View source for United States National Security Council

{{Short description|U.S. federal executive national security and intelligence forum}}
{{Distinguish|United States Homeland Security Council|National Safety Council}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name     = United States National Security Council
| seal            = Seal of the Executive Office of the President of the United States 2014.svg
| seal_width      = 140px
| formed          = {{Start date|1947|9|18}}
| preceding1      = 
| jurisdiction    = 
| headquarters    = [[Eisenhower Executive Office Building]]
| employees       = 
| budget          = 
| image           = 
| chief1_position = [[Chairman]]
| chief1_name     = [[President of the United States|President]] [[Donald Trump]]
| chief2_position = [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]]
| chief2_name     = [[Marco Rubio]]
| chief3_position = 
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| parent_agency   = [[Executive Office of the President of the United States]]
| child1_agency   = 
| keydocument1    = [[National Security Act of 1947]]
| website         = 
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}}
[[File:White House Situation Room.jpg|thumb|[[President of the United States|President]] [[George W. Bush]] during a National Security Council (NSC) meeting at the [[White House]] [[Situation Room]], March 21, 2003. The participants in the meeting, including [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] [[Donald Rumsfeld]], [[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]] General [[Richard Myers|Richard B. Myers]], [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[Colin Powell]], [[Director of the Central Intelligence Agency]] ([[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]) [[George Tenet]], [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]] [[Condoleezza Rice]] and [[White House Chief of Staff]] [[Andrew Card|Andy Card]].]]

The '''United States National Security Council''' ('''NSC''') is the [[national security council]] used by the [[president of the United States]] for consideration of [[national security]], military, and [[Foreign relations of the United States|foreign policy]] matters. Based in the [[White House]], it is part of the [[Executive Office of the President of the United States]], and composed of senior national security advisors and [[United States Cabinet|Cabinet]] officials.

Since its inception in 1947 by President [[Harry 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 in [[Foreign policy of the United States|U.S. foreign policy]], from the [[Korean War]] to the [[war on terror]].

==History==
The immediate predecessor to the National Security Council was the [[National Intelligence Authority (United States)|National Intelligence Authority]] (NIA), which was established by President [[Harry S. Truman]]'s Executive Letter of January 22, 1946, to oversee the Central Intelligence Group, the CIA's predecessor. The NIA was composed of the [[United States Secretary of State|secretary of state]], the [[United States Secretary of War|secretary of war]], the [[United States Secretary of the Navy|secretary of the navy]], and the [[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff|chief of staff to the commander in chief]].
[[File:William Flynn Martin at National Security Council meeting.jpg|thumb|President Ronald Reagan's National Security Council. Participants include [[George Shultz]], [[William F. Martin]], [[Cap Weinberger]], [[Colin Powell]] and [[Howard Baker]].]]

The National Security Council was created in 1947 by the [[National Security Act of 1947|National Security Act]]. It was created because policymakers felt that the diplomacy of the State Department was no longer adequate to contain the [[Soviet Union]] in light of the tension between the Soviet Union and the United States.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QHDkqb-myscC&pg=PA499|title=Encyclopedia of American foreign policy|edition=2nd|volume=2|location=New York|publisher=Scribner|year=2002|author=National Security Council|isbn=9780684806570 }}</ref> The intent was to ensure coordination and concurrence among the [[United States Army|Army]], [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], [[United States Navy|Navy]], [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] and other instruments of national security policy such as the [[Central 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.<ref name="Crean">{{Cite book |last=Crean |first=Jeffrey |title=The Fear of Chinese Power: an International History |date=2024 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Academic]] |isbn=978-1-350-23394-2 |edition= |series=New Approaches to International History series |location=London, UK |pages=}}</ref>{{Rp|page=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.<ref name="Crean" />{{Rp|page=88}}

