Gabbard Announces Sweeping Overhaul of ODNI, Shuts Down Politicized Centers

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced on Wednesday a sweeping reform of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), including a 40% reduction in personnel and the closure of multiple offices her team found had politicized intelligence.

The initiative, known internally as “ODNI 2.0,” represents the first major overhaul in the office’s nearly 20-year history.

In an email to staff obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation, Gabbard described the need for decisive action to address problems uncovered by a months-long programmatic review.

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“Twenty years after the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s (ODNI) creation in response to the 9/11 intelligence failures, we stand at a crossroads,” she wrote.

Gabbard cited stagnant decision-making, bureaucratic expansion, and weaponized intelligence as key issues identified by the audit.

The directive begins immediately.

ODNI was created 20 years ago because of the egregious intelligence failures of the Islamist terror attack on 9/11, to integrate and oversee the Intelligence Community and provide timely, accurate intelligence that protects national security.

Two decades later, bloat and…

— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) August 20, 2025

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According to Gabbard’s email, ODNI staff will start receiving termination notices, and officials detailed from other intelligence agencies will return to their home offices by September 30.

Combined with other efficiency measures instituted by President Donald Trump, including an executive order eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, the total ODNI workforce will be reduced by nearly half.

Senior officials confirmed the agency’s headcount will drop from about 2,000 to approximately 1,300 personnel.

At a roundtable with reporters held at Liberty Crossing, ODNI’s headquarters in McLean, Virginia, a senior official explained the reform strategy.

“We wanted to get our own house in order first,” the official said, noting that additional reforms could extend across the wider intelligence community, which is made up of 18 agencies.

Gabbard initially considered shutting down the office entirely, according to senior aides, but decided on reform after reviewing her team’s findings.

On her first day in office, she solicited suggestions directly from ODNI staff.

As part of the restructuring, three centers will be shuttered and their responsibilities consolidated under ODNI Mission Integration.

These include the Foreign Malign Influence Center (FMIC), the National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center (NCBC), and the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC).

According to an ODNI fact sheet, FMIC maintained partnerships with major social media companies to combat foreign influence.

However, the review determined the office had coordinated with Twitter, Facebook, and Google to suppress news stories, including those related to Hunter Biden’s laptop.

NCBC leadership was cited by former officials for minimizing intelligence suggesting a laboratory origin for COVID-19.

Other changes include transferring the National Intelligence University’s programs to the National Defense University, a move endorsed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

In addition, the Strategic Futures Group and the External Research Council will be disbanded. Gabbard’s email described both as “hubs for injecting partisan priorities into IC products.”

The External Research Council, created in 2023 by members of the National Intelligence Council, had already drawn scrutiny after several of its members were removed for leaking classified information.

Senior ODNI officials estimate the restructuring will save $700 million annually.

The “ODNI 2.0” effort is also assessing whether $1 billion in intelligence spending should be redirected toward updated priorities.

The overhaul comes at a time when former intelligence leaders, including former DNI James Clapper, are under investigation by a grand jury over allegations they conspired to link President Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The ODNI was established by the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act to address failures that preceded the September 11 terrorist attacks.

However, concerns about intelligence silos and politicization have persisted.

A 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment concluded Russia favored Trump in the 2016 election, but documents declassified in recent days revealed the assessment relied on limited intelligence controlled by former CIA Director John Brennan.

In 2021, an intelligence ombudsman determined CIA analysts violated standards by downplaying Chinese interference in the 2020 election, reportedly due to opposition to President Trump’s China policies.

Gabbard framed her reforms as a necessary step to restore integrity to the intelligence community.

“Thank you for your service and dedication,” she wrote in her message to staff.