United States National Security Council

Information about United States National Security Council

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 President's Executive Office. 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 many other countries' National Security Councils.

History

The National Security Council was created in 1947 by the National Security Act. The context was a bureaucratic concurrence between the Navy and Army.

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:

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.

The day-to-day affairs of the NSC are overseen by the National Security Advisor, currently Stephen J. Hadley. The NSC's somewhat ambiguous legal/administrative status was exposed by the Iran-Contra Affair; Marine Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North was a member of the NSC staff. The NSC staff runs the White House's Situation Room.

Structure of the United States National Security Council (2007)
Chair	George W. Bush (President of the United States)
Regular Attendees	Richard B. Cheney (Vice President of the United States) Condoleezza Rice (Secretary of State) Henry M. Paulson, Jr. (Secretary of the Treasury) Robert M. Gates (Secretary of Defense) Stephen J. Hadley (Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs)
Military Advisor	Michael Mullen (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff)
Intelligence Advisor	John Michael McConnell (Director of National Intelligence) - Note: prior to April 21, 2005 this position was filled by the Director of Central Intelligence
Additional Participants	Joshua Bolten (Chief of Staff to the President) Fred Fielding (Counsel to the President) Allan Hubbard (Assistant to the President for Economic Policy)

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.

References

NSC page at the White House website
Story on the NSC in Foreign Policy journal.

White House Chief of Staff
Deputy White House Chief of Staff
White House Press Secretary • White House Counsel • White House Office of Presidential Communications • White House Office of Presidential Speechwriting • White House Office • White House Office of the Executive Clerk • Office of Management and Budget • National Security Council • Homeland Security Council • Office of the United States Trade Representative • Office of National Drug Control Policy • Council of Economic Advisers • Council on Environmental Quality • Domestic Policy Council • National Economic Council • Office of Administration • Office of Advance • Office of Scheduling • White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives • United States Office of National AIDS Policy • Office of Science and Technology Policy • President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board • President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board • USA Freedom Corps • White House Military Office

North façade of the White House, seen from Pennsylvania Avenue. Before construction of the north portico in 1824, the north façade looked similar to Leinster House shown in the picture below.
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Motto
"In God We Trust" (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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National security refers to the requirement to maintain the survival of the nation-state through the use of economic, military and political power and the exercise of diplomacy.
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neutrality is disputed.
* Its neutrality or factuality may be compromised by weasel words.

Please help [ improve the article] or discuss these issues on the talk page.
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The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor (abbreviated NSA, or sometimes ANSA
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United States of America

This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
the United States

Federal government
Constitution
Taxation

President Vice President
Cabinet

Congress
Senate
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The Executive Office of the President (EOP) consists of the immediate staff of the President of the United States, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the President.
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Harry S. Truman (May 8 1884 – December 26 1972) was the thirty-third President of the United States (1945–1953); as vice president, he succeeded to the office upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. During World War I he served as an artillery officer.
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A National Security Council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security.
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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1910s 1920s 1930s - 1940s - 1950s 1960s 1970s
1944 1945 1946 - 1947 - 1948 1949 1950

Year 1947 (MCMXLVII
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National Security Act of 1947, Pub. L. No. 235, 80 Cong., 61 Stat. 496 (July 26, 1947), signed by U.S. President Harry S. Truman realigned and reorganized the United States' armed forces, foreign policy, and Intelligence Community apparatus in the aftermath of World War II.
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United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. The U.S. Navy currently has over 340,000 personnel on active duty and nearly 128,000 in the Navy Reserve.
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The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. Like all armies, it has the primary responsibility for land-based military operations.
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History of the United States National Security Council:
1947-1953 | 1953-1961 | 1961-1963 | 1963-1969 | 1969-1974
1974-1977 | 1977-1981 | 1981-1989 | 1989-1992 | 1993-2003 | 2003-present
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This is a history of the United States National Security Council during the Truman Administration, 1947–1953.

Precursors to the National Security Council

The National Security Council was created by Public Law 80–253, approved July 26 1947, as part of a general
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This article is about the history of the United States National Security Council during the Eisenhower Administration, 1953-1961.

Under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the National Security Council system evolved into the principal arm of the President in formulating and
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This article is about the history of the United States National Security Council during the Kennedy Administration, 1961-1963. The National Security Council is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy
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This article is about the history of the United States National Security Council during the Johnson Administration, 1963-1969.

The abrupt transition of power to the Johnson administration brought no dramatic change in the formal role of the National Security Council.
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This article is about the history of the United States National Security Council during the Nixon Administration, 1969-1974.

President Nixon and his National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, dominated the making of US foreign policy during the Nixon Presidency.
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This article is about the history of the United States National Security Council during the Carter Administration, 1977-1981:

President Carter's goals

Jimmy Carter began his term determined to eliminate the abuses he ascribed to the Kissinger National Security Council
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This article is about the history of the United States National Security Council during the Reagan Administration, 1981-1989.

The Haig initiative

On inauguration day, Secretary of State-designate Alexander Haig presented a draft National Security Decision Directive (NSDD)
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This article is about the history of the United States National Security Council during the first Bush Administration, 1989-1992.

After serving eight years as Vice President and participating in the momentous foreign affairs events of the Reagan administration, President
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This article is about the history of the United States National Security Council during the Clinton Administration, 1993-2003.

President William J. Clinton on January 20 1993, the day of his inauguration, issued Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) l to departments and
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The United States Secretary of the Treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, concerned with finance and monetary matters, and, until 2003, some issues of national security and defense.
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The United States Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) is the head of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), concerned with the armed services and military matters. The role of the Secretary of Defense is to be the principal defense policy advisor to the President and is responsible for
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