In 2004, the position of [[Director of National Intelligence|director of national intelligence]] (DNI) was created, taking over the responsibilities previously held by the head of the CIA, the [[Director of Central Intelligence|director of central intelligence]], as a cabinet-level position to oversee and coordinate activities of the [[United States Intelligence Community|Intelligence Community]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/directors-of-central-intelligence-as-leaders-of-the-u-s-intelligence-community/chapter_15.htm|title=Directors of Central Intelligence as Leaders of the US Intelligence Community|author=Douglas F. Garthoff|year=2007|publisher=cia.gov|access-date=July 26, 2022|archive-date=April 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427101356/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/directors-of-central-intelligence-as-leaders-of-the-u-s-intelligence-community/chapter_15.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:NationalSecurityCouncilMeeting.jpg|right|thumb|President Barack Obama at an NSC meeting in the Situation Room. Participants include Secretary of State [[Hillary Clinton]], Secretary of Defense [[Robert Gates]], National Security Advisor Gen. [[James L. Jones]], Director of National Intelligence [[Dennis C. Blair]], White House Counsel [[Greg Craig]], CIA Director [[Leon Panetta]], Deputy National Security Advisor [[Tom Donilon]], Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. [[James Cartwright]], and White House Chief of Staff [[Rahm Emanuel]]]]

On May 26, 2009, President [[Barack Obama]] merged the White House staff supporting the [[Homeland 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/us/27homeland.html?ref=us |title=In Security Shuffle, White House Merges Staffs |author= Helene Cooper |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date= May 26, 2009 |access-date= March 15, 2017 |author-link=Helene Cooper }}</ref> The name of the staff organization was changed back to National Security Council Staff in 2014.<ref>{{Cite press release|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2014/02/10/nsc-staff-name-back-so-long-nss|title=NSC Staff, the Name Is Back! So Long, NSS| date=February 10, 2014| author= Caitlin Hayden |via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|work=[[whitehouse.gov]]|access-date= March 15, 2017}}</ref>

The [[#Directorate of Global Health Security and Biodefense|Directorate of Global Health Security and Biodefense]] was formed in 2016 under the [[presidency of Barack Obama|Obama administration]], disbanded in 2018 under the [[First presidency of Donald Trump|first Trump administration]], and reinstated in January 2021 during the [[presidency of Joe Biden]].

According to a White House memorandum in January 2017, the [[chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]] and [[Director of National Intelligence|director 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.<ref name="Presidential Memorandum2">{{cite web |date=January 31, 2017 |title=Presidential Memorandum Organization of the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council |url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/28/presidential-memorandum-organization-national-security-council-and |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129061103/https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/28/presidential-memorandum-organization-national-security-council-and |archive-date=January 29, 2017 |access-date=January 31, 2017 |website=The White House |language=en}}</ref><ref name="DefenseStatement2">{{cite web |last1=Garamone |first1=Jim |date=January 31, 2017 |title=No Change to Chairman's Status as Senior Military Adviser, Officials Say |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/1064325/no-change-to-chairmans-status-as-senior-military-adviser-officials-say/ |access-date=January 31, 2017 |website=US Department of Defense |language=en}}</ref> The reorganization also placed the [[administrator of the United States Agency for International Development]] as a permanent member of the Deputies Committee, winning moderate praise.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Morris |first1=Scott |title=Maybe the Trump Administration Just Elevated Development Policy, or Maybe Not |url=http://cgdev.org.488elwb02.blackmesh.com/blog/maybe-trump-administration-just-elevated-development-policy-or-maybe-not |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211160555/http://cgdev.org.488elwb02.blackmesh.com/blog/maybe-trump-administration-just-elevated-development-policy-or-maybe-not |archive-date=February 11, 2017 |access-date=February 8, 2017 |publisher=Center for Global Development}}</ref>
[[File:President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are briefed by their national security team.jpg|thumb|President [[Joe Biden]] discussing the [[Fall of Kabul (2021)|Fall of Kabul]] with the National Security Council, August 18, 2021]]
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 the [[chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]] and director of national intelligence.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/29/512295108/with-national-security-council-shakeup-steve-bannon-gets-a-seat-at-the-table|author= Merrit Kennedy| title=With National Security Council Shakeup, Steve Bannon Gets A Seat At The Table| date=January 29, 2017 |newspaper=[[NPR]]| access-date= January 29, 2017 }}</ref> According to "National Security Presidential Memorandum 2", the [[chairman 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.<ref name="Presidential Memorandum">{{cite press release|title=Presidential Memorandum Organization of the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/28/presidential-memorandum-organization-national-security-council-and|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129061103/https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/28/presidential-memorandum-organization-national-security-council-and|archive-date=January 29, 2017|publisher = Office of the Press Secretary |access-date= January 31, 2017|language=en |date=  January 31, 2017}}</ref><ref name="DefenseStatement">{{cite web|title=No Change to Chairman's Status as Senior Military Adviser, Officials Say|url=https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/1064325/no-change-to-chairmans-status-as-senior-military-adviser-officials-say/| author= Jim Garamone| publisher=[[United States Department of Defense]]|access-date= January 31, 2017|language=en|date= January 31, 2017}}</ref> However, Chief of Staff [[Reince Priebus]] clarified the next day that they still are invited to attend meetings.<ref name="Trump chief of staff: defense officials not off NSC after Bannon move">{{cite news| author= Alan Yuhas |title=Trump chief of staff: defense officials not off NSC after Bannon move|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/29/trump-priebus-nsc-steve-bannon|newspaper = [[The Guardian]]|access-date=January 30, 2017|language=en|date= January 29, 2017}}</ref>

