Trump Reorganizes National Security Council

President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Saturday reorganizing the National Security Council. The move elevates the position of Trump’s chief strategist Steve Bannon, a former Breitbart executive, giving him a seat on the principals committee. It also demotes the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of National Intelligence, both of whom will be invited when “issues pertaining to their responsibilities and expertise are to be discussed,” according to the order. Other permanent members of the principals committee include, the Defense Secretary, Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, the assistant to the President and chief strategist, the National Security Advisor, and the Homeland Security Advisor. “The security threats facing the United States in the 21st century transcend international boundaries. Accordingly, the United States Government’s decision-making structures and processes to address these challenges must remain equally adaptive and transformative,” states the order. Speaking on Face the Nation on CBS on Sunday, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said, “The appointment of Mr. Bannon” is a “radical departure from any National Security Council in history.” McCain called the reorganization a “concern,” saying, “The one person who is indispensable would be the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in my view.”