February 1, 2026 l By Dalena Reporters Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A former United States National Security Advisor has publicly called on President Donald Trump to shut down the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), asserting that the longtime U.S. intelligence body “no longer serves the interests of the American people.” The rare and provocative appeal underscores growing fractures between retired national security officials and parts of the current administration’s policy establishment.
In remarks made on Friday and widely circulated on social media and conservative commentary platforms, Ambassador Robert Harward — who served as National Security Advisor under President Donald Trump asserted that the CIA has “lost its purpose” and has become an institution resistant to accountability, transparency, and alignment with the administration’s strategic priorities.
Harward, a retired Navy SEAL and former senior operations officer with the agency, told supporters that the CIA’s structure and priorities have become “outdated and misaligned” with evolving global threats and that, in his view, the agency has failed to prove its value in recent U.S. foreign policy crises.
“In a time when America must confront new geopolitical realities,” Harward said, according to the statements reviewed by Dalena Reporters, “we cannot allow an institution that has repeatedly resisted meaningful reform to continue operating as if nothing has changed. The CIA no longer serves the interests of the American people.”
His comments notably stopped short of advocating disbanding all U.S. intelligence work; instead, Harward suggested that intelligence functions be reorganised under a new framework that emphasizes “agility, accountability, and clear strategic purpose,” aligning more closely with priorities set by the president and his national security team.
The call for the CIA’s closure comes amid broader debates within Washington over the future of U.S. intelligence and national security operations. In recent years, some policymakers and commentators both on the left and the right have criticised U.S. intelligence agencies for alleged politicisation, perceived failures to predict major global developments, and a lack of oversight. Intelligence reform has emerged as a recurring theme among certain conservative commentators supportive of Trump’s foreign policy.
Critics of Harward’s position argue that abolishing a premier intelligence agency without a clear alternative framework could leave the United States less prepared to respond to covert threats, terrorism, and foreign influence operations. Former intelligence officials have repeatedly warned that dismantling core intelligence capabilities would undermine national security — a stance echoed by lawmakers in both parties.
A spokesman for the CIA declined to comment directly on Harward’s remarks when approached by media outlets on Sunday but emphasised that the agency continues to carry out “critical missions in defense of the United States, our partners, and global stability.”
President Trump has not publicly responded to Harward’s appeal as of this report. However, the administration recently announced broader initiatives to reshape U.S. intelligence priorities, including potential realignment of some intelligence functions under the Department of Defense and greater legislative scrutiny of covert programs.
Whether Harward’s call will influence ongoing policy debates remains unclear. Nevertheless, the public criticism of a major U.S. intelligence agency by a former senior national security adviser highlights rising tensions over the role, oversight, and future of America’s intelligence community at a time of intense geopolitical competition.