Editing National security directive

{{Short description|Classified instructions from the US president}}
[[Image:nsdd.jpg|thumb|right|200px|National Security Decision Directive 114, signed by [[Ronald Reagan]]]]

'''National security directives''' are [[presidential directive]]s issued for the [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]] (NSC). Starting with [[Harry Truman]], every president since the founding of the National Security Council in 1947 has issued national security directives in one form or another,{{sfn|Dwyer|2002|loc=Abstract}} which have involved foreign, military and domestic policies.{{sfn|General Accounting Office|1988|loc=Background}} National security directives are generally highly classified{{sfnm|1a1=General Accounting Office|1y=1992|1p=3|2a1=Dwyer|2y=2002|2p=411|3a1=Relyea|3y=2008|3p=9}} and are available to the public only after "a great many years" have elapsed.{{sfn|Relyea|2008|p=9}} Unlike [[Executive order (United States)|executive orders]], national security directives are usually directed only to the National Security Council and the most senior executive branch officials, and embody foreign and military policy-making guidance rather than specific instructions.{{sfn|General Accounting Office|1992|p=1}}

==Names for national security directives by administration==
Presidents have issued such directives under various names.
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col" |Initials
! scope="col" |Full title
! scope="col" |Time frame
! scope="col" |Presidential administration(s)
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| NSCID
| National Security Council Intelligence Directive
| 1947–1977
| [[Harry S. Truman|Truman]]–[[Gerald Ford|Ford]]
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| NSAM
| National Security Action Memorandum
| 1961–1969
| [[John F. Kennedy|Kennedy]] and [[Lyndon Johnson|Johnson]]
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| NSSM
| National Security Study Memorandum
| 1969–1977
| [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]] and Ford
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| NSDM
| National Security Decision Memorandum
| 1969–1977
| Nixon and Ford
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| PRM
| Presidential Review Memorandum
| 1977–1981
| [[Jimmy Carter|Carter]]
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| PD
| Presidential Directive
| 1977–1981
| Carter
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| NSSD
| National Security Study Directive
| 1981–1989
| [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]]
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| NSDD
| National Security Decision Directive
| 1981–1989
| Reagan
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| NSR
| National Security Review
| 1989–1993
| [[George H. W. Bush|G. H. W. Bush]]
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| NSD
| National Security Directive
| 1989–1993
| G. H. W. Bush
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| PRD
| Presidential Review Directive
| 1993–2001
| [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]]
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| PDD
| Presidential Decision Directive
| 1993–2001
| Clinton
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| NSPD
| National Security Presidential Directive
| 2001–2009
| [[George W. Bush|G. W. Bush]]
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| PSD
| Presidential Study Directive
| 2009–2017
| [[Barack Obama|Obama]]
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| PPD
| Presidential Policy Directive
| 2009–2017
| Obama
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| NSPM
| National Security Presidential Memorandum
| 2017–2021
| [[Donald Trump|Trump]]
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| NSSM
| National Security Study Memorandum
| 2021–present
| [[Joe Biden|Biden]]
|-
!scope="row" style="text-align:center"| NSM
| National Security Memorandum
| 2021–present
| Biden
|-
|}

===Truman and Eisenhower administrations===
National security directives were quite different in the early period of the [[Cold War]]. A 1988 [[General Accounting Office]] (GAO) investigation into national security directives left out the directives from the Truman and Eisenhower years because "they were not structured in a way to allow categorization."{{sfn|General Accounting Office|1988|page=1}} The study nevertheless made note of two types of directives. The first was "policy papers" which ''could'' contain policy recommendations, in which case the president might decide to approve the policy by writing his signature.{{sfn|General Accounting Office|1988|page=2}} A famous example of such a policy paper is [[NSC 68]]. GAO also noted another type of directive called "NSC Actions", which were "numbered records of decisions that were reached at NSC meetings.{{sfn|General Accounting Office|1988|page=2}}

===Kennedy and Johnson administrations===
The [[Kennedy administration]] which took office in 1961 reorganized the NSC and began issuing National Security Action Memoranda (NSAMs).{{sfn|Dwyer|2002|page=412}} Many NSAMs were signed in Kennedy's name by [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]] [[McGeorge Bundy]], although Kennedy sometimes signed them personally.<ref>{{cite book|last=Prados|first=John|title=Safe for Democracy: The Secret Wars of the CIA|date=2006|publisher=Ivan R. Dee|isbn=9781615780112|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=3OCDelYICIsC&pg=PA8 8]|language=en}}</ref> [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] continued issuing NSAMs where Kennedy left off, although issuing only 99 directives as compared to Kennedy's 273.{{sfn|General Accounting Office|1988|page=4}}

===Reagan administration===
A 1986 National Security Decision Directive gave the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] authority and responsibility to coordinate responses to international terrorism across government agencies including the [[CIA]], [[United States Department of Defense|DoD]], and [[FBI]]. This was intended to reduce interagency conflicts which were observed in the response to the [[Achille Lauro hijacking|hijacking of the ''Achille Lauro'']] cruise ship.<ref>Johnson, Larry C. 2005. [http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/library/congress/2005_h/050512-johnson.pdf Terrorism: Why the Numbers Matter].</ref> The State Department's [[Bureau of Counterterrorism]] continues this coordinating function.

