US President Donald Trump reshuffled his national security organisation on Wednesday, removing his chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, from a top policy-making committee and restoring senior military and intelligence officials who had been downgraded when he first came into office.

The shift was orchestrated by Lieutenant-General H.R. McMaster, who was tapped as Mr Trump's national security adviser after the resignation of Michael Flynn, who stepped down in February after being caught misleading Vice-President Mike Pence and other White House officials about his contacts with Russia's ambassador.

General McMaster inherited an organisational scheme for the National Security Council that stirred protests because of Mr Bannon's role. The original set-up made Mr Bannon, the former chairman of the right wing website Breitbart News, a member of the principals committee that typically includes cabinet-level officials such as the vice-president, secretary of state and defence secretary. The original order also made the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the director of national intelligence only occasional participants as issues demanded.

Critics said Mr Bannon's presence in a national security policy-making structure risked politicising foreign policy.