Editing Situation Room

{{distinguish|Presidential Emergency Operations Center }}
{{Short description|Intelligence operations complex in the White House}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox room
| name = White House Situation Room
| image = [[File:President Biden in the new Situation Room.jpg|250px]]
| caption = President Biden and national security officials in the newly renovated Situation Room on Oct 11, 2023
| location = [[Washington, D.C.]]
| country = [[United States]]
| building = [[West Wing]] basement of the [[White House]]
| purpose = [[Conference room]] and [[Intelligence (information gathering)|intelligence]] management complex
}}

The '''Situation Room''' is an [[Intelligence (information gathering)|intelligence]] management complex on the ground floor of the [[West Wing]] of the [[White House]].  While the name suggests it is a single room, it is in fact a {{Convert|5000|sqft|m2}} operations suite consisting of a duty watch station and three secure conference rooms.  It is run by about 130 [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]] staff for the use of the [[president of the United States]], [[White House Chief of Staff|chief of staff]], [[National Security Advisor (United States)|national security advisor]], [[United States Homeland Security Council|homeland security advisor]], and other senior advisors for monitoring and dealing with crises, as well as conducting secure communications with outside (often overseas) persons. The Situation Room has secure, advanced communications equipment for the president to maintain [[command and control]] of U.S. forces around the world.

The Situation Room has been upgraded several times, most recently in late 2023.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.aol.com/white-house-completes-50-million-093153359.html | title=White House completes $50 million revamp of high-security Situation Room | date=September 8, 2023 }}</ref>

==Origin and staff==
[[File:L B Johnson Model Khe Sanh.jpeg|Situation Room: National Security Advisor [[Walt Rostow]] showing President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] a model of the [[Battle of Khe Sanh|Khe Sanh]] area on February 15, 1968|thumb|left]]
The concept of a “War Room” in the White House originated with [[William McKinley|President McKinley]] in 1898 during the [[Spanish–American War|Spanish-American War]]. During McKinley’s tenure it contained [[Telegraphy|telegraph systems]] and maps.<ref>{{Cite web |title=President William McKinley's War Room |url=https://www.whitehousehistory.org/photos/president-william-mckinleys-war-room |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=WHHA (en-US) |language=en}}</ref>

The Situation Room was created in 1961<ref name="Blog">[https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2009/12/18/inside-situation-room Inside the Situation Room] The White House Blog, December 18, 2009,</ref> on the order of President [[John F. Kennedy]] after the failure of the [[Bay of Pigs Invasion|Bay of Pigs invasion]] was attributed to a lack of current information. The facility has [[Communications security|secure communications]] systems; the wood panels over the walls hide audio, video, and other systems.

The Situation Room staff is about 130 people, including five watch teams, which monitor domestic and international events; a travel support team; video operators; and communications technicians. Each watch team includes six duty officers, a communications assistant, and a [[Intelligence analysis|senior intelligence analyst]], though the number and composition of the teams may vary, depending on shift requirements and workload. The teams are staffed from a pool of senior personnel from agencies in the [[United States Intelligence Community|intelligence community]] and from the [[Military of the United States|military]]. These members are chosen from heavily vetted nominations made by their parent agencies and are apolitical. They stand watch round the clock, monitoring world events and keeping senior White House staff apprised of significant incidents. The current director of the Situation Room is [[Marc Gustafson]].<ref name="Blog"/><ref name="CIA">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070613113953/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/97unclass/whithous.html Inside the Situation Room: A National Nerve Center, Apr 14, 2007]</ref>

==Functions==
[[File:President Ronald Reagan being briefed by the National Security Council staff.jpg|President [[Ronald Reagan]] is briefed on events taking place in [[Libya]] in the White House Situation Room, 1986|thumb]]
[[File:White House Situation Room.jpg|President [[George W. Bush]] meeting with his war council in the Situation Room on March 21, 2003|thumb|left]]
[[File:William Flynn Martin at National Security Council meeting.jpg|Situation Room meeting with [[Ronald Reagan|President Reagan]] and secretaries Shultz, Martin, Powell, Weinberger|thumb|left]]
[[File:Obama in Situation Room.jpg|President [[Barack Obama]] holding a strategy review on [[Afghanistan]] in the Situation Room on September 30, 2009|thumb]]
The purpose of the Situation Room is to provide current intelligence and crisis support to the [[United States National Security Council|NSC]] staff, the national security advisor, and the president. The room is a round-the-clock meeting-place for sensitive information flowing to and from the White House. It is also the funnel through which most communications, especially classified information, pass when the president is not in residence—an essential link, giving the traveling White House access to all the information from Washington's national-security community.

