The United States National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum used by the president of the United States for consideration of national security,military,and 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 Cabinet officials.
Samuel Richard "Sandy" Berger was a Democratic attorney who served as the 18th US National Security Advisor for U.S. President Bill Clinton from 1997 to 2001 after he had served as the Deputy National Security Advisor for the Clinton administration from 1993 to 1997.
Hubert Védrine is a French Socialist politician. He is an advisor at Moelis &Company.
Robert Nicholas Burns is an American diplomat and academic who has been serving as the United States ambassador to China since 2022.
The School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) is the international affairs and public policy school of Columbia University,a private Ivy League university located in Morningside Heights,Manhattan,New York City. SIPA offers Master of International Affairs (MIA) and Master of Public Administration (MPA) degrees in a range of fields,as well as the Executive MPA and PhD program in Sustainable Development.
James Braidy Steinberg is an American academic administrator and former diplomat,who served as the United States deputy secretary of state during the Obama administration. He has been the dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University since November 1,2021. Previously he was a professor at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.
Bruce O. Riedel is an American expert on U.S. security,South Asia,and counter-terrorism. He is currently a senior fellow in the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution,and a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He also serves as a senior adviser at Albright Stonebridge Group.
Nancy Eileen McEldowney is an American academic and diplomat who served as the national security advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris from January 20,2021,to March 21,2022. She was previously a career Foreign Service officer,served as United States ambassador to Bulgaria (2008–2009),and was director of the Foreign Service Institute from February 2013 until June 2017.
The Office of the Vice President includes personnel who directly support or advise the vice president of the United States. The office is headed by the chief of staff to the vice president of the United States,currently Lorraine Voles. The office also provides staffing and support to the second gentleman of the United States. It is primarily housed in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building,with offices for the vice president also in the West Wing,the U.S. Capitol,and in the vice president's official residence.
Richard Rahul Verma is an American diplomat,who serves as the deputy secretary of state for management and resources,a position he has held since April 5,2023. He served as the assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs from 2009 to 2011,and as the U.S. ambassador to India from 2014 to 2017. He served as the chief legal officer and head of global public policy at Mastercard,from 2020 to 2023,and as the vice chair of the Asia Group from 2017 to 2020,where he oversaw the firm's South Asia practice. He also practiced law for many years at Steptoe &Johnson LLP in Washington DC,and served as a Senior Counselor and Lead of the India and South Asia practice at Albright Stonebridge Group.
Roberta S. Jacobson is an American diplomat who was the United States Ambassador to Mexico from June 2016 to May 2018. She previously served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs from March 30,2012,to May 5,2016. The United States Senate approved her nomination as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico on April 28,2016. In March 2018,Jacobson announced her resignation effective May 5. Foreign Policy reported on January 18,2021,that Jacobson would be in charge of Mexico–United States border affairs at the National Security Council under President Joe Biden.
Nisha Biswal née Desai is an American businesswoman and public official in the United States. Biswal is the Deputy CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. She previously served as Senior Vice President for international strategy and global initiatives and oversees South Asia programs at the United States Chamber of Commerce. Prior to this,she served as the President of the US-India Business Council at the US Chamber of Commerce. Previously,she has also served as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs in the United States Department of State under President Barack Obama from 2013 to 2017. Biswal was the first South-Asian American to hold this position. She oversaw the U.S.–India strategic partnership during a period of unprecedented cooperation,including the launch of an annual U.S.–India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. Biswal was awarded the prestigious Samman Award by the President of India in January 2017. Biswal was also instrumental in launching the US-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue,the C5+1 Dialogue between the United States and the Central Asian States of Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan,Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Biswal also serves on the United States Institute of Peace International Advisory Council,on the Afghanistan Study Group and is on the Board of Directors for the Institute for Sustainable Communities,the Leadership Council for Women in National Security and is active in Democratic politics.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield is an American diplomat who serves as the United States ambassador to the United Nations under President Joe Biden. She served as the U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs from 2013 to 2017. Thomas-Greenfield then worked in the private sector as a senior vice president at business strategy firm Albright Stonebridge Group in Washington,D.C.
Amos J. Hochstein is an American businessman,diplomat,and former lobbyist. Currently the Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Adviser for Energy and Investment under U.S. President Joe Biden,he has worked in the U.S. Congress,has testified before congressional panels and has served in the Barack Obama administration under Secretaries of State Clinton and Kerry. He was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in 2011 and as Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs in 2013. In 2015,President Barack Obama nominated Hochstein to be the Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources but the Senate did not act on the nomination.
Colin Hackett Kahl is an American political scientist who served as under secretary of defense for policy in the Biden administration from April 28,2021,to July 17,2023. Previously,he served as national security advisor to the vice president under then-Vice President Joe Biden (2014–2017). After the Obama administration,Kahl served as a Steven C. Házy Senior Fellow at Stanford University.
James C. O'Brien is an American attorney and diplomat who serves as assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. He previously served as head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination in the Biden administration from April 14,2022 to October 5,2023 and as the special envoy for hostage affairs from August 28,2015 to January 20,2017.
The presidential transition of Joe Biden began on November 7,2020,and ended on January 20,2021. Unlike previous presidential transitions,which normally take place during the roughly 10-week period between the election in the first week of November and the inauguration on January 20,Biden's presidential transition was shortened somewhat because the General Services Administration under the outgoing Trump administration did not recognize Biden as the "apparent winner" until November 23.
Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President role is to advise the Vice President on all matters of national security and provide input to the National Security Council and serves as the primary foreign policy and national security lead in the Office of the Vice President of the United States.
Uzra Zeya is an American diplomat who has served as the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security,Democracy,and Human Rights in the Biden Administration since July 2021.