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 the [[director of the Central Intelligence Agency]] was included as a regular attendee.<ref name="auto1">[https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/nspm-4-organization-national-security-council-homeland-security-council-and-subcommittees-summary] [[Lawfare Blog]] NSPM-4: "Organization of the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and Subcommittees": A Summary</ref> The reorganization also placed the [[administrator of the United States Agency for International Development]] as a permanent member of the Deputies Committee,<ref>{{cite web|title=Maybe the Trump Administration Just Elevated Development Policy, or Maybe Not|url=https://www.cgdev.org/blog/maybe-trump-administration-just-elevated-development-policy-or-maybe-not|author= Scott Morris|publisher=[[Center for Global Development]] |date=February 7, 2017| access-date=March 15, 2017}}</ref> while the White House chief strategist was removed.<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-04-05/bannon-removed-from-national-security-council-role-in-shakeup| author=Jennifer Jacobs | title = Bannon Loses National Security Council Role in Trump Shakeup| newspaper=Bloomberg.com | access-date=April 5, 2017 | date =April 5, 2017 | publisher=[[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Steve Bannon loses National Security Council seat|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39508351|author= BBC|work=BBC News|date=April 6, 2017| access-date=April 6, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=BBC |date=April 6, 2017 |title=Steve Bannon loses National Security Council seat |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39508351 |access-date=April 6, 2017 |publisher=BBC News}}</ref>

According to a report by [[Reuters]], the United States military ran a [[Propaganda in the United States|propaganda]] campaign to spread [[disinformation]] about the [[Sinovac Biotech|Sinovac]] Chinese [[COVID-19]] vaccine, including using fake social media accounts saying that the Sinovac vaccine contained pork-derived ingredients and was therefore ''[[haram]]'' under [[Sharia|Islamic law]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Bing |first=Chris |last2=Schechtman |first2=Joel |date=June 14, 2024 |title=Pentagon Ran Secret Anti-Vax Campaign to Undermine China during Pandemic |url=https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-covid-propaganda/ |work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> The campaign was described as "payback" for [[COVID-19 misinformation by China|COVID-19 disinformation by China]] directed against the U.S.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Toropin |first=Konstantin |date=2024-06-14 |title=Pentagon Stands by Secret Anti-Vaccination Disinformation Campaign in Philippines After Reuters Report |url=https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/06/14/pentagon-stands-secret-anti-vaccination-disinformation-campaign-philippines-after-reuters-report.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240614223757/https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/06/14/pentagon-stands-secret-anti-vaccination-disinformation-campaign-philippines-after-reuters-report.html |archive-date=2024-06-14 |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=[[Military.com]] |language=en}}</ref> The disinformation campaign began in 2020.<ref name=":6" /> In spring 2021, the NSC ordered the military to stop spreading anti-vaccine messages.<ref name=":6" /> The campaign continued until summer 2021 before terminating.<ref name=":6" />

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."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/89f39aea-30dd-4481-93c8-842576dff3fc|title=Client Challenge|website=www.ft.com}}</ref>

==Authority and powers==
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.

