The Clamour for a New Beginning
National security is too important a matter to be a one-man decision. No one can arrogate himself the right to decide on such a vital matter
By Mrinal Roy
National security matters and policy cannot be decided by only one person. It is a very serious business. They are necessarily decided in a structured national forum with the guidance and informed advice of top members of the Executive and relevant experts from defence and diverse key national agencies.
In the US, all national security matters are decided by the US National Security Council (NSC) established by the National Security Act of 1947 as amended in 1949. The NSC is a high-powered forum for national security and foreign policy decision making by the US President in consultation with his senior national security advisors and cabinet officials and is the President’s principal arm for coordinating these policies across federal agencies.
The NSC is chaired by the President and its regular attendees are the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defence, the Secretary of Energy, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Representative of the United States to the United Nations, the Administrator of the US Agency for International Development, the Chief of Staff to the President and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the military advisor to the Council, and the Director of National Intelligence is the intelligence advisor. Counsel to the President and the Legal Advisor to the NSC are invited to attend every NSC meeting.
The heads of other executive departments and agencies as well as other senior officials such as the Covid-19 Response Coordinator and the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate are invited to attend meetings of the NSC as and when required. Similar high-level Councils decide on national security matters and policies in countries across the world. National security is therefore too important a matter to be a one-man decision. No one can arrogate himself the right to decide on such a vital matter in a country on his own. Read More… Become a Subscriber
Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 29 July 2022
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