Shock to global cyber ecosystem as US exits 66 international bodies

On Wednesday, the Trump administration formally notified Congress and allies that the United States would withdraw from 66 international organizations, branding them “wasteful, ineffective, or harmful.”

The White House list, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, spans climate, culture, development, and governance. Its security implications have drawn particular attention.

“The Trump Administration has found these institutions to be redundant in their scope, mismanaged, unnecessary, wasteful, poorly run, captured by the interests of actors advancing their own agendas contrary to our own, or a threat to our nation’s sovereignty, freedoms, and general prosperity."

Presidential memorandum

Of the 66 organizations identified, roughly 15 have mandates that touch directly on cybersecurity, counterterrorism, or hybrid threats. And at least 10 regularly provide security briefings, threat assessments, or technical coordination involving US agencies.

Several of the organizations affected appear to be forums rather than operational bodies, but they have played a recurring role in convening security briefings and technical exchanges involving US officials.

The Global Forum on Cyber Expertise has coordinated cyber capacity building and incident response discussions among governments, national cyber agencies, and industry, with US participation on issues such as ransomware and supply-chain security.

The Freedom Online Coalition, while focused on internet freedom, has also hosted briefings on state-sponsored surveillance, network shutdowns, and online repression.

Others include the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, which examines hybrid threats, including cyber operations and disinformation, and the Global Counterterrorism Forum, which addresses terrorist use of digital technologies.

Why the exit raises questions about the Five Eyes alliance

While these bodies do not conduct classified intelligence work, at least ten have hosted security exchanges involving US diplomats or technical agencies.

Their work has complemented intelligence sharing with the Five Eyes, a long-standing partnership between the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand that coordinates intelligence and security assessments.

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The move also raises broader questions about this alliance, although there are no verified public statements from Trump or Rubio explicitly calling for an end to Five Eyes cooperation. Unverified posts claiming the US has halted intelligence sharing with the UK have been fact-checked and debunked by Reuters.

But this retreat from multilateral engagement – alongside other high-profile disputes with allies over issues such as NATO commitments, Greenland, and tariff threats could strain trust that underpins alliances like Five Eyes, which depend on predictable collaboration and shared threat assessments.

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