The Steady State on the Resignation of NCTC Director Joe Kent
March 17, 2026, Washington, D.C. – The Steady State is an organization of 400 former national-security, intelligence, diplomatic, military, law-enforcement, and homeland-security officials. On March 17, 2026, Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned, citing his opposition to the ongoing U.S. war with Iran. In his resignation letter, Mr. Kent wrote that he could not “in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” stating that Iran posed “no imminent threat” to the United States and warning against sending Americans to fight in a conflict he believes does not serve U.S. national interests.
Mr. Kent is the most senior official of this administration to resign in opposition to Trump’s invasion of Iran, and it highlights growing divisions within the national security establishment over Trump’s decision to launch the war. As director of the NCTC, Kent oversaw the U.S. government’s primary hub for counterterrorism analysis. He was responsible for integrating information from across the intelligence community and coordinating strategy among multiple agencies tasked with preventing terrorist attacks.
The Steady State supports Mr. Kent’s direct and honest appraisal of the lack of justification for the attack on Iran. His decision to resign represents one of the first instances in which a senior official in this administration has shown such integrity in opposing the war. However, Mr. Kent fails to acknowledge the ultimate responsibility of the president and his advisors, but rather attempts to deflect the blame onto internal and external forces, per his letter, “high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American media.”
The organization also reiterates concerns raised when Mr. Kent was nominated to lead the National Counterterrorism Center. In its earlier statement opposing his confirmation, The Steady State warned that Kent’s record raised serious concerns about his suitability for the role. As the group wrote at the time, “Mr. Kent’s extremist views alone should have disqualified him from obtaining this position.” Placing a highly politicized figure at the head of a central intelligence analysis body risked undermining the independence and credibility that the nation’s counterterrorism institutions require.
Joe Kent, a former U.S. Army Special Forces warrant officer who later served as a paramilitary officer in the CIA’s Special Activities Center, completed 11 combat deployments during a 20-year military career, primarily in Iraq, Yemen, and North Africa. After leaving active duty, he entered politics, running as a pro-Trump Republican candidate for Congress in Washington state in 2022 and again in 2024. Though he lost both general elections, he remained a prominent figure in the populist wing of the Republican Party and a vocal critic of federal law enforcement and intelligence institutions before being appointed to lead the NCTC in 2025.
His resignation comes amid intensifying debate inside Washington about the rationale and objectives of the war with Iran. Critics of the conflict have argued that the administration has not demonstrated that Iran posed an imminent threat requiring military action, while supporters contend that the strikes were necessary to deter further aggression and protect U.S. forces and allies in the region.
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