Senate confirms Joe Kent to lead the National Counterterrorism Center

Kent, who previously served as an Army Ranger and in the Special Forces, was confirmed in a 52-44 split. Kent also served as a foreign policy advisor to Trump in 2021.

By Misty Severi

Published: July 30, 2025 7:55pm

The Senate on Wednesday night confirmed former Republican Congressional nominee Joe Kent as the new director of the National Counterterrorism Center.

President Donald Trump nominated Kent for the position after supporting his two previous unsuccessful congressional campaigns in 2022 and 2024.

Kent, who previously served as an Army Ranger and in the Special Forces, was confirmed in a 52-44 split. Kent also served as a foreign policy advisor to Trump in 2021.

The next director will be responsible for analyzing and detecting terrorist threats and said he plans to devote agency resources to targeting Latin American gangs and other criminal groups tied to illegal immigration, per the Associated Press.

“President Trump is committed to identifying these cartels and these violent gang members and making sure that we locate them and that we get them out of our country,” Kent said during his confirmation hearing in April.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.