Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center and a retired Green Beret who served 11 combat deployments during a 20-year Army career, announced his resignation Tuesday over the ongoing war in Iran.
In a statement posted on X, Kent said: "I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation." He added: "It is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby."
Kent wrote a separate letter to President Trump posted on X, saying he had supported the president's values during his first term but could not support "sending the next generation off to fight and die in a war that serves no benefit to the American people nor justifies the cost of American lives."
The National Counterterrorism Center oversees U.S. government intelligence on terrorist threats and maintains a database of all known and suspected terrorists. Kent worked under Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, and the two were political allies.
Kent's wife, Shannon Kent, a Navy cryptologist, died in a terrorist bombing in Syria in 2019. He later worked at the CIA before being appointed to lead NCTC as part of the administration's broader effort to place trusted allies in senior intelligence positions.
What the Right Is Saying
Trump supporters and conservative nationalists have largely backed the president's Iran policy, with many arguing that the previous administration's approach of diplomatic engagement failed and that military action is necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Some conservative commentators have defended the war as necessary for U.S. security, pointing to Iran's support for militant groups across the Middle East and its nuclear program development.
Others have expressed mixed reactions to Kent's resignation. While some conservative voices support his anti-interventionist stance, others have noted that the war was a campaign promise fulfilled and that questioning it now undermines the president's agenda.
The America First movement, whichKent has been associated with, has historically advocated for ending U.S. military interventions abroad. Some supporters have praised Kent's consistency in opposing endless wars while others have defended the Iran campaign as a necessary response to Iranian aggression.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive Democrats and anti-war advocates have long opposed military intervention in Iran, but some progressive voices are questioning the timing and motivations behind Kent's resignation.
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a longtime critic of military interventions, has not commented directly on Kent's resignation but has previously argued that the U.S. should not be involved in wars without clear constitutional authorization.
Other progressive lawmakers have noted that Kent's resignation highlights what they describe as a pattern of administration officials placing partisan loyalty over professional expertise in intelligence roles. Progressive groups have raised concerns about the politicization of the intelligence community under the current administration.
The Center for American Progress and other progressive think tanks have argued that any military action in Iran must be evaluated based on whether it advances U.S. national security interests, not foreign policy pressures.
What the Numbers Show
The National Counterterrorism Center, which Kent led, maintains the U.S. government's central database of known and suspected terrorists. The agency coordinates intelligence sharing across 19 different federal departments and agencies.
Kent served 20 years in Army Special Forces, completing 11 combat deployments. He later worked at the CIA before his appointment to lead NCTC in 2025.
His wife, Navy cryptologist Shannon Kent, was killed in a terrorist bombing in Syria in 2019 alongside three other American service members. The attack was later claimed by ISIS.
Public polling on the Iran war has shown divided opinions, with surveys conducted in early 2026 showing approximately 48% of Americans supporting the military campaign while 42% opposed, according to data from Quinnipiac University and Pew Research Center.
The administration has not released specific casualty figures for the ongoing operation, though defense officials have described it as a sustained campaign with significant deployment of forces to the region.
The Bottom Line
Kent's resignation represents a notable departure within the administration's national security apparatus, with a longtime ally citing conscience and opposition to what he called an unjustified war. His resignation letter to Trump underscores the tension between campaign promises of non-intervention and actual military policy.
Gabbard, who as director of national intelligence is Kent's supervisor, has kept a low profile since the war began and has previously criticized U.S. military interventions abroad. Her position on the current conflict remains unclear.
The NCTC directorship will require a Senate-confirmed replacement, and the resignation raises questions about the administration's ability to maintain cohesion in its national security team. What to watch: whether other officials follow Kent's example, and how the resignation affects ongoing debate about the war's justification and scope.