 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 18, 1947 (1947-09-18) |
| Headquarters | Eisenhower Executive Office Building |
| Agency executives | |
| Parent agency | Executive Office of the President of the United States |
| Key document | |
TheUnited States National Security Council (NSC) is thenational security council used by thepresident of the United States for consideration ofnational security, military, andforeign policy matters. Based in theWhite House, it is part of theExecutive Office of the President of the United States, and composed of senior national security advisors andCabinet officials.
Since its inception in 1947 by PresidentHarry S. Truman, the function of the council has been to advise and assist the president on national security and foreign policies. It also serves as the president's principal arm for coordinating these policies among various government agencies. The council has subsequently played a key role in most major events inU.S. foreign policy, from theKorean War to thewar on terror.
The immediate predecessor to the National Security Council was theNational Intelligence Authority (NIA), which was established by PresidentHarry S. Truman's Executive Letter of January 22, 1946, to oversee the Central Intelligence Group, the CIA's predecessor. The NIA was composed of thesecretary of state, thesecretary of war, thesecretary of the navy, and thechief of staff to the commander in chief.
The National Security Council was created in 1947 by theNational Security Act. It was created because policymakers felt that the diplomacy of the State Department was no longer adequate to contain theSoviet Union in light of the tension between the Soviet Union and the United States.[1] The intent was to ensure coordination and concurrence among theArmy,Marine Corps,Navy,Air Force and other instruments of national security policy such as theCentral Intelligence Agency (CIA), also created in the National Security Act.
In 1953, the Eisenhower administration's NSC wrote three policy papers on opposing the People's Republic of China. NSC 146 proposed backing Republic of China maritime raids and raids against the Chinese mainland.[2]: 88 NSC 148 proposed to foster and support anti-communist Chinese elements both inside and outside of the country. NSC 166 proposed strategies to deny the PRC full status in the international community, pursuant to the view that making any concessions would strengthen the PRC.[2]: 88
In 2004, the position ofdirector of national intelligence (DNI) was created, taking over the responsibilities previously held by the head of the CIA, thedirector of central intelligence, as a cabinet-level position to oversee and coordinate activities of theIntelligence Community[3]
On May 26, 2009, PresidentBarack Obama merged the White House staff supporting theHomeland Security Council (HSC) and the National Security Council into one National Security Staff (NSS). The HSC and NSC each continue to exist by statute as bodies supporting the president.[4] The name of the staff organization was changed back to National Security Council Staff in 2014.[5]
TheDirectorate of Global Health Security and Biodefense was formed in 2016 under theObama administration, disbanded in 2018 under thefirst Trump administration, and reinstated in January 2021 during thepresidency of Joe Biden.
According to a White House memorandum in January 2017, thechairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff anddirector of national intelligence will only sit on the Principals Committee as and when matters pertaining to them arise, but will remain part of the full National Security Council.[6][7] The reorganization also placed theadministrator of the United States Agency for International Development as a permanent member of the Deputies Committee, winning moderate praise.[8]
On January 29, 2017, newly elected President Donald Trump restructured the Principals Committee (a subset of the full National Security Council), while at the same time altering the attendance of thechairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and director of national intelligence.[9] According to "National Security Presidential Memorandum 2", thechairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and director of national intelligence were to only sit on the Principals Committee as and when matters pertaining to them arise, but will remain part of the full National Security Council.[10][11] However, Chief of StaffReince Priebus clarified the next day that they still are invited to attend meetings.[12]
With "National Security Presidential Memorandum 4" in April 2017, the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff "shall" attend Principals Committee meetings and thedirector of the Central Intelligence Agency was included as a regular attendee.[13] The reorganization also placed theadministrator of the United States Agency for International Development as a permanent member of the Deputies Committee,[14] while the White House chief strategist was removed.[15][16][17]
According to a report byReuters, the United States military ran apropaganda campaign to spreaddisinformation about theSinovac ChineseCOVID-19 vaccine, including using fake social media accounts saying that the Sinovac vaccine contained pork-derived ingredients and was thereforeharam underIslamic law.[18] The campaign was described as "payback" forCOVID-19 disinformation by China directed against the U.S.[19] The disinformation campaign began in 2020.[18] In spring 2021, the NSC ordered the military to stop spreading anti-vaccine messages.[18] The campaign continued until summer 2021 before terminating.[18]
In August 2025, the Financial Times observed that "in Trump’s second term, the NSC has been drastically pared back, with dozens of foreign policy and national security experts [having been] ousted from their jobs", and quoted an official with the assessment that "the traditional Washington foreign policy process led by the NSC has largely broken down in this administration."[20]
The National Security Council was established by theNational 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.
