Plans by Donald Trump to slash thousands of jobs across US spy agencies were last night branded “ill-advised and dangerous” by the former head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service. The US President intends to axe 1,200 roles from the CIA and thousands more across the country’s 18 intelligence-gathering agencies, including the National Security Agency, in a series of cost-cutting moves.

“These moves are part of a holistic strategy to infuse the agency with renewed energy, provide opportunities for rising leaders to emerge, and better position CIA to deliver on its mission,” said the agency in a statement. But the announcement, which comes amid heightened tensions with state actors such as Russia, China and Iran, was condemned by Dr August Hanning, former President of Germany’s foreign intelligence service, Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND).

“I think it’s a mistake to decrease CIA staff levels in the present situation, looking at the crises worldwide,” he said.

“The question is which units will be cut. When it comes to Russia, the Middle East and particularly China, the support provided by US agencies is vital. Reducing this now shows a lack of consistency in US strategic planning, which is dangerous in my view.”

Former intelligence officer and NATO planner Philip Ingram said the proposed cuts, which include some planned redundancies, would not damage the overall capabilities of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance.

“US intelligence agencies are among the biggest employers in the United States and, because of the nature of what they do, tend to be more inefficient than many other departments – that’s why Donald Trump has his sights on them,” he said.

“Given the vast numbers involved, these cuts won’t make much difference to Five Eyes. In fact, reducing headcount might even make some agencies more efficient.”

He added: “Even if Trump were anti-Five Eyes, he wouldn’t pull out. The club is really two plus three – the US and UK, plus Canada, New Zealand and Australia – and there’s a physical element to it, especially with the United Kingdom, that the Americans can’t replicate.

“It’s about relationships between counterparts and more than that; it’s about sharing facilities that are just as critical to US national security as they are to the UK.

“He would effectively be sticking a fork in each one of his own eyes.”

Since taking office in January, Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk have embarked on a cost-cutting drive that has gutted or dismantled multiple agencies, and resulted in the departure of over 200,000 federal workers.