Gabbard has been a strong member of the Trump administration. She wants to help the president drain the Swamp.
And Tulsi Gabbard has hit the Deep State where it hurts with this latest order.
In a move to streamline operations and restore integrity, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard unveiled plans on Wednesday to reduce her agency’s staff by as much as 40% over the next few weeks. This overhaul also includes dismantling several units accused of injecting politics into vital intelligence sharing.
When Gabbard took office, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) employed more than 1,800 people. Post-restructuring, that number is set to drop to around 1,300, with at least three offices labeled as unnecessary being completely dissolved, based on insights from high-level insiders.
Not every cut will involve layoffs; a portion of the staff will transition to roles in other parts of the executive branch.
The essential duties of the targeted offices—the Foreign Malign Influence Center (FMIC), National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center, and Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center—will shift to either ODNI’s Mission Integration office or the National Intelligence Council.
This council consists of top-tier analysts who guide operations across over a dozen entities.
During a session with journalists, ODNI representatives argued that the FMIC had undermined personal freedoms and eroded public confidence, especially under the previous administration. They pointed out its role in supporting major tech companies’ efforts to suppress content, such as the New York Post’s explosive report on Hunter Biden from October 2020.
An insider drew parallels between this office and the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, which Secretary Marco Rubio dismantled in April amid comparable charges of stifling expression.
The remaining two offices dealt with tracking dangers from weapons of mass destruction and digital attacks, responsibilities already managed by various other government bodies.
In a related development, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has committed to integrating the National Intelligence University into the National Defense University, handling all programs tied to intelligence education. “This effort aligns with President Trump’s focus on increasing efficiencies across the government and will enhance the quality of our educational programs,” Gabbard and Hegseth stated in an August memo looked over by the New York Post.
Dubbed “ODNI 2.0,” this comprehensive push is anticipated to deliver savings of up to $700 million for American taxpayers, according to projections from officials. “Across the organizations, the process reviews we’ve made have been incredibly thoughtful,” stated an official. “By removing these constraints, that enhances our ability to take on new priorities.”
A separate official noted that programs emphasizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) had introduced operational hurdles in the intelligence sector, and Gabbard’s changes aim to redirect efforts toward building a high-caliber team.
This reveal follows closely on the heels of Gabbard’s decision two days prior to strip security clearances from 37 individuals in the intelligence field, the majority of whom are no longer in federal service. Among them was Vinh Nguyen, a past assistant to former DNI James Clapper, who had been employed at the National Security Agency in an AI capacity.
Gabbard communicated the updates to her team via an internal message on Wednesday afternoon, framing ODNI as standing “at a crossroads.”
Insiders disclosed that the DNI leader had explored the idea of scrapping the entire office in talks with President Trump, yet an extensive evaluation of its roles confirmed its value in delivering essential supervision.
Gabbard has spotlighted this through releasing startling declassified documents on the development of the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), revealing how officials in the Obama era manipulated positions to amplify allegations of Russian ties to Trump’s campaign. “Over the last 20 years, ODNI has become bloated and inefficient, and the intelligence community is rife with abuse of power, unauthorized leaks of classified intelligence, and politicized weaponization of intelligence,” she stated.
“ODNI and the IC must make serious changes to fulfill its responsibility to the American people and the US Constitution by focusing on our core mission: find the truth and provide objective, unbiased, timely intelligence to the President and policymakers,” Gabbard said.
“Ending the weaponization of intelligence and holding bad actors accountable are essential to begin to earn the American people’s trust which has long been eroded.”
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