National Security Council (United Kingdom)
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| Committee overview | |
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| Formed | 12 May 2010 |
| Committee executives |
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| Parent department | Cabinet Office |
| Website |
www |
The National Security Council (NSC) of the United Kingdom is a Cabinet Committee tasked with overseeing all issues related to national security, intelligence coordination, and defence strategy. The terms of reference of the National Security Council are to consider matters relating to national security, foreign policy, defence, international relations and international development, resilience, energy and resource security.
The NSC was established on 12 May 2010 by Prime Minister David Cameron. The Council will coordinate responses to threats faced by the United Kingdom and integrating at the highest level the work of relevant government entities with respect to national security.[1] The United Kingdom National Security Adviser is secretary to the council.
Council Membership
As of 3 June 2015, the NSC's members are as follows:[2]
| Image | Officeholder | Office(s) |
|---|---|---|
 |
The Rt Hon. David Cameron MP | Prime Minister (Chair) |
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The Rt Hon. George Osborne MP | Chancellor of the Exchequer and First Secretary of State |
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The Rt Hon. Philip Hammond MP | Foreign Secretary |
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The Rt Hon. Michael Fallon MP | Defence Secretary |
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The Rt Hon. Theresa May MP | Home Secretary |
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The Rt Hon. Justine Greening MP | International Development Secretary |
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The Rt Hon. Amber Rudd MP | Energy Secretary |
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The Rt Hon. Sajid Javid MP | Business Secretary |
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The Rt Hon. Oliver Letwin MP | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster |
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The Rt Hon. Jeremy Wright MP | Attorney General |
Other government ministers, senior officials, military and intelligence officers attend as necessary, some on a regular basis. There are two subcommittees of the NSC,[3] Nuclear Deterrence and Security and Threats, Hazards, Resilience and Contingencies. The Leader of the Opposition, has attended on an occasional basis.
Council Subcommittees
Nuclear Deterrence and Security Subcommittee
The Nuclear Deterrence and Security Subcommittee is a restricted attendance subcommittee of the National Security Council with the terms of references to consider issues relating to nuclear deterrence and security.[4]
| Officeholder | Office(s) |
|---|---|
| The Rt Hon. David Cameron MP | Prime Minister (Chair) |
| The Rt Hon. George Osborne MP | Chancellor of the Exchequer |
| The Rt Hon. Philip Hammond MP | Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs |
| The Rt Hon. Michael Fallon MP | Secretary of State for Defence |
| The Rt Hon. Theresa May MP | Secretary of State for the Home Department |
| The Rt Hon. Amber Rudd MP | Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change |
| The Rt Hon. Oliver Letwin MP | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster |
Threats, Hazards, Resilience and Contingencies Subcommittee
The Threats, Hazards, Resilience and Contingencies Subcommittee is a subcommittee of the National Security Council with the terms of references to consider issues relating to terrorism and other security threats, hazards, resilience and intelligence policy and the performance and resources of the security and intelligence agencies; and report as necessary to the National Security Council.[4]
When intelligence matters are discussed by the subcommittee there is restricted attendance to Prime Minister (Chair), Deputy Prime Minister (Deputy Chair), Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Secretary of State for the Home Department, and Secretary of State for Defence.
National Security Secretariat
From July 2010, there were two Deputy National Security Advisers (DNSAs): Julian Miller for Foreign & Defence Policy and Oliver Robbins for Intelligence, Security & Resilience.[5] By March 2013, Hugh Powell - previously a National Security Secretariat Director - had been promoted to a newly created third DNSA position.[6] As of 6 November 2014, the three DNSAs were: Hugh Powell as DNSA (Foreign Policy), Julian Miller as DNSA (Defence, Nuclear and Strategy) and Paddy McGuinness as DNSA (Intelligence, Security & Resilience).[7] As of 10 February 2015, Liane Saunders - previously the National Security Secretariat's Director for Foreign Policy and its Afghanistan/Pakistan Coordinator - was described as an Acting Deputy National Security Adviser (Conflict, Stability and Foreign Policy).[8]
As of early December 2014, the National Security Secretariat was staffed by 180 officials[9] and comprises five directorates: Foreign & Defence Policy; the Civil Contingencies Secretariat; Security & Intelligence; the Office of Cyber Security and Information Assurance, and UK Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT UK).[7]
References
- ↑ "Press Notice: Establishment of a National Security Council". http://www.number10.gov.uk number10.gov.uk. 12 May 2010. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ "Cabinet Committee Membership Lists" (PDF). Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ↑ "Cabinet Committee Memberships" (PDF). Cabinet Office HM Government. June 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
- 1 2 UK Cabinet Committees Membership
- ↑ "Cabinet Office Structure Charts, page 12" (PDF). Cabinet Office HM Government. May 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
- ↑ "Cabinet Office staff and salary data – senior posts as at 31 March 2013". Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- 1 2 Dr Joe Devanny & Josh Harris. "The National Security Council: national security at the centre of government". Institute for Government & King's College London. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
- ↑ Sophia Adhami. "Security and Diversity". Cabinet Office. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ↑ "National Security Council:Written question - 215980". Retrieved 15 December 2014.
External links
- Cabinet Office - National Security Council
- Cabinet Office - National Security
- Cabinet Committees
- Institute for Government/King's College London - The National Security Council: national security at the centre of government