The [[High-Value Interrogation Group|High Value Detainee Interrogation Group]] also reports to the NSC.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.foxnews.com/politics/elite-high-value-interrogation-unit-is-taking-its-first-painful-steps/ |title= Elite High Value Interrogation Unit Is Taking Its First Painful Steps| author=Ed Barnes| publisher= [[Fox News Channel]]|date= May 12, 2010|access-date= March 15, 2017 }}</ref>

===Kill authorizations===
{{main|Disposition Matrix}}
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".<ref name=reu1005>{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cia-killlist-idUSTRE79475C20111005 | work=[[Reuters]] | title=Secret panel can put Americans on "kill list" |author=Mark Hosenball |date=October 5, 2011 |access-date= March 26, 2017| author-link=Mark Hosenball }}</ref> In this case, no public record of this decision or any operation to kill the suspect will be made available.<ref name=reu1005 /> The panel's actions are justified by "two principal legal theories": They "were permitted by Congress when it [[Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists|authorized the use of military forces against militants]] in the wake of [[9/11|the attacks of September 11, 2001]]; and they are permitted under international law if a country is defending itself."<ref name=reu1005 />

Homeland Security Advisor [[John O. Brennan]], who helped codify targeted killing criteria by creating the [[Disposition Matrix]] database, has described the [[Obama 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".<ref>{{cite speech |url=http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/the-efficacy-and-ethics-us-counterterrorism-strategy |title=The Efficacy and Ethics of U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy |author= John O. Brennan |author-link= John O. Brennan |institution= [[Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars]] |date= April 30, 2012 |access-date= March 26, 2017 }}</ref>

Reuters reported that [[Anwar al-Awlaki]], an American citizen, was on such a kill list and was killed accordingly.<ref name="reu1005"/>

==Membership==
The National Security Council, {{as of|2021|lc=y}} and as per statute<ref name="law.cornell.edu">{{Cite web|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/50/3021|title=50 U.S. Code § 3021 – National Security Council|website=LII / Legal Information Institute|language=en|access-date=January 15, 2018}}</ref> and National Security Memorandum–2,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/02/04/memorandum-renewing-the-national-security-council-system/ | title=Memorandum on Renewing the National Security Council System | date=February 5, 2021 }}</ref> is chaired by the [[President of the United States|president]]. Its members are the [[Vice President of the United States|vice president]] (statutory), the [[United States Secretary of State|secretary of state]] (statutory), the [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|secretary of the treasury]] (statutory), the [[United States Secretary of Defense|secretary of defense]] (statutory), the [[United States Secretary of Energy|secretary of energy]] (statutory), the [[National Security Advisor (United States)|assistant to the president for national security affairs]] (non-statutory), the [[Office of Science and Technology Policy#Directors|assistant to the president and director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy]] (non-statutory), the [[United States Attorney General|attorney general]] (non-statutory), the [[United States Secretary of Homeland Security|secretary of homeland security]] (non-statutory), and the [[United States Ambassador to the United Nations|representative of the United States to the United Nations]] (non-statutory).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-04-06/pdf/2017-07064.pdf#page=4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407150009/https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-04-06/pdf/2017-07064.pdf |archive-date=April 7, 2017 |url-status=live|title=National Security Presidential Memorandum–4 of April 4, 2017}}</ref><ref name="law.cornell.edu"/>

The [[chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]] is the military advisor to the council, the [[Director of National Intelligence|director of national intelligence]] is the intelligence advisor, and the [[Director of National Drug Control Policy|director of national drug control policy]] is the drug control policy advisor. The [[White House Chief of Staff|chief of staff to the president]], [[White House Counsel|White House counsel]], and the [[United States National Economic Council|assistant to the president for economic policy]] are also regularly invited to attend NSC meetings. The attorney general, the director of the [[Office 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=50 U.S. Code § 3021 - National Security Council |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/50/3021 |website=Legal Information Institute [LII] |publisher=Cornell Law School |access-date=July 26, 2021}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" | Structure of the United States National Security Council<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Security Council |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/nsc/ |access-date=August 13, 2022 |website=The White House |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
! Chairman
| [[President of the United States|President]]
|-
! Regular attendees
| {{hlist|[[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]]|[[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]]|[[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]]|[[United States Secretary of Energy|Secretary of Energy]]|[[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Secretary of the Treasury]]|[[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]]|[[United States Secretary of Homeland Security|Secretary of Homeland Security]]|[[List of ambassadors of the United States to the United Nations|Ambassador to the United Nations]]<!--|[[Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development|Administrator of the Agency for International Development]]-->|[[White House Chief of Staff]]|[[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]]}}
|-
! Military advisor (and regular attendee)
| [[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]]<ref name="2017order">{{cite press release| title= Organization of the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council| url=https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3436428/NSC-Order.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202055349/https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3436428/NSC-Order.pdf |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=live| author= Office of the Press Secretary |publisher= [[White House Office]]| date= January 28, 2017 |access-date= March 15, 2017}}</ref>
|-
! Intelligence advisor (and regular attendee)
| [[Director of National Intelligence]]<ref name="2017order" />
|-
! Drug policy advisor
| [[Director of National Drug Control Policy]]
|-
! Regular attendees
| {{hlist|[[Deputy National Security Advisor (United States)|Deputy National Security Advisor]]|[[Homeland Security Advisor]]}}
|-
! Additional participants
|{{hlist|[[White House Counsel]]|[[Director of the Central Intelligence Agency]]|[[National Economic Council (United States)|Assistant to the President for Economic Policy]]||[[United States Trade Representative]]|[[Office of Management and Budget|Director of the Office of Management and Budget]]<!--|[[U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate]]<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 22, 2021|title=Biden to Convene World Leaders to Talk Climate on Earth Day|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-22/biden-to-convene-world-leaders-to-talk-climate-on-earth-day|access-date=February 27, 2021}}</ref>|[[White House COVID-19 Response Team|White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator]]-->}}
|}

