Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
Incumbent
Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall
since January 20, 2021
Executive Office of the President
Homeland Security Council
Reports toPresident of the United States
White House Chief of Staff
United States National Security Advisor
AppointerPresident of the United States
Constituting instrumentHomeland Security Act 2002
Formation2001
First holderTom Ridge
DeputyJoshua Geltzer

The Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, commonly referred to as the Homeland Security Advisor and formerly the Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, is a senior aide in the National Security Council, based in the West Wing of the White House, who serves as principal advisor to the President of the United States on homeland security and counterterrorism issues.

The Homeland Security Advisor is also a statutory member of the United States Homeland Security Council. Serving at the pleasure of the President, the Homeland Security Advisor does not require Senate confirmation for appointment to the office.

History

In the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush announced the creation of the interim Office of Homeland Security as a cabinet-level office in a speech to a joint session of Congress.[1] He appointed Tom Ridge as its first director. The Homeland Security Council was formally created on October 5, 2001, replacing the Office of Homeland Security.

Under the George W. Bush administration, the Homeland Security Advisor was independent of the National Security Council, residing within the Homeland Security Council. Under the Obama administration, while the Homeland Security Council remained, the Advisor held the title of Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, subordinating the position to the National Security Advisor.

At the start of the Trump administration, the position of Homeland Security Advisor, occupied by Tom Bossert, was elevated to the rank of Assistant to the President, making it equal in rank to the National Security Advisor. However, after clashes with the National Security Advisor, John Bolton, the position returned to the rank of Deputy Assistant to the President and was subordinate to the National Security Advisor.[2]

List of Homeland Security Advisors

  Democratic   Republican   Independent

Image Name Start End Duration President
Tom Ridge September 20, 2001 January 24, 2003 1 year, 126 days George W. Bush
John Gordon April 30, 2003 July 28, 2004 1 year, 89 days
Fran Townsend July 28, 2004 March 30, 2008 3 years, 246 days
Ken Wainstein March 30, 2008 January 20, 2009 296 days
John Brennan January 20, 2009 January 25, 2013 4 years, 5 days Barack Obama
Lisa Monaco January 25, 2013 January 20, 2017 3 years, 361 days
Tom Bossert January 20, 2017 April 10, 2018 1 year, 49 days Donald Trump
Rob Joyce
Acting		 April 10, 2018 May 31, 2018 51 days
Doug Fears June 1, 2018 July 12, 2019 1 year, 41 days
Peter Brown July 12, 2019 February 7, 2020 210 days
Julia Nesheiwat February 20, 2020 January 20, 2021 334 days
Liz Sherwood-Randall January 20, 2021 present 2 years, 361 days Joe Biden

Titles

  • Assistant to the President for Homeland Security (September 20, 2001 – July 28, 2004)
  • Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism (July 28, 2004 – January 20, 2009)
  • Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism (January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017)
  • Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism (January 20, 2017 – May 31, 2018)
  • Deputy Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism (June 1, 2018 – January 20, 2021)
  • Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor and Deputy National Security Advisor (January 20, 2021 – present)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Text: President Bush Addresses the Nation". The Washington Post. September 20, 2001. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  2. ↑ Volz, Dustin (1 June 2018). "Donald Trump to Name Douglas Fears as White House Homeland Security Adviser". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2 June 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.