National Security Council (NSC)

Agency established by the National Security Act of 1947 to coordinate foreign and defense policy and harmonize diplomatic and military policies and engagements. The National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum in which the president of the United States discusses and shapes national security and foreign policy issues. The function of the NSC is to advise the president in these areas and coordinate policy among government agencies. The importance and role of the NSC has varied with the managerial style of each president and his personal relationships with the principal members.

The NSC is chaired by the president. Although the National Security Act established the secretaries of defense and state as key members, the vice president, secretary of the treasury, and national security advisor are also regular NSC attendees. In addition, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) serves as military adviser, and the director of central intelligence holds the title of intelligence adviser to the NSC. The president's chief of staff, the counsel to the president, and the assistant to the president for economic policy can also attend NSC meetings. The attorney general and the director of the Office of Management and Budget attend meetings when the subject matter falls under their jurisdiction. Other senior officials attend meetings when necessary.

Although the NSC was established by the National Security Act of 1947 to coordinate foreign policy and defense issues, in reality this stipulation gave way to the understanding that the NSC would directly serve the president in an advisory role. The NSC is, in fact, often a forum for the president to control and encourage cooperation among competing departments.

During the administration of President Harry S. Truman, the secretary of state was the dominant player on the NSC. The military experience of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, however, reshaped the NSC into an elaborate staff structure to monitor implementation of key foreign policy decisions closely.

In the 1960s, President John F. Kennedy initially relied on Secretary of State Dean Rusk to handle diplomacy, but he soon turned to the national security advisor and other ad hoc groupings of experts and associates when it became apparent that the state department lacked sufficient authority over other departments. Kennedy also dismantled Eisenhower's NSC staff structure, which blurred the distinction between policy making and implementation that had been clear under his predecessor. President Lyndon B. Johnson often relied on informal groups of experts and friends for advice on diplomatic issues. The elaborate NSC machinery established during the Eisenhower administration continued to shrink in the Johnson years.

During the administrations of presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, the NSC staff, under the direction of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, provided intelligence to the national security advisor who, in turn, presented the president with a range of decisions on foreign policy issues. This arrangement reflected the executive style of President Nixon, who preferred detailed written evaluations to informal advisory groups. Although Kissinger attempted to restore the distinction between policy formulation and its execution, as secretary of state he frequently found himself performing both, such as the negotiation of the 1973 Paris peace accords to end the Vietnam War.

...