National security directives are presidential directives issued for the National Security Council (NSC). Starting with Harry Truman, every president since the founding of the National Security Council in 1947 has issued national security directives in one form or another, which have involved foreign, military and domestic policies. National security directives are generally highly classified and are available to the public only after "a great many years" have elapsed. Unlike executive orders, national security directives are usually directed only to the National Security Council and the most senior executive branch officials, and embody foreign and military policy-making guidance rather than specific instructions.
Names for national security directives by administration Presidents have issued such directives under various names. InitialsFull titleTime framePresidential administration(s) NSCID National Security Council Intelligence Directive 1947–1977 Truman–Ford NSAM National Security Action Memorandum 1961–1969 Kennedy and Johnson NSSM National Security Study Memorandum 1969–1977 Nixon and Ford NSDM National Security Decision Memorandum 1969–1977 Nixon and Ford PRM Presidential Review Memorandum 1977–1981 Carter PD Presidential Directive 1977–1981 Carter NSSD National Security Study Directive 1981–1989 Reagan NSDD National Security Decision Directive 1981–1989 Reagan NSR National Security Review 1989–1993 G. H. W. Bush NSD National Security Directive 1989–1993 G. H. W. Bush PRD Presidential Review Directive 1993–2001 Clinton PDD Presidential Decision Directive 1993–2001 Clinton NSPD National Security Presidential Directive 2001–2009 G. W. Bush PSD Presidential Study Directive 2009–2017 Obama PPD Presidential Policy Directive 2009–2017 Obama NSPM National Security Presidential Memorandum 2017–2021, 2025–present Trump NSSM National Security Study Memorandum 2021–2025 Biden NSM National Security Memorandum 2021–2025 Biden
Truman and Eisenhower administrations National security directives were quite different in the early period of the Cold War. A 1988 General Accounting Office (GAO) investigation into national security directives left out the directives from the Truman and Eisenhower years because "they were not structured in a way to allow categorization." The study nevertheless made note of two types of directives. The first was "policy papers" which could contain policy recommendations, in which case the president might decide to approve the policy by writing his signature. A famous example of such a policy paper is NSC 68. GAO also noted another type of directive called "NSC Actions", which were "numbered records of decisions that were reached at NSC meetings.
Kennedy and Johnson administrations The Kennedy administration which took office in 1961 reorganized the NSC and began issuing National Security Action Memoranda (NSAMs). Many NSAMs were signed in Kennedy's name by National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy, although Kennedy sometimes signed them personally. Lyndon B. Johnson continued issuing NSAMs where Kennedy left off, although issuing only 99 directives as compared to Kennedy's 273.
Reagan administration 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.Johnson, Larry C. 2005. Terrorism: Why the Numbers Matter. The State Department's Bureau of Counterterrorism continues this coordinating function.
Second Trump administration Under the Trump administration, National Security Directives were renamed "National Security Presidential Memoranda", or NSPMs. On September 25, 2025, Trump issued National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-7, titled "Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence".
Homeland Security Presidential Directive
After September 11, 2001, George W. Bush issued Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPDs), with the consent of the Homeland Security Council. These directives were sometimes issued concurrently as national security directives.
Secrecy 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.
However, in an unprecedented development, the first Trump administration ordered their national security directives to be published in the Federal Register.
See also Continuity of Operations Plan National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive (NSPD-51) PDD-62 Presidential directive
Citations
General and cited references
External links
Presidential Directives and Executive Orders, a comprehensive listing of national security directives by the Federation of American Scientists National security directives at presidential libraries National Security Action Memoranda, at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library National Security Action Memorandums, at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library National Security Study Memoranda and National Security Decision Memoranda, at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library National Security Study Memoranda and National Security Decision Memoranda, at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library Presidential Review Memoranda and Presidential Directives, at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library National Security Study Directives and National Security Decision Directives, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library National Security Reviews and National Security Directives, at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library Presidential Review Directives and Presidential Decision Directives, at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library National Security Presidential Directives , at the George W. Bush Presidential Library