The Steady State
The Steady State[1] was founded by former national security officials in 2016, and is a non-profit advocacy organization domiciled in Maryland. Drawn largely from retired senior officials from the Intelligence, Diplomatic and Defense Communities, including the Central Intelligence Agency the Department of State, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the organization originally focused on providing assistance and expertise to the newly-elected administration.
In 2019, the organization shifted its focus to active, public, advocacy. In 2019-2020, The Steady State endorsed candidate Joe Biden for President,[2][3] as well as other candidates[4] for Congressional offices, and engaged in growing public advocacy.[5] In 2020, The Steady State, as Amicus Curiea filed a brief with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in the prosecution of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.[6] Steady State members appeared in events sponsored by the University of Las Vegas School of Law[7] and Harvard University.[8][9] In 2024, The Steady State endorsed candidate Kamala Harris for President, as well as Congressional candidates.[10]
In 2025, The Steady State registered as a 501(c)(4) non-profit, and has expanded its advocacy and membership.[11][12][user-generated source] In July 2025, its membership exceeded 300; some of the membership has been made public[13] others remain "concealed." Steven Cash, former Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for Intelligence & Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security, serves as The Steady State's Executive Director[14].
Some critics have characterized "The Steady State" as a dangerous, subversive or treasonous organization. For instance, the Center for Security Policy published an article titled "The Steady State – Treason From Within," in which it accuses the group of functioning as a clandestine "network that cuts across many agencies and exercises enormous power", implying that it may wield undue influence within the intelligence community and act counter to the interests of duly elected officials.[15] Other reporting notes the increasing influence of the organization, without allegations of treason.[16][17]
Recently, Steady State members have appeared on PBS Newshour,[18] National Public Radio,[19] Univision,[20] and on the podcasts SpyTalk.[21] Just Security,[22] and The Jack Hopkins Show[23][24][25] and have voiced its views on national security matters.[26][27][28][29][27][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][excessive citations] On August 9, 2025, the Steady State issued an "Open Letter" in response to widespread firing of senior FBI Officials.[39][40][41][42][43][44][45][excessive citations] On August 18, Steady State filed an amicus curiae brief in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in support of Governor Gavin Newsom and the State of California in their challenge to President Donald Trump’s domestic deployment of U.S. military forces.[46]
Public members include:
- Tom Armbruster, Former U.S. Ambassador
- John Beyrle, Former US Ambassador to Russia and Bulgaria
- Philip Bobbitt, Professor of Law, Columbia University
- William Braniff, Former Director of the DHS Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships
- Maria Brewer, Former U.S. Ambassador
- Mary Ellen Callahan, Former DHS Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office and Former DHS Chief Privacy Officer
- Steven A. Cash, Former Senior Advisor, DHS Office of Intelligence & Analysis; Prof. Staff, SSCI
- Jeffrey W. Castelli, Former Senior Executive, U.S. Intelligence Community
- Robert F. Cekuta, Former U.S. Ambassador
- Alfred Cumming, Former Staff Director, United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
- Nelson W. Cunningham, Former Senior Advisor in the Office of the Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and Environment
- Richard Danzig, 71st Secretary of the Navy
- John Dinkelman, President, American Foreign Service Association / Former Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of State
- Gregory Delawie, Ambassador (ret.)
- William Eacho, Ambassador
- Susan Elliott, Ambassador to Tajikistan (ret.) and former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central Asia
- Gerald Feierstein, Former Ambassador to Yemen
- Judith Fergin, Ambassador to Timor-Leste (ret.)
- Andrew Gibb, Former Senior Intelligence Officer
- Nina Hachigian, Ambassador (ret.), U.S. Mission to ASEAN
- John Heffern, Former Ambassador to Armenia
- Richard Kauzlarich, Ambassador to Azerbaijan, and Bosnia and Herzegovina (ret.)
- Laura Kennedy, Former U.S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan and to the Conference on Disarmament
- Susan J. Koch, Former Director, National Security Council Staff
- Daniel Langenkamp, Former Spokesperson, European Bureau, U.S. Department of State
- Lewis Lukens, Former U.S. Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, former Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy to the United Kingdom
- Suzanne Nossel, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
- Robert Pirie, Former Under Secretary of the Navy
- Asha Rangappa, Former Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent
- Jim Semivan, Former Senior Intelligence Service, Central Intelligence Agency
- John Sipher, Former Senior Intelligence Service
- Mark Storella, Former Ambassador to Zambia, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration
- Alexander Vershbow, Ambassador to NATO, Russia, and South Korea (ret.), former Assistant Secretary of Defense
References
- ↑ "The Steady State". The Steady State.
- ↑ "Officials from the 'Steady State' throw their support behind Biden". MSNBC.com. 2020-03-19. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ↑ Longman, Martin (2020-03-19). "The 'Steady State' Endorses Joe Biden for President". Washington Monthly. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ↑ "McGrath Campaign: Foreign Policy for America endorses Deb Baldus McGrath for Congress". WisPolitics. 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
- ↑ Cash, Steven (January 9, 2020). "Why we need a 'Deep State'". The Hill.
- ↑ Brief of The Steady State and Former Nat’l Sec. Officials as Amici Curiae in Opposition to the Department of Justice’s Motion to Dismiss, United States v. Flynn, No. 1:17-cr-00232 (D.D.C. June 10, 2020). Available on-line at https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NatSec-amicus.pdf
- ↑ "DECISIONAL ADVANTAGE AND INTELLIGENCE: THE INTELLIGENCE CYCLE THROUGH THE LENS OF RUSSIAN BOUNTY". July 30, 2020.
