Overview

• More than 100 National Security Council staffers were dismissed or placed on administrative leave on May 23, with many given just 30 minutes to clear their desks.
• The restructuring, led by interim National Security Adviser Marco Rubio, aims to downsize the NSC and reassign its functions to the State and Defense departments.
• Career detailees and political appointees affected by the overhaul will be returned to their home agencies or reassigned within the administration.
• This move follows months of loyalty screenings, high-profile firings, and the ouster of former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz earlier in May.
• Critics warn that the downsizing risks losing institutional expertise and could hinder the coordination of national security and foreign policy decisions.