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

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

Decisions on any negotiations are being run through Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and Ahmed Vahidi, the new head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a U.S. official and other Middle Eastern officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 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

The secretary of State said he “terminated the legal status” of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, daughter of former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Larijani, and her husband, Seyed Kalantar Motamedi.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

The last hurrah for the two aging warriors was sounded during a marathon session of the National Security Council on January 6, 1958, when Stassen proposed a new framework for talks with the Soviet Union.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik