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

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

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

The Church Committee found notes from secret meetings of the National Security Council and President Eisenhower.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver