Obama's National Security Structure

Prioritizing and orchestrating the decision making process for the nations most pressing national security issues is a daunting, and often misunderstood process.  It is a fine balance between “fighting fires” and truly getting ahead of national security issues.

In this day of modern communications, where national security issues travel at the speed of the twenty-four hour news cycle, fighting fires occupies a lot of time for the NSC.

Most folks that work within the process complain that the current national security structure, implemented as a result of the 1947 National Security Act, is an outdated relic of the Cold War – too cumbersome to maintain pace with the current threats to our national security.

Enter retired Marine Corps General (former Commandant of the Marine Corps) James L. Jones, Obama’s choice to be national security advisor (Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs).  Jones is in a position to modernize the national security decision making structure.

The NSC is as powerful as the president wants it to be – that is to say if the president is involved with his NSC, than his national security advisor and the council will be powerful.

All indications suggest that Obama will be heavily involved in the national security decision making process, and that Jones will hold significant sway within the interagency for orchestrating the information that Obama receives and makes his decisions with.

The below Washington Post article describes Obama’s presidential directive (his first) for the organization of his national security council.  The directive adds the attorney general, the secretaries of energy and homeland security, and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations as statutory members of the formal National Security Council.

National Security Structure Is Set

“Obama's security directive…establishes an elaborate system of interagency policy committees to coordinate analysis and reviews of issues "for consideration by the more senior committees . . . and ensure timely responses to decisions made by the President."

Time will tell if Obama will stay true to the organization and the processes of the NSC.  After all, the NSC is designed to provide the president with the best advice possible for making national security decisions.  However, history shows that most presidents, when confronted with difficult national security decisions, rely on a small number of trusted advisors and pay lip service to the NSC.