After World War II, Congress created the National Security Council as an expert advisory body to help presidents gather information and weigh the consequences of military action. For decades, the council served 14 presidents as a central hub for planning and coordination. Under Donald Trump, however, the NSC was sharply reduced as the administration moved toward war planning against Iran.
CNN reported that Trump cut the council’s staff from about 200 in his early days in office to less than half that number. Some of the cuts were made, at least in part, at the request of far-right lobbyist Laura Loomer, who argued that the council was filled with people insufficiently loyal to Trump. Instead of relying on the NSC, Trump leaned on a small circle of close allies, including national security adviser Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff, as the administration discussed war strategy. That approach complicated efforts by senior officers suddenly tasked with moving U.S. forces to the Middle East, CNN said.
The article says the NSC’s deterioration reshaped U.S. foreign policy at key moments in the wars involving Iran and Ukraine, fitting Trump’s direct management style. The result, it says, was disastrous. A larger council could have helped coordinate better with Gulf allies over Iran’s response to U.S. strikes and forced a deeper discussion of whether Tehran could effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, Trump told CNN in March that “the biggest surprise of the war was the intensity with which Tehran hit Arab Gulf states with missile strikes.”
The administration also badly underestimated Iran’s willingness to close the strait, although the military had described that exact scenario for years, CNN previously reported. While officials from agencies including the Energy Department and Treasury attended some early planning meetings, sources said the council’s analysis and forecasts, central in earlier administrations, were treated as secondary. Trump appointee Sriram Kothari told the Senate he was unaware of anyone at Treasury doing energy-market analysis before the U.S. operation against Iran. The Pentagon also initially prioritized strikes on Iranian military targets rather than deterring a closure of the strait. A White House spokeswoman, Anna Kelly, rejected the criticism, saying the council is “more effective and responsive to the president’s priorities than ever” and that the president hears multiple views before making the final decision.
