Trump fires dozens from National Security Council in major power shift
US President Donald Trump has fired dozens of staffers from the National Security Council (NSC) in an effort to slash the once-powerful body.
Sources briefed on the matter told the Reuters news agency that the move terminates the NSC's power to deal with most major geopolitical issues.
It reportedly takes away the agency's policy-making ability and turns it into a small organization focused more on implementing Trump's agenda than shaping it.
The sources said the Trump administration aims to grant more authority to the State Department, the pentagon, and other departments and agencies involved in diplomacy, national security, and intelligence matters.
The sources expect the final headcount at the NSC to come out to around 50 people, whereas there were roughly 395 people working at the NSC under previous US administrations, including about 180 support staff.
The sources also added that certain sections of the NSC are expected to be eliminated altogether, which consequently ceases the agency's ability to independently oversee African affairs and multilateral organizations like NATO.
The NSC, created during the Truman administration, is considered the main body in the US to coordinate national security strategy and make key decisions regarding the country's approach to the world's most volatile conflicts, from Ukraine to Kashmir.
Critics of the policy are concerned about the totalitarian nature of Trump's decision, arguing that gutting the body will mean Trump's policies are less informed by expert advice.
Several high-ranking staffers were fired earlier in the year after US political activist Laura Loomer presented Trump with a list of national security staffers she perceived to be disloyal.
In February, Trump also fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's highest-ranking military officer, and the principal military advisor to the president, the secretary of defense, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council.
Later in April, three Pentagon aides were terminated following investigations into leaks of classified and sensitive information about the bombardment of Yemen by the US military.
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