United States National Security Council

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The White House National Security Council (NSC) in the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States 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. Since its inception under President Harry 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 United States NSC has counterparts in many other countries' National Security Councils.

1 History
2 Membership
3 Authority
4 Further reading
5 References
6 See also

[edit] History

The National Security Council was created in 1947 by the National Security Act. The context was a bureaucratic concurrence between the Navy and Field Army. President Truman had made a prudent choice because he managed to make both of them happy.

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:

History of the United States National Security Council

[edit] Membership

The National Security Council is chaired by the President. Its regular attendees (both statutory and non-statutory) are the Vice President of the United States, 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 Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, 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 (2006)
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	General Peter Pace, USMC (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff)
Intelligence Advisor	John Negroponte (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) Harriet Miers (Counsel to the President) Allan Hubbard (Assistant to the President for Economic Policy)

[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

David J. Rothkopf, Running The World: the Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power, ForeignAffairs; 2005, ISBN 1-58648-248-3