- ↑ "Truth and Consequences: COVID, Climate, and National Security in the Age of Trump". Harvard University Center for the Environment. October 27, 2020.
- ↑ "Things To Do in White Plains NY - Poughkeepsie Journal". www.poughkeepsiejournal.com. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
- ↑ "Endorsements - Conroy for Congress". conroy4congress.com. 2024-01-05. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ↑ "United States : Former CIA officials band together in the 'Steady State' to oppose Trump purges - 17/02/2025". Intelligence Online. 2025-05-11. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- ↑ Hopkins, Jack. "Why The Steady State Could Help Save America". www.jackhopkinsnow.com. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
- ↑ "The Steady State - Our Members". The Steady State.
- ↑ "Homeland Intelligence Advisory Board; Vacancies". Federal Register. 2024-06-12. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
- ↑ Faddis, Sam (2025-08-04). "The Steady State - Treason From Within". Center for Security Policy. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
- ↑ "United States • Former intel officials enter political fray to counter Trump - 17/06/2025". Intelligence Online. 2025-06-17. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
- ↑ "Biden-laptop denier 'Steady State' group attacks Patel and Gabbard, endorses Vindman and Spanberger | Just The News". justthenews.com. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
- ↑ Sy, Stephanie; Taraporevala, Kayan; Barnhart, Eliot; Bennett, Geoff; Sagalyn, Dan. "Steven Cash". PBS News. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ↑ Simon, Scott (2025-03-29). "The impact of the Signal security breach, according to a former intelligence officer". NPR. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ↑ "Ver Línea de Fuego, capítulo 98 temporada 2025 por ViX". VIX (in spanish). Retrieved 2025-05-27.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ "SpyTalk". MSW Media. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ↑ "The Budget Bill and the Future of DHS and ICE". Just Security. 2025-07-18. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
- ↑ From Moscow to MAGA: National Security in the Age of Trump - The Jack Hopkins Show Podcast. 2025-06-17. Retrieved 2025-07-08 – via www.buzzsprout.com.
- ↑ Ex-CIA Insider Breaks Silence: What He Revealed About America's Fragile Future Will Leave You Stunned (And Furious - The Jack Hopkins Show Podcast. 2025-05-31. Retrieved 2025-06-10 – via www.buzzsprout.com.
- ↑ Confronting Curveball: Inside the CIA's Iraq Intelligence Controversy - The Jack Hopkins Show Podcast. 2025-07-01. Retrieved 2025-07-08 – via www.buzzsprout.com.
- ↑ Guardian, Sri Lanka (2025-02-10). "CIA Veterans Protest Forced Resignations". slguardian.org. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 "2025.06.23, Statement After Iran Bombing FINAL.pdf". Google Docs. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ↑ Roth, Andrew (April 29, 2025). "Trump 100 days: from cornerstone of the west to unreliable ally". The Guardian.
- ↑ "Media and Posts – The Steady State". thesteadystate.org. 21 April 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-10.
- ↑ "2025.06.25, Letter to Congress War Powers.pdf". Google Docs. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ↑ Goodman, Ryan (2025-07-21). "Understanding DHS's and ICE's New Powers in Comparative Perspective". Just Security. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
- ↑ "Trump Basically Just Said 'F**k You' To A Panel Of Judges And Did What He Wanted". HuffPost. 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
- ↑ "CIA's Reputation vs. Democracy's Survival – The Cipher Brief". www.thecipherbrief.com. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
- ↑ "Caesar in California". Washington Spectator. 2025-06-09. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ↑ "Searching for the Trigger". Washington Spectator. 2025-06-23. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ↑ Isikoff, Michael. "Former Trump CIA Director's 'Top Secret' Memo—for Campaign Cash". www.spytalk.co. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ↑ Struck, Julia (August 22, 2025). "Intelligence Blackout: US Reportedly Cut Off Five Eyes From Ukraine Talks". Kyiv Post. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
- ↑ 0 (2025-08-21). "Gabbard barred sharing intelligence on Russia-Ukraine negotiations with "Five Eyes" partners - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
- ↑ Wehner, Greg (2025-08-10). "Ex-government officials pen letter blasting Kash Patel's FBI 'purge'". Fox News. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
- ↑ "FBI abuses and misuses generate angry reactions from bureau veterans, agents association". MSNBC.com. 2025-08-11. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
- ↑ August 11, RCP RadioOn Date; 2025. "RCP Podcast: Trump Takes Over DC Police, "Land Swaps" in Ukraine? The Steady State, The Saundra Gray Affair". www.realclearpolitics.com. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
- ↑ Haggerty, Kevin (2025-08-11). "Ex-officials attempt hilarious rebrand of the 'Deep State' in letter blasting Patel's FBI purge". BizPac Review. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
- ↑ "Top Democrat Dick Durbin Vents at Justice Department's 'Purge' of Senior FBI Brass Involved in Prosecutions of January 6 Protesters and Trump Aide". The New York Sun. 2025-08-15. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ↑ "MSN, 'These Regimes Do Not End Well': Group of Former NatSec Officials Warn of FBI 'Purge' in Open Letter to Agency". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
- ↑ Maguire, Kevin (2025-08-17). "Former Government Officials Call Out FBI Director Kash Patel For Abandoning Agency's 'Long-Standing Independence'". NewsBreak. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
- ↑ Brief of The Steady State as Amicus Curiae in Support of Plaintiffs Regarding the Domestic Deployment of the United States Military and the Engagement of Military Personnel in Civilian Law Enforcement, Case No. 3:25-cv-04870-CRB (N.D. Cal. Aug. 18, 2025) (amicus brief on file with the court)
This article "The Steady State" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:The Steady State. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
