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

---

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.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

National Security Council

He maintained that any engagement with UN inspectors would take place "under existing procedures set by Parliament and the Supreme National Security Council".

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

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

And those troops have been unable to train or maintain their weapons, said Craig Deare, who served early in Trump’s first administration as senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs at the National Security Council.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 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

Later that afternoon McNamara drove back to the White House for a National Security Council meeting.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin