The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor, serves as the chief advisor to the President of the United States on national security issues. He or she serves on the National Security Council within the Executive Office of the President.
The National Security Advisor is appointed by the President without confirmation by the Senate. As such he or she is not connected to the bureaucratic politics of the Departments of State and Defense and therefore is able to offer independent advice. The power and role of the National Security Advisor varies from administration to administration.
The current National Security Advisor is Dr. Condoleezza Rice.
The list of former National Security Advisors include:
Robert Cutler | 1953-55 |
Dillon Anderson | 1955-56 |
Robert Cutler | 1957-58 |
Gordon Gray | 1958-61 |
McGeorge Bundy | 1961-66 |
Walt Rostow | 1966-69 |
Henry Kissinger | 1969-75 |
Brent Scowcroft | 1975-77 |
Zbigniew Brzezinski | 1977-81 |
Richard V. Allen | 1981-82 |
William Clark | 1982-83 |
Robert McFarlane | 1983-85 |
John Poindexter | 1985-86 |
Frank Carlucci | 1986-87 |
Colin Powell | 1987-89 |
Brent Scowcroft | 1989-93 |
Anthony Lake | 1993-97 |
Sandy Berger | 1997-01 |
Condoleezza Rice | 2001- |