== Homeland Security Presidential Directive ==
{{main|Presidential directive#Homeland Security Presidential Directive}}

After September 11, 2001, George W. Bush issued Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPDs), with the consent of the [[United States Homeland Security Council|Homeland Security Council]]. These directives were sometimes issued concurrently as national security directives.{{sfn|Relyea|2008|pages=6–7}}

== Secrecy ==
Regarding the secrecy of presidential directives, [[Steven Aftergood]] of the [[Federation of American Scientists#Government Secrecy|Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy]] stated in February 2008 that:

<blockquote>Of the 54 National Security Presidential Directives issued by the (George W.) Bush Administration to date, the titles of only about half have been publicly identified.  There is descriptive material or actual text in the public domain for only about a third.  In other words, there are dozens of undisclosed Presidential directives that define U.S. national security policy and task government agencies, but whose substance is unknown either to the public or, as a rule, to Congress.<ref>{{cite web
|title=The next president should open up the Bush Administration's record
|url=http://niemanwatchdog.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=ask_this.view&askthisid=00321
|last=Aftergood
|first=Steven
|publisher=Neiman Watchdog; Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard
|date=2008-02-07
|access-date=2008-02-12}}</ref>
</blockquote>

However, in an unprecedented development, the [[first presidency of Donald Trump|first Trump administration]] ordered their national security directives to be published in the ''[[Federal Register]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Aftergood|first1=Steven|title=Trump Broadcasts His National Security Directives|url=https://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/2017/01/trump-nspm/|access-date=10 October 2017|work=Secrecy News, [[Federation of American Scientists]]|date=30 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Aftergood|first1=Steven|title=Still No Classified Trump Presidential Directives|url=https://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/2017/07/no-classified-nspms/|work=Secrecy News, [[Federation of American Scientists]]|date=5 July 2017|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]|access-date=5 October 2017}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Continuity of Operations Plan]]
* [[National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive]] (NSPD-51)
* [[PDD-62]]
* [[Presidential directive]]

== Citations ==
{{reflist}}

== General and cited references ==
* {{cite web|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/98-611.pdf|first=Harold C.|last=Relyea|work=[[Congressional Research Service]]|date=26 November 2008|id=Order Code 98-611 GOV|title=Presidential Directives: Background and Overview}}
* {{cite web|author=General Accounting Office|date=14 January 1992|title=National security: The use of presidential directives to make and implement U.S. policy: Report to the Chairman, Legislation and National Security Subcommittee, Committee on Government Relations, House of Representatives|id=GAO/NSIAD-92-72|url=https://fas.org/irp/offdocs/gao-nsiad-92-72.pdf|author-link=General Accounting Office}}
* {{cite web|author=General Accounting Office|date=28 December 1988|title=National security: The use of presidential directives to make and implement U.S. policy: Report to the Chairman, Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives|id=GAO/NSIAD-89-31|url=http://www.gao.gov/products/NSIAD-89-31|author-link=General Accounting Office}}
* {{cite journal|volume=29|issue=6|date=November–December 2002|pages=410–419|title=The U.S. Presidency and national security directives: An overview|journal=Journal of Government Information|first=Catherine M.|last=Dwyer|doi=10.1016/j.jgi.2002.05.001}}

==External links==
{{Wikisourcecat|Presidential Directives (United States Government)}}
* [https://fas.org/irp/offdocs/direct.htm Presidential Directives and Executive Orders], a comprehensive listing of national security directives by the Federation of American Scientists
;National security directives at presidential libraries
* [https://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Research-Aids/Ready-Reference/National-Security-Memoranda.aspx National Security Action Memoranda], at the '''John F. Kennedy''' Presidential Library
* [https://discoverlbj.org/solr-search?q=&facet=100_s%3A%22National+Security+Files%22+AND+102_s%3A%22National+Security+Action+Memorandums%22 National Security Action Memorandums], at the '''Lyndon B. Johnson''' Presidential Library
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20171003030608/https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/virtuallibrary/documents/nationalsecuritystudymemoranda.php National Security Study Memoranda] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20171003030150/https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/virtuallibrary/documents/nationalsecuritydecisionmemoranda.php National Security Decision Memoranda], at the '''Richard Nixon''' Presidential Library
* [https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0310/nssm.asp National Security Study Memoranda] and [https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0310/nsdm.asp National Security Decision Memoranda], at the '''Gerald R. Ford''' Presidential Library
* [https://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/research/presidential_memoranda Presidential Review Memoranda] and [https://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/research/presidential_directives Presidential Directives], at the '''Jimmy Carter''' Presidential Library
* [https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/digital-library/nssds National Security Study Directives] and [https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/digital-library/nsdds National Security Decision Directives], at the '''Ronald Reagan''' Presidential Library
* [https://bush41library.tamu.edu/archives/nsr National Security Reviews] and [https://bush41library.tamu.edu/archives/nsd National Security Directives], at the '''George H. W. Bush''' Presidential Library
* [https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/collections/show/41 Presidential Review Directives] and [https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/collections/show/40 Presidential Decision Directives], at the '''William J. Clinton''' Presidential Library
* [https://www.georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu/en/Research/Digital%20Library/2014-0390-F%20Digitized.aspx National Security Presidential Directives], at the '''George W. Bush''' Presidential Library

{{DEFAULTSORT:Presidential Directive}}
[[Category:United States national security directives| ]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of the United States]]
[[Category:Presidency of the United States]]
[[Category:United States federal law]]
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