Trump admin steps up overhaul of National Security Council, weeks after Waltz's departure

Additionally, the restructuring will move Andy Barker, national security advisor to Vice President JD Vance, and Robert Gabriel, assistant to the president for policy, into roles serving as deputy national security advisors. 

A White House official involved in the planning said Trump and Rubio are driving the change in an attempt to target Washington's so-called "Deep State." 

"The NSC is the ultimate Deep State. It's Marco vs. the Deep State. We're gutting the Deep State," a White House official told Axios. 

The National Security Council is located within the White House and provides the president guidance on national security, military and foreign affairs matters. 

Waltz's departure from the agency followed his involvement with other administration officials, like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in the Signal chat controversy over strike plans against the Houthis in March.

But Waltz had been focused early in his short tenure on the issue of what the Trump administration considers "deep state" infiltration of the agency. The former Green Beret and Florida congressman was especially concerned about Biden administration political appointees and holdovers assigned to the NSC from other agencies. 

Since Waltz's departure earlier this month, Rubio has taken on the role of national security advisor. That's in addition to leading the State Department and serving as acting archivist and acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which the administration is aiming to dismantle this year. 

Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.