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Presidential directive

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Presidential directive

Presidential Directives , better known as Presidential Decision Directives (or PDDs), are a form of an executive order issued by the President of the United States with the advice and analysis of the National Security Council. The directives articulate the executive's national security policy and carry the "full force and effect of law".

Contents

Since many of the Presidential Directives pertain to the national security of the United States, many remain classified.

Names for Presidential Directives by Administration

Presidents have issued such directives under various names.

List of National Security Decision Directives (Reagan Era)

*the document has been declassified and released in part

**the document has not been reviewed for release or release has been denied in full

A 1986 National Security Decision Directive gave the State Department authority and responsibility to coordinate responses to international terrorism across government agencies including the CIA, DoD, and FBI. This was intended to reduce interagency conflicts which were observed in the response to the hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship. The State Department's Bureau of Counterterrorism continues this coordinating function.

List of Homeland Security Presidential Directives

After September 11, 2001, George W. Bush issued Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPDs), with the consent of the Homeland Security Council.

  • The first such directive created the Homeland Security Council.
  • The second changed immigration policies to combat terrorism.
  • HSPD 5 directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and run nationally coordinated emergency incident management systems.
  • HSPD-7 defines policy for protecting certain key infrastructure; the National Infrastructure Protection Plan was developed to implement the policy.
  • HSPD-8 directed Federal agencies to prepare in certain ways for emergencies.
  • HSPD-9 established policy to protect against attacks on food and agriculture.
  • HSPD-12 assigned responsibility for setting standards for the identification to be shown by persons entering federal government buildings. The technical standard FIPS 201 was developed to satisfy this requirement.
  • HSPD-13 established a Maritime Security Policy Coordinating Committee from across federal government agencies.
  • HSPD-14 established a Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to coordinate efforts to protect the domestic U.S. against dangers from nuclear or radiological materials.
  • HSPD-20 makes definitions and procedures for continuing the federal government after a catastrophic emergency. Federal agencies developed Continuity of Operations Plans in response to this directive.
  • HSPD-21, issued October 18, 2007, called for public and private healthcare organizations, hospitals, and healthcare facilities to form "disaster healthcare" system.
  • HSPD-23 defines cybersecurity objectives. It was secret at first. The National Cybersecurity Center began in response to this directive.

    • Regarding the secrecy of presidential directives, Steven Aftergood of the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy stated in February 2008 that:

    Of the 54 National Security Presidential Directives issued by the (George W.) Bush Administration to date, the titles of only about half have been publicly identified. There is descriptive material or actual text in the public domain for only about a third. In other words, there are dozens of undisclosed Presidential directives that define U.S. national security policy and task government agencies, but whose substance is unknown either to the public or, as a rule, to Congress.

    References

    Presidential directive Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA