didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
About 4 p.m. Friday, officials said Rubio called a meeting of senior directors to praise them for their work but also announce that there would be a "realignment" and they would work to place officials in different government positions, according to an official. NSC chief of staff Brian McCormack then sent out emails informing officials of the decision to move them off the NSC. Axios earlier reported the restructuring.
The move comes three weeks after Mike Waltz, who previously led the NSC, was removed from his role and nominated to be ambassador to the United Nations. Trump tapped Rubio to succeed Waltz on an acting basis.
Since the beginning of the administration, the NSC has been the target of attacks by some Trump allies who claim officials are insufficiently loyal to the president or his agenda.
The NSC acts as an advisory and policymaking hub for the president within the White House for national-security and foreign-policy decisions, but it has shrunk in size since Trump took office. Under former President Joe Biden, the NSC had around 350 staffers.
Write to Meridith McGraw at Meridith.McGraw@WSJ.com and Alexander Ward at alex.ward@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 23, 2025 20:21 ET (00:21 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.