National Security Council

American  

noun

U.S. Government.

1. the council, composed of the president, vice president, secretary of state, secretary of defense, director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that determines means by which domestic, foreign, and military policy can best be integrated for safeguarding the national security. NSC

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National Security Council Cultural  

1. A committee in the executive branch that advises the president on matters relating to domestic, military, and foreign security. The NSC also directs the operation of the Central Intelligence Agency.

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Example Sentences

So Dennis Wilder, then the senior director for East Asian affairs at the National Security Council, had an idea.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

Gorka’s formal title is deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026

Then Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Seyed Abbas Araghchi said the country’s Supreme National Security Council agreed to cease attacks and allow “safe passage” of ships through the strait, in post on X External link.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

"Iran's victory in the field would also be consolidated in political negotiations," Tehran's Supreme National Security Council said in a statement.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Given time, legions of men are drawn into the game, both ebony and ivory: the Congo’s CIA station chief, the National Security Council, even the President of the United States.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver