Trump cut the National Security Council staff from about 400 to roughly 125-130, a dramatic reduction that sets the structure back 30-40 years and has caused the NSC coordination process to break down, allowing departments to act independently—exemplified by the Department of Defense halting weapons and ammunition to Ukraine without the president knowing.
causalpending
Speaker
John BoltonEvidence Quote
“the whole NSC process has broken down that there's not adequate coordination among the different departments”
Source
John Bolton Warns: The System Is Breaking Down. The World’s Out of Control And No One's in Charge— Decoding Geopolitics Podcast with Dominik PreslCreated: 6/18/2026, 1:57:40 PM
My Notes
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