Presidential Memorandum Organization of the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council
January 28, 2017
MEMORANDUM FOR THE VICE PRESIDENT
THE SECRETARY OF STATE
THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE
THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION
THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY
THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OF STAFF
THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF STRATEGIST
THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE
UNITED NATIONS
THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
THE CHAIR OF THE COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE
FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE
THE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF
THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR NATIONAL
SECURITY AFFAIRS
THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR HOMELAND
SECURITY AND COUNTERTERRORISM
THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR ECONOMIC
POLICY
THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
FOR TRADE AND MANUFACTURING POLICY
THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR
INTRAGOVERNMENTAL AND TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES
THE Deputy Assistant to the President and
National Security Advisor to the Vice President
THE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND
SPACE ADMINISTRATION
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
THE DIRECTOR OF THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF
INVESTIGATION
THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY POLICY
THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE PRESIDENT'S INTELLIGENCE
ADVISORY BOARD
THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT AGENCY
THE ARCHIVIST OF THE UNITED STATES
Organization of the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council
As President, my highest priority is to ensure the safety and security
of the American people. In order to advise and assist me in executing
this solemn responsibility, as well as to protect and advance the
national interests of the United States at home and abroad, I hereby
direct that my system for national security policy development and
decision-making shall be organized as follows:
A. The National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and Supporting Staff
The National Security Act of 1947, as amended, established the National
Security Council (NSC) to advise the President with respect to the
integration of domestic, foreign, and military policies relating to the
national security. There is also a Homeland Security Council (HSC) --
established through Executive Order 13228 of October 8, 2001, and
subsequently codified in the Homeland Security Act of 2002 -- that has
the purpose of advising the President on matters pertaining to homeland
security. Each Council is also responsible for the effective
coordination of the security-related activities and functions of the
executive departments and agencies.
The security threats facing the United States in the 21st century
transcend international boundaries. Accordingly, the United States
Government's decision-making structures and processes to address these
challenges must remain equally adaptive and transformative. Both
Councils are statutory bodies that the President will continue to
chair. Invitations to participate in specific Council meetings shall be
extended to those heads of executive departments and agencies, and
other senior officials, who are needed to address the issue or issues
under consideration. When the President is absent from a meeting of
either Council, the Vice President may preside at the President's
direction.
The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (National
Security Advisor) and the Assistant to the President for Homeland
Security and Counterterrorism (Homeland Security Advisor) shall be
responsible, as appropriate and at the President's direction, for
determining the agenda for the NSC or HSC, respectively, ensuring that
the necessary papers are prepared, and recording Council actions and
Presidential decisions in a timely manner. When international economic
issues are on the agenda of the NSC, the National Security Advisor and
the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy shall perform these
tasks in concert.
The NSC and HSC shall have as their regular attendees (both statutory
and non-statutory) the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of
State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, the
Attorney General, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Homeland
Security, the National Security Advisor, the Homeland Security Advisor,
and the Representative of the United States to the United Nations. When
international economic issues are on the agenda of the NSC, the NSC's
regular attendees will include the Secretary of Commerce, the United
States Trade Representative, and the Assistant to the President for
Economic Policy. The Director of National Intelligence and the Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as statutory advisers to the NSC, shall
also attend NSC meetings. The Assistant to the President and Chief of
Staff, the Assistant to the President and Chief Strategist, the Counsel
to the President, the Deputy Counsel to the President for National
Security Affairs, and the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget are invited as attendees to any NSC meeting.
In addition to the NSC and HSC, there is also a single NSC staff within
the Executive Office of the President that serves both the NSC and
HSC. The staff is composed of regional, issue-focused, and functional
directorates and headed by a single civilian Executive Secretary,
pursuant to 50 U.S.C. 3021, who is also the Chief of Staff. All policy
and staff activity decisions will be transmitted to the Executive
Secretary for appropriate distribution and awareness. The purpose of
the NSC staff is to advise me, the National Security Advisor, the
Homeland Security Advisor, the NSC members, the HSC members, and others
in the White House; to facilitate the implementation of Administration
policy; and to help coordinate the national-security-related activities
of the executive departments and agencies.
A. The Principals Committee
The Principals Committee (PC) shall continue to serve as the
Cabinet-level senior interagency forum for considering policy issues
that affect the national security interests of the United States. The
PC shall be convened and chaired by the National Security Advisor or the
Homeland Security Advisor, as appropriate, in consultation with the
appropriate attendees of the PC. The Chair shall determine the agenda
in consultation with the appropriate committee members, and the
Executive Secretary shall ensure that necessary papers are prepared and
that conclusions and decisions are communicated in a timely manner.
Invitations to participate in or attend a specific PC shall be extended
at the discretion of the National Security Advisor and the Homeland
Security Advisor, and may include those Cabinet-level heads of executive
departments and agencies, and other senior officials, who are needed to
address the issue under consideration.
