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.
The United States order of precedence is an advisory document maintained by the Ceremonials Division of the Office of the Chief of Protocol of the United States which lists the ceremonial order,or relative preeminence,for domestic and foreign government officials at diplomatic,ceremonial,and social events within the United States and abroad. The list is used to mitigate miscommunication and embarrassment in diplomacy,and offer a distinct and concrete spectrum of preeminence for ceremonies. Often the document is used to advise diplomatic and ceremonial event planners on seating charts and order of introduction. Former presidents,vice presidents,first ladies,second ladies,and secretaries of state and retired Supreme Court justices are also included in the list.
John David Podesta Jr. is an American political consultant who has been serving as Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy since 2024,having previously served as the Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation from 2022 to 2024. Podesta previously served as White House chief of staff to President Bill Clinton from 1998 to 2001 and counselor to President Barack Obama from 2014 to 2015. Before that,he served in the Clinton administration as White House staff secretary from 1993 to 1995 and White House deputy chief of staff for operations from 1997 to 1998.
William Putnam Bundy was an American attorney and analyst with the CIA. Bundy served as a foreign affairs advisor to both presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He had key roles in planning the Vietnam War,serving as deputy to Paul Nitze at Defense under Kennedy and as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific affairs under Johnson.
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a graduate school of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington,D.C. with campuses in Bologna,Italy and Nanjing,China.
Togo Dennis West Jr. was an American attorney and public official. A Democrat,he was the third person to occupy the post of Secretary of Veterans Affairs during the Bill Clinton administration serving from 1998 until his resignation in 2000. He was the second African American to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Michael Chertoff is an American attorney who was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security to serve under President George W. Bush. Chertoff also served for one additional day under President Barack Obama. He was the co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act. Chertoff previously served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit,as a federal prosecutor,and as Assistant U.S. Attorney General. He succeeded Tom Ridge as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security on February 15,2005.
Frances M. "Fran" Fragos Townsend is an American lawyer and business executive who served as Homeland Security Advisor to United States President George W. Bush from 2004 to 2007,and was formerly the executive vice president for corporate affairs,corporate secretary,and compliance chief officer for Activision Blizzard,until September 2022,due to Microsoft acquiring Blizzard for $75 billion. She previously served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism. In 2008,Townsend joined CNN as a contributor,but later switched over to CBS where she is a national security analyst for them. Townsend was president of the Counter Extremism Project.
Alan D. Bersin served as the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Commissioner Bersin was appointed by President Barack Obama on March 27,2010 as a recess appointment. As Commissioner,Mr. Bersin oversaw the operations of CBP’s 57,000-employee work force and managed an operating budget of more than $11 billion. Bersin formerly served as the Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Special Representative for Border Affairs,informally known as the "Border Czar." Bersin later served as Assistant Secretary of International Affairs and Chief Diplomatic Officer for the Department of Homeland Security,a position he assumed on January 3,2012 and held until January 2017.
Executive Schedule is the system of salaries given to the highest-ranked appointed officials in the executive branch of the U.S. government. The president of the United States appoints individuals to these positions,most with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. They include members of the president's Cabinet,several top-ranking officials of each executive department,the directors of some of the more prominent departmental and independent agencies,and several members of the Executive Office of the President.
The White House Office is an entity within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The White House Office is headed by the White House chief of staff,who is also the head of the Executive Office of the President. The staff work for and report directly to the president,including West Wing staff and the president's senior advisers. Almost all of the White House Office staff are political appointees of the president,do not require Senate confirmation and can be dismissed at the discretion of the president.
Andrew J. Shapiro is an American attorney and diplomat who served as the 17th Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs from 2009 to 2013. Shapiro is currently a managing director at Beacon Global Strategies LLC,which he founded with partners Jeremy Bash and Philippe Reines in 2013.
David Marchick is an American attorney,businessman,academic,and diplomat who serves as dean of the Kogod School of Business at American University. He previously served as chief operating officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation during the first year of the Biden administration. He previously served as director of the Center for Presidential Transition,as a senior executive at The Carlyle Group and in four departments in the Clinton administration. He is the co-author of the book,"The Peaceful Transfer of Power:An Oral History of America's Presidential Transitions",published by UVA press.
Victoria Angelica Espinel is the president and chief executive of the software industry trade group BSA.
Carol Ann DiBattiste is an American lawyer who served as United States Under Secretary of the Air Force from 1999 to 2001.
The Foreign Affairs Policy Board is an advisory board that provides independent advice and opinion to the Secretary of State,the Deputy Secretary of State,and the Director of Policy Planning on matters concerning U.S. foreign policy. The Board reviews and assesses global threats and opportunities,trends that implicate core national security interests,tools and capacities of the civilian foreign affairs agencies,and priorities and strategic frameworks for U.S. foreign policy. The Board meets in a plenary session several times a year at the U.S. Department of State in the Harry S. Truman Building.
Vijay Shanker is an American lawyer who is a judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.