TheHigh Value Detainee Interrogation Group also reports to the NSC.[21]
One of the tasks of the National Security Council is to determine and identify people, including United States citizens who are deemed to be threats to national security and add them to a "kill list".[22] In this case, no public record of this decision or any operation to kill the suspect will be made available.[22] The panel's actions are justified by "two principal legal theories": They "were permitted by Congress when itauthorized the use of military forces against militants in the wake ofthe attacks of September 11, 2001; and they are permitted under international law if a country is defending itself."[22]
Homeland Security AdvisorJohn O. Brennan, who helped codify targeted killing criteria by creating theDisposition Matrix database, has described theObama Administration targeted killing policy by stating that "in order to ensure that our counterterrorism operations involving the use of lethal force are legal, ethical, and wise, President Obama has demanded that we hold ourselves to the highest possible standards and processes".[23]
Reuters reported thatAnwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen, was on such a kill list and was killed accordingly.[22]
The National Security Council, as of 2021[update] and as per statute[24] and National Security Memorandum–2,[25] is chaired by thepresident. Its members are thevice president (statutory), thesecretary of state (statutory), thesecretary of the treasury (statutory), thesecretary of defense (statutory), thesecretary of energy (statutory), theassistant to the president for national security affairs (non-statutory), theassistant to the president and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (non-statutory), theattorney general (non-statutory), thesecretary of homeland security (non-statutory), and therepresentative of the United States to the United Nations (non-statutory).[26][24]
Thechairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the military advisor to the council, thedirector of national intelligence is the intelligence advisor, and thedirector of national drug control policy is the drug control policy advisor. Thechief of staff to the president,White House counsel, and theassistant to the president for economic policy are also regularly invited to attend NSC meetings. The attorney general, the director of theOffice of Management and Budget and the director of the Central Intelligence Agency 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.[27]
| Structure of the United States National Security Council[28] | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | President |
| Regular attendees | |
| Military advisor (and regular attendee) | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff[29] |
| Intelligence advisor (and regular attendee) | Director of National Intelligence[29] |
| Drug policy advisor | Director of National Drug Control Policy |
| Regular attendees | |
| Additional participants | |
The Principals Committee of the National Security Council is the Cabinet-level senior interagency forum for consideration of national security policy issues. The Principals Committee is convened and chaired by the national security advisor. The regular attendees of the Principals Committee are thesecretary of state, thesecretary of the treasury, thesecretary of defense, theattorney general, thesecretary of energy, thesecretary of homeland security, theWhite House chief of staff, thedirector of national intelligence, thechairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thedirector of the Central Intelligence Agency, thehomeland security advisor, and theUnited States ambassador to the United Nations.
TheWhite House counsel, the deputy counsel to the president for national security affairs, thedirector of the Office of Management and Budget, thedeputy national security advisor, the deputy national security advisor for strategy, the national security advisor to the vice president, and the NSC executive secretary may also attend all meetings of the Principals Committee. When considering international economic issues, the Principals Committee's regular attendees will include thesecretary of commerce, theUnited States trade representative, and the assistant to the president for economic policy.[30]
TheNational Security Council Deputies Committee is the senior sub-Cabinet interagency forum for consideration of national security policy issues. The Deputies Committee is also responsible for reviewing and monitoring the interagency national security process including for establishing and directing the Policy Coordination Committees.[31] The Deputies Committee is convened and chaired by thedeputy national security advisor or the deputy homeland security advisor.[30]
Regular members of the Deputies Committee are the deputy national security advisor for strategy, thedeputy secretary of state,deputy secretary of the treasury, thedeputy secretary of defense, thedeputy attorney general, thedeputy secretary of energy, thedeputy secretary of homeland security, the deputy director of theOffice of Management and Budget, the deputydirector of national intelligence, thevice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the national security advisor to the vice president, theadministrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and thedeputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Invitations to participate in or attend specific meetings are extended to deputy or under secretary level of executive departments and agencies and to other senior officials when relevant issues are discussed. The executive secretary and the deputy White House counsel also attend. The relevant senior director on the National Security Council staff is also invited to attend when relevant.[30]
The Policy Coordination Committees of the National Security Council, established and directed by the Deputies Committee, are responsible for the management of the development and implementation of national security policies through interagency coordination. Policy Coordination Committees are the main day-to-day for interagency coordination of national security policy development, implementation and analysis in aide of the Deputies Committee and the Principals Committee. Policy Coordination Committees are chaired by senior directors on the National Security Council staff, or sometimesNational Economic Council staff, with assistant secretary–level officials from the relevant executive department or agency acting as co-chairs.[30]
The Directorate of Global Health Security and Biodefense was created by Barack Obama in 2016 in response to the2014 Ebola outbreak. Its goal was "to prepare for the next disease outbreak and prevent it from becoming an epidemic or pandemic."[32][33] The directorate was disbanded when a May 2018 change in organizational structure by John Bolton, Trump's recently appointed head of the National Security Council, resulted in the effective elimination of the office then led by Rear AdmiralTim Ziemer, Sr. Director for Global Health Security and Biothreats. Remaining staff were moved to other NSC departments, prompting Ziemer's resignation, thus completing the elimination of the office.[34][35][33]
The responsibilities that formerly belonged to the directorate, along with those of arms control and nonproliferation, and of weapons of mass destruction terrorism, were absorbed into a single new directorate, counterproliferation and biodefense, and assigned toTim Morrison in July 2018 as director. Morrison characterized the consolidation as part of an overall NSC "reduction of force" and called it "specious" to say the office was "dissolved", describing the previous size of the organization as "bloat", and stating "That is why Trump began streamlining the NSC staff in 2017."[36][37] Trump defended the 2018 cuts, describing the financial motivation, when questioned in a February 2020 press conference, suggesting that people on a pandemic response team are unnecessary between pandemics, saying "Some of the people we cut, they haven't been used for many, many years." No source of information could be found to support the president's statement, likely because the team was created in 2016 and disbanded in 2018. He continued: "And rather than spending the money—and I'm a business person—I don't like having thousands of people around when you don't need them."[38] The size of the team before cuts was estimated at 430 people, but the "thousands" referenced by the president also included reduction in the staff numbers of the CDC.[37][39]
In January 2021, the directorate was reinstated by PresidentJoe Biden, who appointedElizabeth Cameron as Senior Director for Global Health Security and Biodefense, a position she had previously held under the Obama administration and briefly under the Trump administration.[40]
During hispresidential transition, President-elect Joe Biden announced the creation of the position ofU.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, the occupant of which was to be a member of the National Security Council.[41]
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