===Principals Committee===
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 the [[United States Secretary of State|secretary of state]], the [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|secretary of the treasury]], the [[United States Secretary of Defense|secretary of defense]], the [[United States Attorney General|attorney general]], the [[United States Secretary of Energy|secretary of energy]], the [[United States Secretary of Homeland Security|secretary of homeland security]], the [[White House Chief of Staff|White House chief of staff]], the [[Director of National Intelligence|director of national intelligence]], the [[chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]], the [[director of the Central Intelligence Agency]], the [[Homeland Security Advisor|homeland security advisor]], and the [[United States Ambassador to the United Nations|United States ambassador to the United Nations]].

The [[White House Counsel|White House counsel]], the deputy counsel to the president for national security affairs, the [[director of the Office of Management and Budget]], the [[Deputy National Security Advisor (United States)|deputy 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 the [[Secretary of Commerce|secretary of commerce]], the [[United States Trade Representative|United States trade representative]], and the assistant to the president for economic policy.<ref name="auto2">[https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2017-07064.pdf] [[Federal Register]] National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-4)</ref>

===Deputies Committee===
The [[National 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.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170129061103/https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/28/presidential-memorandum-organization-national-security-council-and] [[White House Office of the Press Secretary]] Presidential Memorandum Organization of the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council</ref> The Deputies Committee is convened and chaired by the [[Deputy National Security Advisor (United States)|deputy national security advisor]] or the deputy homeland security advisor.<ref name="auto2"/>

Regular members of the Deputies Committee are the deputy national security advisor for strategy, the [[United States Deputy Secretary of State|deputy secretary of state]], [[United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury|deputy secretary of the treasury]], the [[United States Deputy Secretary of Defense|deputy secretary of defense]], the [[United States Deputy Attorney General|deputy attorney general]], the [[United States Deputy Secretary of Energy|deputy secretary of energy]], the [[United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security|deputy secretary of homeland security]], the deputy director of the [[Office of Management and Budget]], the deputy [[Director of National Intelligence|director of national intelligence]], the [[Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff|vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]], the national security advisor to the vice president, the [[administrator of the United States Agency for International Development]], and the [[Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency|deputy 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.<ref name="auto2"/>

===Policy Coordination Committees===
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 sometimes [[National Economic Council (United States)|National Economic Council]] staff, with assistant secretary–level officials from the relevant executive department or agency acting as co-chairs.<ref name="auto2"/>

