The White House is carrying out a major reorganization of the National Security Council that has sidelined roughly 160 aides and will dramatically shrink the council’s staffing, senior officials say. Senior figures identified by administration sources as central to the reconfiguration include National Security Adviser Richard Waltz, with two deputies named internally as Andy Baker and Robert Gabriel. The shake-up follows controversies that have dogged the national security adviser’s office. A smaller NSC also typically concentrates leverage with the presidential advisers who remain, accelerating top-down decision-making while reducing the role of career subject-matter experts. By returning many officials to parent agencies and recalibrating teams, the White House is betting that a smaller, politically coherent council can implement priorities more swiftly.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 22, 2026 05:52 UTC