The Role of the NSC in the US National Security

Policy Process

Dr. Tyrus W. Cobb

twcobb@aol.com

July 9, 2013

GEORGE H. W. BUSHNATIONAL SECURITY TEAM

• BUSH 41 TENURE MARKED BY PREDOMINANCE OF THE U.S. AS WORLD’S SOLE SUPERPOWER.

•BERLIN WALL FALLS; GERMANY REUNITED; UNITED GERMANY JOINS NATO; SOVIET UNION COLLAPSES ON “THE ASH HEAP OF HISTORY”.

•PRESIDENCY MARKED BY ABSENCE OF SERIOUS CHALLENGES TO U.S. SUPREMACY.

•NEW WORLD ORDER AND UNUSUAL COMITY AMONG NSC PRINCIPLES LEADS TO ABSENCE OF SERIOUS INTERAGENCY FRICTION (JIM BAKER, BRENT SCOWCROFT, DICK CHENEY, COLIN POWELL).

•CONCURRENCE ON DESERT STORM (INCLUDING NO MARCH ON BAGHDAD).

CLINTON NSC CONFRONTS FRACTURING WORLD ORDER

• CLINTON NSC DEALS WITH NEW TRANSNATIONAL CHALLENGES: TERRORISM, ILLEGAL DRUGS, UN PEACEKEEPING, GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS, HAITI, BOSNIA, SOMALIA AND ZAIRE.

• FORMER SOVIET EMPIRE PRESENTS DIFFICULT DIPLOMATIC ISSUES.

• INTEGRATION OF EASTERN AND WESTERN EUROPE WITHOUT PROVOKING RUSSIA.

• A RISING CHINA: CONFLICT OR COOPERATION?

• CREATION OF ECONOMIC POLICY COUNCIL AT LEVEL OF THE NSC.

GEORGE W. BUSH NSC SYSTEM

• 9/11 2001 CHANGES EVERYTHING. CHENEY SNAPS INTO ACTION; RUMSFELD REDEEMED AND STRENGTHENED.

• FOR FIRST TIME IN HISTORY, VP PLAYS EXTRAORDINARILY SIGNIFICANT ROLE.

• SECSTATE POWELL INITIALLY THE DOMINANT PLAYER BUT IS ECLIPSED BY CHENEY AND RUMMY.

• CHENEY – RUMSFELD AXIS OVERPOWERS RICE AND POWELL.

• NSC ADVISOR CONDI RICE ENJOYS UNUSUAL CLOSENESS TO PRESIDENT BUT HAS DIFFICULTIES HERDING THE ELEPHANTS.

OBAMA NSC GROWS IN SIZE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• NSA GEN JIM JONES PREFERRED LOW PROFILE; DID NOT HAVE CLOSE RELATIONSHIP TO THE PRESIDENT. TOM DONILON HAS MUCH TIGHTER RELATIONS WITH OBAMA AND ESPECIALLY BIDEN.

• RETAINING BOB GATES AS SEC DEF BRILLIANT STROKE.

• GATES AND HILLARY ESTABLISH CLOSE, PRODUCTIVE RELATIONSHIP.

• CLINTON WIDELY PRAISED FOR SKILL AND DIPLOMACY.

• CJCS MULLEN AVOIDS INVOLVEMENT IN MAJOR CONFLICTS.

•NSC STAFF GROWS SIGNIFICANTLY; NEW ISSUES NOW UNDER NSC DIRECTION; NSC INTERAGENCY SYSTEM INCREDIBLY COMPLEX.

VP Joe Biden, President Barak Obama, Denis McDonough (WH Chief of Staff), Sec of State Hillary Clinton

John Kerry, Joe Biden, Chuck Hagel

Structure of the United States National Security Council (Current)

Chair Barack Obama (President of the United States)

Statutory Attendees John Kerry (Secretary of State)Chuck Hagel (Secretary of Defense)

Military Advisor Gen. Martin Dempsey (US Army) (Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff)

Intelligence Advisor Lt. Gen. James R. Clapper (Ret.) (Dir. of National Intelligence)John O. Brennan (Director of the Central Intelligence

Agency)

Drug Policy Advisor Gil Kerlikowske (Director of National Drug Control Policy)

Regular Attendees Tom Donilon (National Security Advisor)Denis McDonough (White House Chief of Staff)Tony Blinken (Deputy National Security Advisor)

Tom Donilon, President Obama, Susan Rice, and Samantha Power

December 2010