===Directorate of Global Health Security and Biodefense===
The Directorate of Global Health Security and Biodefense was created by Barack Obama in 2016 in response to the [[Ebola virus disease#2013–2016 West Africa|2014 Ebola outbreak]]. Its goal was "to prepare for the next disease outbreak and prevent it from becoming an epidemic or pandemic."<ref name="msnbc-trump-struggles-explain">{{cite news |last1=Benen |first1=Steve |author-link1=Steve Benen|title=Trump struggles to explain why he disbanded his global health team |url=https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trump-struggles-explain-why-he-disbanded-his-global-health-team-n1153221 |access-date=March 14, 2020 |publisher=MSNBC |date=March 9, 2020}}</ref><ref name="nsc-pandemic-office-trump-closed">Cameron, Beth, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/nsc-pandemic-office-trump-closed/2020/03/13/a70de09c-6491-11ea-acca-80c22bbee96f_story.html "I ran the White House pandemic office. Trump closed it"], ''Washington Post'', March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.</ref> 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 Admiral [[R. Timothy Ziemer|Tim 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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Weber |first1=Lauren |title=Sudden Departure Of White House Global Health Security Head Has Experts Worried |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tim-ziemer-global-health-security-leaves_n_5af37dfbe4b0859d11d02290 |access-date=March 14, 2020 |date=May 10, 2018 |work=HuffPost}}</ref><ref>Sun, Lena H., [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/05/10/top-white-house-official-in-charge-of-pandemic-response-exits-abruptly/ "Top White House official in charge of pandemic response exits abruptly"], Washington Post, May 10, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2020.</ref><ref name="nsc-pandemic-office-trump-closed" />

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 to [[Tim Morrison (presidential advisor)|Tim 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."<ref>[[Tim Morrison (presidential advisor)|Morrison, Tim]], [https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/16/no-white-house-didnt-dissolve-its-pandemic-response-office/ "No, the White House didn't 'dissolve' its pandemic response office. I was there"], ''Washington Post'', March 16, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.</ref><ref name="was-white-house-office-global-pandemics-eliminated">Kessler, Glenn and Kelly, Meg. (March 20, 2020). "Was the White House office for global pandemics eliminated?". [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/20/was-white-house-office-global-pandemics-eliminated/ Washington Post website] Retrieved March 20, 2020.</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brady |first1=James |title=Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Conference |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-vice-president-pence-members-coronavirus-task-force-press-conference/ |access-date=March 17, 2020 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |work=[[whitehouse.gov]] |date=February 2, 2020}}</ref> 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.<ref name="was-white-house-office-global-pandemics-eliminated" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Palma |first1=Bethania |title=Did Trump Administration Fire the US Pandemic Response Team? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-fire-pandemic-team/ |publisher=Snopes |access-date=March 14, 2020 |date=February 26, 2020}}</ref>

In January 2021, the directorate was reinstated by President [[Joe Biden]], who appointed [[Elizabeth 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.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Crowley|first=Michael|date=January 8, 2021|title=Announcing National Security Council staff appointees, Biden restores the office for global health threats.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/us/politics/announcing-national-security-council-staff-appointees-biden-restores-the-office-for-global-health-threats.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122161255/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/us/politics/announcing-national-security-council-staff-appointees-biden-restores-the-office-for-global-health-threats.html|archive-date=January 22, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== New members ===
During his [[Presidential transition of Joe Biden|presidential transition]], President-elect Joe Biden announced the creation of the position of [[U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate]], the occupant of which was to be a member of the National Security Council.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Kate Sullivan|title=Biden prioritizes climate crisis by naming John Kerry special envoy|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/23/politics/john-kerry-biden-climate-envoy/index.html|access-date=December 13, 2020|website=CNN|date=November 24, 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|United States}}
{{colbegin}}
* [[Homeland Security Advisor]]
* [[Iran–Contra affair]]
* [[National Security Medal]]
* [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]]
* [[PDD-62|National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection and Counter-Terrorism]]
* [[Targeted killing]]
* [[Title 32 of the Code of Federal Regulations]]
* [[Tower Commission]]
* [[Trump–Ukraine scandal]]
* [[United States Homeland Security Council|Homeland Security Council]]

{{colend}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{NARA}}
{{White House website}}
{{Include-DOJ}}
{{Include-GPO}}