The PC shall have as its regular attendees the Secretary of State, the
Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, the Attorney
General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Assistant to the
President and Chief of Staff, the Assistant to the President and Chief
Strategist, the National Security Advisor, and the Homeland Security
Advisor. The Director of National Intelligence and the Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff shall attend where issues pertaining to their
responsibilities and expertise are to be discussed. The Counsel to the
President, the Deputy Counsel to the President for National Security
Affairs, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget may
attend all PC meetings.
The Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor
(Deputy National Security Advisor), the Deputy Assistant to the
President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President, and the
Executive Secretary (who shall serve as the Executive Secretary of the
PC) shall attend all of the meetings of the PC, and the Representative
of the United States to the United Nations and the Assistant to the
President for Intragovernmental and Technology Initiatives may attend as
appropriate.
When international economic issues are on the agenda of the PC, the
Committee's regular attendees will include the Secretary of Commerce,
the United States Trade Representative, and the Assistant to the
President for Economic Policy (who shall serve as Chair for agenda items
that principally pertain to international economics).\
A. The Deputies Committee
The Deputies Committee (DC) shall continue to serve as the senior
sub-Cabinet interagency forum for consideration of, and where
appropriate, decision-making on, policy issues that affect the national
security interests of the United States. The DC shall be convened and
chaired by the Deputy National Security Advisor or the Deputy Assistant
to the President and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor (Deputy Homeland
Security Advisor), as appropriate. The Chair shall determine the agenda
in consultation with the regular DC members, and the Executive
Secretary shall ensure that necessary papers are prepared and that
conclusions and decisions are communicated in a timely manner.
Invitations to participate in or attend a specific DC meeting shall be
extended by the Chair to those at the Deputy or Under Secretary level of
executive departments and agencies, and to other senior officials, who
are needed to address the issue under consideration.
The DC shall have as its regular members the Deputy Secretary of State,
the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, the Deputy Secretary of Defense,
the Deputy Attorney General, the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security,
the Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Deputy
Director of National Intelligence, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff, the Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security
Advisor to the Vice President, the Deputy National Security Advisor, the
Deputy Homeland Security Advisor, and the Administrator of the United
States Agency for International Development.
The Executive Secretary shall attend the DC meetings. The Deputy
Counsel to the President for National Security Affairs may attend all DC
meetings. The relevant Deputy Assistant to the President for the
specific regional and functional issue under consideration shall also be
invited to attend. Likewise, when and where appropriate, the Deputy
Assistant to the President for Strategic Planning, the Deputy Assistant
to the President for Strategic Communication, the Deputy Assistant to
the President for International Economic Affairs, the Deputy Assistant
to the President for Transnational Issues, and the Deputy Representative
of the United States to the United Nations, shall also be invited to
attend. Other senior officials shall be invited where appropriate.
The DC shall review and monitor the work of the interagency national
security process, including the interagency groups established pursuant
to section D below. The DC shall help to ensure that issues brought
before the NSC, HSC, and PC have been properly analyzed and prepared for
decision. The DC shall also focus significant attention on monitoring
the implementation of policies and decisions and shall conduct periodic
reviews of the Administration's major national security and foreign
policy initiatives. The DC is responsible for establishing Policy
Coordination Committees (PCCs) and for providing objectives and clear
guidance.
A. Policy Coordination Committees
Management of the development and implementation of national security
policies by multiple executive departments and agencies typically shall
be accomplished by the PCCs, with participation primarily occurring at
the Assistant Secretary level. As the main day-to-day fora for
interagency coordination of national security policies, the PCCs shall
provide policy analysis for consideration by the more senior committees
of the national security system and ensure timely responses to the
President's decisions.
Regional and issue-related PCCs shall be established at the direction
of the DC. Members of the NSC staff (or National Economic Council
staff, as appropriate) will chair the PCCs; the DC, at its discretion,
may add co-chairs to any PCC. The PCCs shall review and coordinate the
implementation of Presidential decisions in their respective policy
areas. The Chair of each PCC, in consultation with the Executive
Secretary, shall invite representatives of other executive departments
and agencies to attend meetings of the PCC where appropriate. The Chair
of each PCC, with the agreement of the Executive Secretary, may
establish subordinate working groups to assist that PCC in
the performance of its duties.
An early meeting of the DC will be devoted to establishing the PCCs,
determining their memberships, and providing them with mandates and
strict guidance. Until the DC has established otherwise, the existing
system of Interagency Policy Committees shall continue.
A. General
The President and the Vice President may attend any and all meetings of any entity established by or under this memorandum.
This document is part of a series of National Security Presidential
Memoranda that shall replace both Presidential Policy Directives and
Presidential Study Directives as the instrument for communicating
relevant Presidential decisions. This memorandum shall supersede all
other existing Presidential guidance on the organization or support of
the NSC and the HSC. With regard to its application to economic
matters, this document shall be interpreted in concert with any
Executive Order governing the National Economic Council and with
Presidential Memoranda signed hereafter that implement either this
memorandum or that Executive Order.
The Secretary of Defense is hereby authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
DONALD J. TRUMP
