DNI Gabbard Halves Intelligence Staff, Revokes Clearances in Sweeping Overhaul
DNI Gabbard Halves Intelligence Staff, Revokes Clearances in Sweeping Overhaul
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has announced a radical overhaul of the nation’s top intelligence office, including plans to slash staff by nearly 50% and reduce its annual budget by $700 million.
The sweeping changes, announced just hours after Gabbard revealed the Trump administration’s directive to revoke security clearances for 37 current and former US officials, aim to consolidate teams and enhance the agency’s mission of providing “objective, unbiased, timely intelligence.” Gabbard criticized the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) as “bloated and inefficient” after two decades.
Among the units being eliminated are the Foreign Malign Influence Center, which monitors foreign efforts to influence the US public, and groups tracking weapons of mass destruction, cyber threats, and long-range global forecasts. A fact sheet from Gabbard’s office stated these functions are already performed by other intelligence units.
The controversial revocation of security clearances, ordered by President Trump and announced via a memo on social media, targets several national security aides who served under former Democratic presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. Gabbard accused these officials of “politicising and manipulating intelligence, leaking classified intelligence without authorisation, and/or committing intentional egregious violations of tradecraft standards,” though no specific evidence was provided against individuals.
This move echoes previous actions by the Trump administration to revoke clearances, including those of Biden and Kamala Harris. Democrats have dismissed the actions as a political distraction, while Gabbard and Trump have characterized criticisms of their intelligence assessments, particularly regarding the 2016 election, as a “treasonous conspiracy.”
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