{{CRS}}

==Further reading==
{{Library resources box}}
{{Refbegin}}
* Bahadir, Sanli. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070621151132/http://www.avsam.org/fpr/NSC-UGK.pdf "Arzin Merkezine Seyahat: ABD Ulusal Güvenlik Konseyi"] ["Journey to the Center of the World: U.S. National Security Council"]. Article on US NSC {{in lang|tr}}.
* Best, Richard A. Jr. "The National Security Council: An Organizational Assessment". (Congressional Research Service, 2009) [https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA501333.pdf online].
* Bolton, M. Kent. ''U.S. National Security and Foreign Policymaking After 9/11: Present at the Re-Creation'', Rowman & Littlefield; 2007, {{ISBN|978-0-7425-4847-3}}.
* Brown, Cody M. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090227042058/http://www.pnsr.org/data/images/the%20national%20security%20council.pdf ''The National Security Council: A Legal History of the President's Most Powerful Advisers''], Project on National Security Reform (2008).
* Cutler, Robert. "The Development of the National Security Council". ''Foreign Affairs'' 34.3 (1956): 441–458. {{JSTOR|20031176}}.
* [[Ivo H. Daalder|Daalder, Ivo H.]] and I. M. Destler, [https://web.archive.org/web/20171022032214/http://www.intheshadowoftheovaloffice.com/ ''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|978-1-4165-5319-9}}.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110513085851/http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/July1Report-Draft12.pdf Annual Report to Congress on White House Office Staff]; [[Executive Office of the President]], Wednesday, July 1, 2009
* Falk, Stanley L. "The National Security Council Under Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy". ''Political Science Quarterly'' 79.3 (1964): 403–434. {{JSTOR|2145907}}.
* Gans, John. ''White House Warriors: How the National Security Council Transformed the American Way of War'' (Liveright, 2019). [http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=54199 online review].
* [[Karl F. Inderfurth]] and [[Loch K. Johnson]], eds. ''Fateful Decisions: Inside the National Security Council''. Oxford University Press, 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-19-515966-0}}.
* Nelson, Anna Kasten. "President Truman and the Evolution of the National Security Council". ''Journal of American History'' 72.2 (1985): 360–378. {{JSTOR|1903380}}.
* Nelson, Anna Kasten. "The 'top of policy hill': President Eisenhower and the National Security Council". ''Diplomatic History'' 7.4 (1983): 307–326. {{JSTOR|24911374}}.
* {{cite book |author= James Peck |year= 2006 |title= Washington's China: The National Security World, the Cold War, and the Origins of Globalism |location= Amherst,&nbsp;MA |publisher= [[University of Massachusetts Press]] }}
* Rothkopf, David J. (March/April 2005). [https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/10/23/inside-the-committee-that-runs-the-world/ "Inside the Committee that Runs the World"] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20050417042432/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=2601&page=0 Archived copy], [https://web.archive.org/web/20050417042427/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/issue_marapril_2005/kissingergraphic.jpg including missing image]). ''[[Foreign Policy]]''.
* [[David J. Rothkopf]], ''Running The World: the Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power'', [[PublicAffairs]]; 2006, {{ISBN|978-1-58648-423-1}}.
* Sander, Alfred D. "Truman and the National Security Council: 1945–1947". ''Journal of American History'' (1972): 369–388. {{JSTOR|1890196 online}}.
* {{cite book |last=Thorpe |first=George C. |author-link=George C. Thorpe |year=1917 |title= Pure Logistics: The Science of War Preparation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KRg9AAAAYAAJ |chapter=[Chapter] V: National Organization of Fighting Forces |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KRg9AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA49 |location=Kansas City, Mo. |publisher=Franklin Hudson Pub. Co |oclc=6109722 }} Advocates for a "National Board of Strategy".
* Whittaker, Alan G., Frederick C. Smith, and Elizabeth McKune. [https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA502949.pdf ''The national security policy process: The national security council and interagency system''] (Industrial College of the Armed Forces, 2008).
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|United States National Security Council}}{{White House website}}

* [https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/nsc/history.html History of the National Security Council 1947-1997]. Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, August 1997.
* {{Official website}}
* [https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/nsc/history.html History of the NSC from the White House]
* [http://archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/273.html Records of the National Security Council (NSC)] in the National Archives
* [http://eisenhower.archives.gov/Research/Finding_Aids/W.html White House Office, National Security Council Staff Papers, 1948–1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080109151900/http://www.hlswatch.com/ Homeland Security Watch (www.HLSwatch.com) provides current details on the NSC as it pertains to homeland security.]
* {{Gutenberg author | id=33757}}
* {{Internet Archive author |search=("National Security Council" -title:georgia)}}

{{EOP agencies}}
{{United States intelligence agencies}}
{{Harry S. Truman}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:United States National Security Council| ]]
[[Category:Anti-communism in the United States]]
[[Category:Executive Office of the President of the United States]]
[[Category:National security councils|United States]]
[[Category:1947 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:United States diplomacy]]