THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2026 29 This shift toward informal advising at the expense of formal NSC meetings, expertise, and the interagency process has stifled coordination. an additional strong, expert voice on foreign policy, and leaves foreign partners without a more readily available interlocutor. The demands of this dual role make it unsurprising that Secretary Rubio has not (as of this writing) managed to address the department since his first day in office. He has stood by as those reporting to him carried out unprecedented reductions in force (RIFs) and the near elimination of foreign assistance as an instrument of U.S. power, a tool that he supported while in the Senate. Instead of elevating State’s role, his dual appointment has diminished the role of both the department and the NSC. As the primary three pillars of the NSC have been sidelined, the small and informal group of “national security counselors” has come to dominate policymaking. Alongside a tight circle of relatives, special envoys, and business advisers, Secretary Rubio plays a leading role in the president’s kitchen cabinet. In this capacity, he seems to operate more as a personal adviser than as a representative of State Department or NSC institutional expertise. This shift toward informal advising at the expense of formal NSC meetings, expertise, and the interagency process has stifled coordination, leaving policy outcomes less predictable, less efficient, and less strategically sound. America’s 250th anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the past and to define both our future role in the world and the policy framework required to sustain it. To lead responsibly, the United States needs an interagency system that leverages the unmatched expertise and institutional knowledge of the U.S. national security enterprise. While a sound interagency process does not guarantee successful policy, a flawed or nonexistent one courts failure. n
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