Foreign policy is one key area in any president’s time and term. The United States has an institution in place to oversee its foreign policy responsibilities. This organization that is part of the president’s different subsystems is the National Security Council (NSC) (Rivlin 2007 165-169). The NSC today has gone through some changes since its inception in 1947 as the midpoint of all foreign policies. Under President Harry Truman’s guidance, the United States opted to redefine is Dysfunctional executive brunch that was coupled with several bureaucracies, back-biting and overlapping responsibilities in the nations’ foreign policy and defense. Through the adoption of the National Security Council Act of 1947 with the subsequent amendments to the provisions of the Act, the Navy, Airforce, and the War were joined into a single defense headed by the secretary of Defense (Rivlin, 2007, 165). Also, through the Act, the Central Intelligence Agency, (CIA), the office of Joint chief of staff, and most importantly the National Security Council (NSC)were created. The NSC is comprised of the vice president’s office, the state departments and headed by the president (Rivlin, 2007, 165).
The NSC over the years has been specifically tailored to fit the president in office at any given time. It is a mere addition to the president’s policy powers (Strathman 2009, 739-740). From its creation under President Harry Truman in 1947, the NSC came to life when Kennedy took to the office. Kennedy wanted a hands-on approach to foreign policy, and he appointed McGeorge Bundy as the head. Richard Nixon came to build on the same idea as he created a White House-cantered organization (Strathman 2009, 739-740). As a White House system, the staff of the NSC turned into personal coordinators and advisors to the president. The National Security Advisor and the other professional team have the duty of management of an intricate interagency course (Rivlin 2007 165-169).
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With its development came conflict. First between the NSC staff and those of the State Department, and then between the National Security Advisor and the State Secretary. The rivalries were as a result of the roles of the NSC and the National Security Advisor, roles that are clear today. The NSC in its position is now a low-profile advisor dedicated to processing information first before advising on a way forward (Rivlin 2007 165-169). The council has seen different problems and has had to respond to different weaknesses spotted in it over its evolution in various administrations, but all have curved it to an honest, reliable system for the president.
Together with the military, the American intelligence organizations have played a key role in foreign policies interconnected (Jervis 2012, 576-581). The American Intelligence acts as the countries ears and eyes in the outside world listening in on activities of different states. The end of the cold war brought a change to the relationships within nations as they became progressively interconnected (Jervis 2012, 576-581). This links challenged the significance of the intelligence community.
At its launch, the Intelligence Community fell under the Director of Central Intelligence who coupled up as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency (Immerman 2014, 70-107). In 2004, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, set up the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to further strengthen the Intelligence Community. The Intelligence Community roles included interventions both political and paramilitary, collection and analysis of information, and counterintelligence (Mistry 2011, 133-138).
Currently, there are about sixteen intelligence agencies under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. All the sixteen are shared among three sections, the military service, the departmental organizations, and the program managers where the Central Intelligence Agency lies (Mistry 2011, 133-138). The primary event cycle for the agencies are planning, the collection of information, processing and analysis stage, and finally distribution to various government organizations. All this was not possible before the 19th century with a limit in intelligence competencies. After the Second World War, the government became more involved and built a more efficient community.
Today the American foreign policy has a dual element factor to it; this is as a result of the covert operations which combines the CIA and the front channel which is the State Department (Immerman 2014, 70-107). The CIA has developed over the years with events in the country dictating its path. The 1974 Watergate scandal, Indochina policy collapse in 1975, and the Bay of Pigs event are some which led to significant reforms in the CIA.
The CIA looks into the formation of resistant movements, ousting of foreign governments, election manipulation in foreign states, and foreign assassinations (Immerman 2014, 70-107). Every event in the international scope that has targeted American citizens; the killing of seven CIA operatives in Afghanistan; has led to an overhaul in intelligence agencies.
Conclusion
Under its structure, the president is the head and the nation’s intelligence top consumer and the only person vested with the powers to approve a convert action. The intelligence community has direct access to the highest ranking policy makers including the president, secretary of state, the vice president, defence secretary, the national security advisor and the secretary of homeland security. Through the years, for the relationship between the intelligence community and policy makers to work efficiently, the involved parties must possess one thing in common – trust.
Reference List
Immerman, Richard H. 2014. Hidden Hand A Brief History Of The Cia . [S.l.]: Wiley-Blackwell.
Jervis, Robert. 2012. "Frustrating Intelligence". Intelligence And National Security 27 (4): 576-581.
Mistry, Kaeten. 2011. "The CIA And US Foreign Policy Since 1947: Reforms, Reflections And Reappraisals". Intelligence And National Security 26 (2-3): 133-138.
Rivlin, Benjamin. 2007. "Running The World: The Inside Story Of The National Security Council And The Architects Of American Power By David J. Rothkopf". American Foreign Policy Interests 29 (2): 165-169.
Strathman, Brent A. 2009. "In The Shadow Of The Oval Office: Profiles Of The National Security Advisers And The Presidents They Served-From JFK To George W. Bushby Ivo H. Daalder And I.M. Destler". Political Science Quarterly 124 (4): 739-740.
