they're at the deputy level too. they make the hiring decisions. In fact, you don't have to read beyond that article to know how deeply politics infiltrate the career ranks. It details the issue within the NSC
I don't know about you, but in my life in corporate America people care deeply about what the people above them want
This is not corporate America. In my life in the military, I have seen ineffective commander's orders get circumvented, intentionally taken down paths of failure or in other ways have their agendas defeated.
The military is not the same as the IC, it is very much more hierarchical with clear lines of command, and even in our strictly defined community, the "bureaucracy" can successfully undermine command authority. The most successful commander understood that and always got input and buyin from his entrenched staff.
The IC is much more opaque. It is not corporate America, you can't do mass layoff and rehire new staff to enforce your will. Govt service has many layers of legal protections from political appointees and if your entire workforce doesn't believe in you, it's not hard to undermine whatever authority you have.
It is never direct, in your face insubordination that will defeat your agenda. The guys dumb enough to do that are easily replace. It is the guys who spent their lifetimes in the organization, understand where the true levers of power lie, and have mastered the political side of the job that can subvert what you are trying to do. And if what your are trying to do is batshit crazy, its extremely easy to manipulate situations to where your agenda keeps failing.