National Security Advisor (United States)

Last updated

Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
The White House logo under Trump 2.0.jpg
Official portrait of Secretary Marco Rubio.jpg
Incumbent
Marco Rubio
Acting  
since May 1, 2025
Executive Office of the President
Member of National Security Council
Homeland Security Council
Reports toFlag of the President of the United States.svg President of the United States
AppointerPresident of the United States
Constituting instrumentNational Security Presidential Memorandum [1]
Formation1953
First holder Robert Cutler
Deputy Deputy National Security Advisor
Website wh.gov/nsc

The assistant to the president for national security affairs (APNSA), commonly referred to as the national security advisor (NSA), [2] [Note 1] is a senior aide in the Executive Office of the President, based at the West Wing of the White House. [3]

Contents

The national security advisor serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all national security issues. The national security advisor participates in meetings of the National Security Council (NSC) and usually chairs meetings of the principals committee of the NSC with the secretary of state and secretary of defense (those meetings not attended by the president). The NSA also sits on the Homeland Security Council (HSC). The national security advisor is supported by NSC staff who produce classified research and briefings for the national security advisor to review and present, either to the NSC or the president.

The national security advisor is appointed by the president and does not require confirmation by the United States Senate. An appointment of a three- or four-star general to the role requires Senate confirmation to maintain that rank in the new position. [4] The acting National Security Advisor has been Marco Rubio since May 1, 2025.

Role

The influence and role of the national security advisor varies from administration to administration and depends not only on the qualities of the person appointed to the position, but also on the style and management philosophy of the incumbent president. [5] ideally, the national security advisor serves as an honest broker of policy options for the president in the field of national security, rather than as an advocate for his or her own policy agenda. [6]

The national security advisor is a staff position in the Executive Office of the President and does not have line or budget authority over either the Department of State or the Department of Defense, unlike the secretary of state and the secretary of defense, who are Senate-confirmed officials with statutory authority over their departments. [7] The national security advisor is able to offer daily advice (due to the proximity) to the president independently of the vested interests of the large bureaucracies and clientele of those departments. [5]

In times of crisis, the national security advisor is likely to operate from the White House Situation Room or the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (as on September 11, 2001), [8] updating the president on the latest events in a crisis situation.

History

President George H. W. Bush meets in the Oval Office with his NSC about Operation Desert Shield, 1991 President Bush meets with General Colin Powell, General Scowcroft, Secretary James Baker, Vice President Quayle... - NARA - 186429.jpg
President George H. W. Bush meets in the Oval Office with his NSC about Operation Desert Shield, 1991

The National Security Council was created at the start of the Cold War under the National Security Act of 1947 to coordinate defense, foreign affairs, international economic policy, and intelligence; this was part of a large reorganization that saw the creation of the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency. [9] [10] The Act did not create the position of the national security advisor per se, but it did create an executive secretary in charge of the staff. In 1949, the NSC became part of the Executive Office of the President. [9]

Robert Cutler was the first national security advisor in 1953, and held the job twice, both times during the Eisenhower administration. The system has remained largely unchanged since then, particularly since President John Kennedy, with powerful national security advisors and strong staff but a lower importance given to formal NSC meetings. This continuity persists despite the tendency of each new president to replace the advisor and senior NSC staff. [9]

President Richard Nixon's national security advisor, Henry Kissinger, enhanced the importance of the role, controlling the flow of information to the president and meeting with him multiple times per day. Kissinger also holds the distinction of serving as national security advisor and secretary of state at the same time from September 22, 1973, until November 3, 1975. [9] [10] He holds the record for longest term of service (2,478 days); Michael Flynn holds the record for shortest term, at just 24 days.

Brent Scowcroft held the job in two non-consecutive administrations: the Ford administration and the George H. W. Bush administration.

