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

See Examples For:

National Security Council

He had previously announced on Sunday that the deal was “complete” and Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said the text had been finalized External link.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

As if to underscore this point, Iran's Supreme National Security Council released a statement on Sunday that "final negotiations will be postponed until after the implementation of the other party's commitments under the memorandum".

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

Usually, the National Security Council holds interagency meetings—first among midlevel experts, then with Cabinet secretaries and the president himself—to hammer out positions on various major issues.

From Slate ● May 16, 2026

The bête noire of that nationalist wing is Russia’s former defense minister and current National Security Council chief Sergei Shoigu, a onetime Putin confidant blamed for mishandling the initial stages of the war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 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