National Security Advisor O’Brien Moves to Shrink NSC

President Trump meets with the National Security Council. (The White House)

As the new National Security Advisor, Ambassador Robert O’Brien has moved to reshape the National Security Council (NSC), which advises and assists the president on matters relating to national security and foreign policy. As this reorganization was proposed during the current impeachment inquiry, some fear that the White House is attempting to retaliate against NSC staffers who have testified in front of House impeachment hearings, according to CNN. 

The proposed changes will streamline the organization and restore the “NSC to its historical mission,” O’Brien explained in a Washington Post op-ed last month. “We will reduce the NSC staff, making it more effective by reaffirming its mission to coordinate policy and ensure policy implementation.” 

At the heart of these new changes is an emphasis on directorates organized by geographic region, not topical issue. According to Politico, at least two directorates—strategic planning and emerging technologies—will be removed, and the international economic directorates will now only report to the National Economic Council. 

For now, O’Brien plans to be more careful about bringing new staff into the NSC, aiming to halt hiring while sorting out the agency’s current needs and downfalls. 

“Rightsizing the NSC staff reflects the president’s vision for a lean, efficient government that is focused on the core national interests of the United States,” O’Brien wrote in his Washington Post op-ed.

There have been concerns that the move is an effort to root out whistleblowers and leaks in the NSC. However, officials insist that O’Brien’s goal is to return the NSC to its role as an inter-agency coordinator.

The White House hopes to reduce the total staff from 174 people to around 120 people, which would be similar to the number of NSC staffers during the first term of President George W. Bush.