The day begins with the watch team's preparation of the Morning Book. Prepared for the president, the vice president, and most senior White House staff, the Morning Book contains a copy of the National Intelligence Daily, the State Department's Morning Summary, and diplomatic cables and intelligence reports. The Book is usually in the car when the national security advisor is picked up for work. The morning routine also includes the [[President's Daily Brief]], prepared by the [[Office of the Director of National Intelligence]]; this is delivered to the president and other NSC principals by an [[United States Intelligence Community|intelligence]] officer, who briefs them about the document.

In addition, the Watch Teams produce morning and evening summaries of select material. These summaries of interagency issues are sent electronically to the NSC staff.

The Situation Room staff also provides alerts on new events to NSC and White House personnel. Responsible for informing the president is the national security adviser. Later, a written "Sit Room Note" is prepared, summarizing the event with current reports from other centers, perhaps including a photo, diagram, or map. The task of the Situation Room staff is to ensure that the president and national security advisor are informed not only of the current situation but also of how the situation is being portrayed by the news media.

Another typical Situation Room activity is arranging the president's phone calls and other sensitive communications with foreign heads of state. This includes scheduling such calls at each end, providing interpreters where necessary, and ensuring appropriate security and record-keeping. In this function, the Situation Room coordinates closely with the [[White House Communications Agency]].<ref name="CIA"/>

==2006–2007 renovations==
[[File:Obama and Biden await updates on bin Laden.jpg|[[Situation Room (photograph)|''Situation Room'']]: [[Barack Obama|President Barack Obama]] and [[Joe Biden|Vice President Joe Biden]], with members of the national security team, receive an update on [[Operation Neptune Spear]], a mission against [[Osama bin Laden]], in one of the conference rooms of the Situation Room of the White House, May 1, 2011|thumb]] 
[[File:Inside the White House- The Situation Room.webm|thumb|thumbtime=1:48|Video of the Situation Room after renovation]]
The only thorough renovation of the Situation Room took place in 2006 and 2007.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news|last1=Rutenberg|first1=Jim|first2=David E.|last2=Sanger|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/19/washington/19bush.html|title=Overhaul Moves White House Data Center Into Modern Era|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 19, 2006}}</ref> Until then, the room used [[cathode-ray tube]]s for [[video monitor|monitor]]s, [[fax]] for communication, and [[computer]]s and [[telephone]]s of the mid 1980s.<ref name="NYT"/> The room also had a small kitchen with no sink.<ref name="NYT"/> Encrypted audio-visual equipment was also unreliable and would sometimes go black, "prompting a presidential outburst". The Situation Room was once described as "uncomfortable, unaesthetic and essentially oppressive";<ref name="AP">{{cite news|last=Loven|first=Jennifer|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/19/AR2006121901262.html|title=White House Remodeling 'Situation Room'|agency=Associated Press|date=December 19, 2006|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]}}</ref> others termed the complex before renovation "something of a [[Low-technology|low-tech]] [[dungeon]]".<ref name="NYT"/>

Planning for the renovation began before the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|September 11, 2001, attacks]]; the project became more urgent afterward.<ref name="NYT"/>

Renovations began in August 2006, when the Situation Room complex was gutted down to bricks and bare floor.<ref name="AP"/> Rebuilding took about four and a half months<ref name="NYT"/> and was disruptive, particularly to White House chief of staff [[Joshua Bolten]], whose office was directly above it. ''The New York Times'' reported that "Staff members described sitting in his room and hearing ear-piercing noise or watching water ripple in glasses on his desk as the floor shook."<ref name="NYT"/> The renovation yielded several pieces from decades before, including [[coaxial cable]]s; columns; and a frame window from a sunken courtyard from the presidency of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]].<ref name="NYT"/>

