The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) prepared to eliminate approximately 1,200 positions, as reported by The Washington Post on Friday, amid a broader reshaping of the United States’ intelligence apparatus.
According to the report, the Trump administration had informed lawmakers about the planned reductions within the CIA, which would unfold over several years. The newspaper indicated that the job cuts would result from a slowdown in hiring rather than forced layoffs.
When questioned about the publication’s report, a CIA spokesperson refrained from confirming the detailed figures but conveyed that CIA Director John Ratcliffe had acted decisively in line with the White House's national security priorities. “Director John Ratcliffe is moving swiftly to ensure the CIA workforce is responsive to the administration's national security priorities,” said the spokesperson.
The spokesperson added that the steps formed part of a broader strategy. “These moves are part of a holistic strategy to infuse the agency with renewed energy, provide opportunities for rising leaders to emerge, and better position CIA to deliver on its mission,” the official stated.
Earlier in the year, the CIA had become the first among the United States intelligence agencies to participate in a voluntary redundancy scheme launched by President Donald Trump, who had pledged to implement drastic reductions in the federal workforce, citing efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Speaking previously before lawmakers, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe had underlined his vision for the agency. Ratcliffe said, “We will produce insightful, objective, all-source analysis, never allowing political or personal biases to cloud our judgment or infect our products.”
He had also reiterated the agency’s global intelligence mandate. “We will collect intelligence, especially human intelligence, in every corner of the globe, no matter how dark or difficult,” he asserted. Ratcliffe continued, “We will conduct covert action at the direction of the president, going places no one else can go and doing things no one else can do.”
Addressing CIA officers directly, Ratcliffe said: “If all of this sounds like what you signed up for, then buckle up and get ready to make a difference. If it doesn't, then it's time to find a new line of work.”
