Joe Kent, the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), abruptly announced his resignation on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, citing deep misgivings regarding the Trump administration’s military conflict with Iran.
In a statement posted to social media, Kent expressed that he_ “cannot in good conscience” _support the ongoing war, which he claims was launched without an imminent threat to the United States.
Kent is a retired Green Beret who served 11 combat deployments and previously worked for the CIA. His departure marks the first high-profile exit from the administration since military strikes were launched in Tehran in late February.
In his resignation letter, Kent alleged that the war was the result of external influence, stating,
_ “It is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”_
The NCTC, which Kent led since his confirmation in July 2025, is the primary agency responsible for analyzing and detecting global terrorist threats.
His resignation highlights a growing rift within the administration’s base, as Kent, a staunch supporter of the "America First" platform, argued that the conflict undermines the president’s original campaign promises to avoid "never-ending wars."
One of the most immediate points of contention is the intelligence used to justify the initial strikes. While President Trump cited an “imminent threat” from the Iranian regime, Kent’s resignation letter claims this was a “misinformation campaign.”
He wrote, _“Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation,” _and warned that the U.S. was repeating mistakes made during the Iraq War.
President Trump responded to the resignation from the Oval Office, dismissing Kent’s concerns and describing him as “weak on security.”
The President stated,_ “When somebody is working with us who says they didn’t think Iran was a threat, we don’t want those people. They’re not smart people, or they’re not savvy people.”_
Kent, a Gold Star husband whose wife was killed by a suicide bomber in Syria in 2019, emphasized the human cost of the conflict in his final remarks.
“I cannot support sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that does not benefit the American people, nor justifies the cost of American lives,” Kent stated.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, led by Tulsi Gabbard, has not yet issued a formal comment on the leadership change at the NCTC.