The renovations allowed the use of the room to expand from only the [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]] to include the [[Homeland Security Council]] and the office of the [[White House Chief of Staff|White House chief of staff]].<ref name="NYT"/> A secure direct feed to [[Air Force One]] was added.<ref name="NYT"/> 

Sensors were installed in the ceilings to detect [[Cellular network|cellular signals]] to prevent unauthorized communications and [[Covert listening device|bugging]] by [[mobile phone]]s, [[personal digital assistant]]s, and other devices.<ref name="NYT"/> Before the renovation, the [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] confiscated cell-phones but had no other means of preventing smuggled communication devices.<ref name="NYT"/> 

The renovation was formally completed by mid-May 2007. On May 17, 2007, President [[George W. Bush]] and [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British prime minister]] [[Tony Blair]] participated in a video conference with members of their Iraq teams from the newly renovated Situation Room.<ref>[https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/05/images/20070517_d-0194-3-515h.html White House news image of Bush and Blair's teleconference in the newly renovated Situation Room], May 17, 2007,</ref> The following day, President Bush officially opened the newly refurbished Situation Room in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.<ref>[https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/05/images/20070518_v051807db-0048-1-515h.html White House news image of the ribbon-cutting ceremony in the newly renovated Situation Room], May 18, 2007,</ref>

Two of the rooms in the complex were preserved, these being the main conference room and the secure video transmission site. They are currently located at the [[Ronald Reagan Presidential Library]] and the [[George W. Bush Presidential Center]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=About {{!}} Situation Room Experience |url=https://situationroom.archives.gov/about |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=situationroom.archives.gov}}</ref>

==2023 renovation==
[[File:President Joe Biden meets with members of the National Security Council in the Situation Room 2024-04-13.jpg|thumb|The Situation Room in April 2024, during the [[April 2024 Iranian strikes against Israel|Iranian strikes in Israel]]]]
The Situation Room complex was upgraded in late 2023 after a yearlong renovation for a cost of $50 million.<ref name = "aol2023">{{cite web | url=https://www.aol.com/white-house-completes-50-million-093153359.html | title=White House completes $50 million revamp of high-security Situation Room | date=September 8, 2023 }}</ref> The walls were made with sustainably harvested wood, with new monitors installed into them.<ref name = "aol2023"/><ref name = "nyt2023"/> Faster servers, updated audio equipment, and new computers were also included in the renovation.<ref name = "aol2023"/> New leather chairs were added in each room, replacing worn furniture.<ref name = "nyt2023"/> White House senior staff were given the opportunity to weigh in on the design of the facility.<ref name = "nyt2023"/> 

The walls, ceilings, and floors were refitted with a modular design that can allow easy access to technology behind them. This is expected to allow easier renovation in the future.<ref name = "nyt2023">{{cite news | last = Shear | first = Michael | date = September 8, 2023 | title = What $50 Million Can Buy: Inside the Sleek New White House Situation Room | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/08/us/politics/white-house-situation-room.html | work = [[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Map Room (White House)|Map Room]] established in 1942 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's personal Naval Aide [[John L. McCrea|John McCrea]]
* {{annotated link|National Military Command Center}}
* {{annotated link|Presidential Emergency Operations Center}}
* {{annotated link|Situation Room (photograph)|''Situation Room''}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite book |last=Bohn |first=Michael K. |url=https://books.google.co.zm/books?id=Rclk_vJpAP0C |title=Nerve Center: Inside the White House Situation Room |date=2003 |publisher=Potomac Books, Inc. |isbn=978-1-59797-452-3 |language=en}}

==External links==
{{Commons|White House Situation Room}}
*[https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/photos-and-video/video/inside-white-house-situation-room Inside the White House: The Situation Room] – Video tour of  or the White House Situation Room with explanation of operations and history
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070613113953/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/97unclass/whithous.html Inside The White House Situation Room: A National Nerve Center], CIA Center for the Study of Intelligence

{{White House|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:Rooms in the White House]]
[[Category:United States National Security Council]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:1961 establishments in Washington, D.C.]]