United States National Security Council
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| United States National Security Council | |
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1947 |
| Agency executives | Barack Obama, Chairman, President of the United States Vice President of the United States, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, National Security Advisor, Others as necessary |
| Parent agency | Executive Office of the President of the United States |
| Website | |
| NSC Website | |
The White House National Security Council (NSC) in the United States is the principal forum used by the President for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Since its inception under President Harry S. Truman, the function of the Council has been to advise and assist the President on national security and foreign policies. The Council also serves as the President's principal arm for coordinating these policies among various government agencies. The U.S. Council has counterparts in the national security councils of many other nations.
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[edit] History
The National Security Council was created in 1947 by the National Security Act. It was created because policymakers felt that the diplomacy of the State Department was no longer adequate to contain the USSR in light of the tension between the Soviet Union and the United States.[1] The intent was to ensure coordination and concurrence among the Navy, Army, Air Force and other instruments of national security policy (such as the Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA, also created in the National Security Act).
On May 26th, 2009, the Homeland Security Council was folded into the National Security Council.[2]
The decision process inside the structure has become less and less formal, but influence of the Council has become stronger and stronger. Detailed history of the National Security Council under each Presidential administration since its inception can be found at:
[edit] Membership
The National Security Council is chaired by the President. Its regular attendees (both statutory and non-statutory) are the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (or National Security Advisor). The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the statutory military advisor to the Council, and the Director of National Intelligence is the intelligence advisor. The Chief of Staff to the President, Counsel to the President, and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy are also invited to attend any NSC meeting. The Attorney General and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget are invited to attend meetings pertaining to their responsibilities. The heads of other executive departments and agencies, as well as other senior officials, are invited to attend meetings of the NSC when appropriate.
| Structure of the United States National Security Council (Current) | |
|---|---|
| Chair | Barack Obama (President of the United States) |
| Regular Attendees | Joe Biden (Vice President of the United States) Hillary Clinton (Secretary of State) Tim Geithner (Secretary of the Treasury) Robert M. Gates (Secretary of Defense) James L. Jones (National Security Advisor) |
| Military Advisor | ADM Michael Mullen (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) |
| Intelligence Advisor | Dennis C. Blair (Director of National Intelligence) |
| Additional Participants | Rahm Emanuel (Chief of Staff to the President) Greg Craig (Counsel to the President) Lawrence Summers (Assistant to the President for Economic Policy) Mark Lippert (Chief of Staff to the National Security Council) Dan Restrepo (Western Hemisphere adviser) |
[edit] Staff
- National Security Advisor: James L. Jones
- Deputy National Security Advisor: Thomas E. Donilon
- Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan: Douglas Lute
- Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security: John O. Brennan
[edit] Authority
The National Security Council was established by the National Security Act of 1947 (PL 235 - 61 Stat. 496; U.S.C. 402), amended by the National Security Act Amendments of 1949 (63 Stat. 579; 50 U.S.C. 401 et seq.). Later in 1949, as part of the Reorganization Plan, the Council was placed in the Executive Office of the President.
[edit] Further reading
- Ivo H. Daalder and I.M. Destler, In the Shadow of the Oval Office: Profiles of the National Security Advisers and the Presidents They Served--From JFK to George W. Bush Simon & Schuster; 2009, ISBN 978-1416553199.
- David J. Rothkopf, Running The World: the Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power, PublicAffairs; 2006, ISBN 978-1586484231.
- Journey to the Center of the World: U.S. National Security Council - Arzın Merkezine Seyahat: ABD Ulusal Güvenlik Konseyi - Article on US NSC in Turkish
- Cody M. Brown, The National Security Council: A Legal History of the President's Most Powerful Advisers, Project on National Security Reform (2008).
[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: National Security Council |
- National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection and Counter-Terrorism
- National Security Medal
- Iran Contra
- Tower Commission
[edit] References
- ^ Encyclopedia of American foreign policy, 2nd ed. Vol. 2, New York: Scribner, 2002, National Security Council, 22 April 2009
- ^ In Security Shuffle, White House Merges Staffs
[edit] External links
- Official National Security Council website
- White House Office, National Security Council Staff Papers, 1948-1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
- Homeland Security Watch (www.HLSwatch.com) provides current details on the NSC as it pertains to homeland security.
