Overview

• More than 100 National Security Council staffers were placed on administrative leave on May 23, as part of a significant restructuring led by interim National Security Adviser Marco Rubio.
• The overhaul aims to reduce the NSC workforce from roughly 350 to 50–60 members, returning many career detailees to their home agencies and reassigning political appointees.
• The restructuring shifts greater foreign policy authority to the State and Defense departments, reducing the NSC’s traditional coordinating role.
• Staffers were given as little as 30 minutes to clear their desks after receiving notice, reflecting the rapid and decisive nature of the changes.
• Critics warn the downsizing risks eroding institutional expertise and diminishing the NSC's capacity to manage U.S. national security policy effectively.