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cover of episode What Trump's cuts to intelligence could mean for national security

What Trump's cuts to intelligence could mean for national security

2025/5/26
logo of podcast Consider This from NPR

Consider This from NPR

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Richard Clarke: 我认为总统必须与他的国家安全顾问建立个人信任关系。虽然Mike Waltz非常有资格胜任这份工作,但如果他们之间没有那种关系,他就无法以最佳方式完成工作。所以我理解总统要求他离开的原因。同时,身兼国务卿和国家安全顾问是不可能的,这两个职位截然不同,而且其中一个职位需要监督另一个职位。如果由同一个人担任这两个职位,就会出现问题。我认为国家安全委员会的规模可以大幅缩小,甚至可以减少一半,因为在过去的二十年中,它的规模已经不成比例地增长。关键不在于人数,而在于其作用。国家安全委员会最关键的作用是识别需要总统指导的问题,并向总统提供多种选择,并对这些选择进行分析和比较。但本届政府似乎缺乏分析环节,决策似乎都是凭直觉和感觉做出的。一个优秀的国家安全委员会应该提出多种方案,并根据一套评估标准对这些方案进行比较,否则就会导致混乱。总统在做出决策后,往往认为政策已经结束,但实际上这仅仅是开始。官僚机构会按照自己的意愿行事,并可能忽视总统的命令。 Mary Louise Kelly: 特朗普政府对国家安全委员会的调整,包括人员的削减和职位的变动,可能对情报收集、国家安全以及总统做出明智决策的能力产生影响。尤其是在Marco Rubio同时担任多个要职的情况下,国家安全委员会是否还能有效地发挥其原有的作用,为总统提供客观的建议和分析,值得关注。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Richard Clarke's testimony before the 9-11 Commission revealed failures in American national security decision-making. He highlighted the Bush administration's insufficient response to the urgency of the al-Qaeda threat and the president's preference for intelligence aligning with pre-existing beliefs.
  • Richard Clarke's testimony before the 9-11 Commission
  • Bush administration's insufficient response to al-Qaeda threat
  • President's preference for confirming intelligence

Shownotes Transcript

It's a classic Washington power move — the late-on-Friday news dump. This past Friday, at 4:30pm, start of a long holiday weekend, about half the staff of the National Security Council got emails asking them to leave by 5pm. Dozens of people abruptly dismissed.The restructuring of the NSC as Secretary of State and National Security advisor Marco Rubio has characterized it — continues a trend in this second term for President Trump, of radical downsizing. The Trump administration plans to cut thousands of intelligence and national security jobs across the government.The US Government has long relied on scores of intelligence officials across the government to keep America safe. Trump wants many of them gone – what could that mean for security at home and abroad? For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org).Email us at [email protected]).Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices)NPR Privacy Policy)