List

   Democratic    Republican    Independent

  Denotes acting capacity.
No.ImageNameStartEndDurationRef(s)President
1 Robert Cutler (cropped).jpg Robert Cutler March 23, 1953April 2, 19552 years, 10 days Dwight D. Eisenhower
(1953–1961)
2 Dillon-Anderson.jpg Dillon Anderson April 2, 1955September 1, 19561 year, 152 days
– William Harding Jackson.jpg William Jackson
Acting		September 1, 1956January 7, 1957128 days [11] [12] [13]
3 Robert Cutler (cropped).jpg Robert Cutler January 7, 1957June 24, 19581 year, 168 days
4 Gordon Gray - Project Gutenberg etext 20587.jpg Gordon Gray June 24, 1958January 13, 19612 years, 203 days
5 McGeorge Bundy.jpg Mac Bundy January 20, 1961February 28, 19665 years, 39 days John F. Kennedy
(1961–1963)
Lyndon B. Johnson
(1963–1969)
6 Advisors, Walt Rostow - NARA - 192543 (cropped).jpg Walt Rostow April 1, 1966January 20, 19692 years, 294 days
7 Henry Kissinger.jpg Henry Kissinger January 20, 1969November 3, 19756 years, 287 days Richard Nixon
(1969–1974)
Gerald Ford
(1974–1977)
8 Major General Brent Scowcroft in October 1973.jpg Brent Scowcroft November 3, 1975January 20, 19771 year, 78 days
9 Zbigniew Brzezinski, 1977.jpg Zbig Brzezinski January 20, 1977January 20, 19814 years, 0 days Jimmy Carter
(1977–1981)
10 Richard V. Allen 1981.jpg Richard Allen January 21, 1981January 4, 1982348 days Ronald Reagan
(1981–1989)
– James W. Nance.png James Nance
Acting		November 30, 1981January 4, 198235 days [14]
11 William patrick clark.png William Clark January 4, 1982October 17, 19831 year, 286 days
12 Robert Mcfarlane IAGS.jpg Bud McFarlane October 17, 1983December 4, 19852 years, 48 days
13 Admiral John Poindexter, official Navy photo, 1985.JPEG John Poindexter December 4, 1985November 25, 1986356 days
– Alton Keel 1986.jpg Alton Keel
Acting		November 26, 1986December 31, 198635 days [15]
14 Frank Carlucci official portrait.JPEG Frank Carlucci January 1, 1987November 23, 1987326 days [16]
15 ColinPowell.JPEG Colin Powell November 23, 1987January 20, 19891 year, 58 days
16 Brent Scowcroft.jpg Brent Scowcroft January 20, 1989January 20, 19934 years, 0 days George H. W. Bush
(1989–1993)
17 Anthony Lake 0c175 7733.jpg Tony Lake January 20, 1993March 14, 19974 years, 53 days Bill Clinton
(1993–2001)
18 Official Portrait of United States National Security Advisor Samuel Richard "Sandy" Berger.jpg Sandy Berger March 14, 1997January 20, 20013 years, 312 days
19 Condoleezza Rice cropped.jpg Condoleezza Rice January 20, 2001January 25, 20054 years, 5 days [17] George W. Bush
(2001–2009)
20 Stephen Hadley Natl Security Advisor bio photo.jpg Stephen Hadley January 26, 2005January 20, 20093 years, 360 days [17]
21 James L. Jones 2.jpg James Jones January 20, 2009October 8, 20101 year, 261 days [18] Barack Obama
(2009–2017)
22 National Security Advisor Donilon.jpg Tom Donilon October 8, 2010July 1, 20132 years, 266 days [19] [20]
23 Susan Rice official photo.jpg Susan Rice July 1, 2013January 20, 20173 years, 203 days [20]
24 Michael T Flynn.jpg Michael Flynn January 20, 2017February 13, 201724 days Donald Trump
(2017–2021)
– Keith Kellogg 2000.jpg Keith Kellogg
Acting		February 13, 2017February 20, 20177 days
25 H.R. McMaster ARCIC 2014.jpg H. R. McMaster February 20, 2017April 9, 20181 year, 48 days
26 John R. Bolton official photo (cropped).jpg John Bolton April 9, 2018September 10, 20191 year, 154 days
– Reagan Contact Sheet C42578 (cropped).jpg Charlie Kupperman
Acting		September 10, 2019September 18, 20198 days
27 Robert C. O'Brien.jpg Robert O'Brien September 18, 2019January 20, 20211 year, 124 days
28 Jake-Sullivan-WH.png Jake Sullivan January 20, 2021January 20, 20254 years, 0 days [21] Joe Biden
(2021–2025)
29 Official portrait of National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.jpg Mike Waltz January 20, 2025May 1, 2025101 days Donald Trump
(2025–present)
– Official portrait of Secretary Marco Rubio.jpg Marco Rubio
Acting		May 1, 2025Incumbent102 days

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Abbreviated NSA, or sometimes APNSA or ANSA in order to avoid confusion with the abbreviation of the National Security Agency.

References

2009-02: The National Security Advisor and Staff (PDF). WhiteHouseTransitionProject.org. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2015.

  1. ↑ "National Security Presidential Memorandum–4 of April 4, 2017" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on April 7, 2017.
  2. ↑ The National Security Advisor and Staff: p. 1.
  3. ↑ "History of the National Security Council, 1947-1997". whitehouse.gov . August 1997. Archived from the original on February 22, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2008– via National Archives.
  4. ↑ Portnoy, Steven (February 21, 2017). "McMaster will need Senate confirmation to serve as national security adviser". CBS News. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  5. 1 2 The National Security Advisor and Staff: pp. 17-21.
  6. ↑ The National Security Advisor and Staff: pp. 10-14.
  7. ↑ See 22 U.S.C.   § 2651 for the Secretary of State and 10 U.S.C.   § 113 for the Secretary of Defense.
  8. ↑ Clarke, Richard A. (2004). Against All Enemies . New York: Free Press. p.  18. ISBN   0-7432-6024-4.
  9. 1 2 3 4 George, Robert Z; Rishikof, Harvey (2011). The National Security Enterprise: Navigating the Labyrinth. Georgetown University Press. p. 32.
  10. 1 2 Schmitz, David F. (2011). Brent Scowcroft: Internationalism and Post-Vietnam War American Foreign Policy. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 2–3.
  11. ↑ Burke, John P. (2009). Honest Broker?: The National Security Advisor and Presidential Decision Making. Texas A&M University Press. p.  26. ISBN   9781603441025.
  12. ↑ "Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, National Security Policy, Volume XIX". Department of State, Office of the Historian. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  13. ↑ Lay, James S.; Johnson, Robert H. (1960). Organizational history of the National Security Council during the Truman and Eisenhower administrations. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency. p. 40.
  14. ↑ Weisman, Steven R. (January 2, 1982). "Reagan Replacing Security Advisor, Officials Report". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Nomination of Alton G. Keel, Jr., to be the Permanent United States Representative on the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization | the American Presidency Project".
  16. ↑ "Newly appointed national security adviser Frank Carlucci is planning... - UPI Archives".
  17. 1 2 The National Security Advisor and Staff: p. 33.
  18. ↑ "Key Members of Obama-Biden National Security Team Announced" (Press release). The Office of the President-Elect. December 1, 2008. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
  19. ↑ "Donilon to Replace Jones as National Security Adviser". CNN. October 2010. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
  20. 1 2 Wilson, Scott; Lynch, Colum (June 5, 2013). "National Security Team Shuffle May Signal More Activist Stance at White House". Washington Post . Archived from the original on October 25, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Biden to Appoint Jake Sullivan as National Security Adviser". CBS News. November 23, 2020.

Further reading

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