National Security Advisor (United States) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Incumbent Marco Rubio since May 1, 2025
Executive Office of the President
Member of	National Security Council Homeland Security Council
Reports to	President of the United States
Appointer	President of the United States
Constituting instrument	National Security Presidential Memorandum
Formation	1953
First holder	Robert Cutler
Deputy	Deputy National Security Advisor

The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (often called the National Security Advisor or NSA) is a very important helper to the President of the United States. This person works in the Executive Office of the President at the West Wing of the White House.

The National Security Advisor's main job is to give advice to the President on all matters related to national security. This means keeping the country safe from threats both inside and outside. The advisor attends important meetings with the National Security Council (NSC). They often lead meetings with other top officials like the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense. The NSA also helps with the Homeland Security Council (HSC). A team of staff helps the advisor by doing research and preparing important information for the President.

The President chooses the National Security Advisor. This person does not need to be approved by the United States Senate. However, if a high-ranking general is chosen, the Senate must approve them to keep their military rank. Currently, Marco Rubio has been the acting National Security Advisor since May 1, 2025.

What Does the National Security Advisor Do?

The job of the National Security Advisor can change a lot. It depends on who is in the role and how the President likes to work. Ideally, the advisor helps the President by giving fair advice on different choices for national security. They are not supposed to push their own ideas too much.

The National Security Advisor is a staff member who works directly for the President. They do not control the budgets or operations of big departments like the State Department or the Defense Department. The Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense are different because they are approved by the Senate and lead their own departments. The National Security Advisor can give daily advice to the President. This is helpful because they are close to the President and can offer ideas without being tied to the interests of large government groups.

During a crisis, the National Security Advisor often works from special rooms in the White House. These include the White House Situation Room or the Presidental Emergency Operations Center. For example, on September 11, 2001, the advisor kept the President updated on the fast-changing events.

History of the National Security Advisor Role

President George H. W. Bush meeting with his National Security Council about Operation Desert Shield in 1991.

The National Security Council was created in 1947. This happened at the start of the Cold War. Its purpose was to help coordinate defense, foreign policy, and intelligence. This was part of a big change that also created the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency. The law did not create the National Security Advisor job directly. Instead, it created an executive secretary to lead the staff. In 1949, the NSC became part of the President's main office.

Robert Cutler was the first National Security Advisor in 1953. He held the job twice during President Eisenhower's time. The way the job works has stayed mostly the same since then. Especially since President John Kennedy, National Security Advisors have been very powerful. They have strong teams, even though formal NSC meetings might not be as important. This continues even when new presidents choose their own advisors and staff.

President Richard Nixon's National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, made the role even more important. He controlled what information reached the President. He also met with the President many times each day. Kissinger was also unique because he served as both National Security Advisor and Secretary of State at the same time for a period. He held the record for serving the longest, for 2,478 days. Michael Flynn holds the record for serving the shortest time, at only 24 days.

Brent Scowcroft held the job for two different presidents. He worked for the Ford administration and the George H. W. Bush administration.

List of National Security Advisors

      Democratic       Republican       Independent

No.	Image	Name		Start Date	End Date	Time in Office	Notes	President
1			Cutler, RobertRobert Cutler	March 23, 1953	April 2, 1955	2 years, 10 days			Eisenhower, Dwight D.Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)
2			Anderson, DillonDillon Anderson	April 2, 1955	September 1, 1956	1 year, 152 days
–			Jackson, WilliamWilliam Jackson Acting	September 1, 1956	January 7, 1957	128 days
3			Cutler, RobertRobert Cutler	January 7, 1957	June 24, 1958	1 year, 168 days
4			Gray, GordonGordon Gray	June 24, 1958	January 13, 1961	2 years, 203 days
5			Bundy, MacMac Bundy	January 20, 1961	February 28, 1966	5 years, 39 days			Kennedy, John F.John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
									Johnson, Lyndon B.Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
6			Rostow, WaltWalt Rostow	April 1, 1966	January 20, 1969	2 years, 294 days
7			Kissinger, HenryHenry Kissinger	January 20, 1969	November 3, 1975	6 years, 287 days			Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon (1969–1974)
									Ford, GeraldGerald Ford (1974–1977)
8			Scowcroft, BrentBrent Scowcroft	November 3, 1975	January 20, 1977	1 year, 78 days
9			Brzezinski, ZbigZbig Brzezinski	January 20, 1977	January 20, 1981	4 years, 0 days			Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter (1977–1981)
10			Allen, RichardRichard Allen	January 21, 1981	January 4, 1982	348 days			Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan (1981–1989)
–			Nance, JamesJames Nance Acting	November 30, 1981	January 4, 1982	35 days
11			Clark, WilliamWilliam Clark	January 4, 1982	October 17, 1983	1 year, 286 days
12			McFarlane, BudBud McFarlane	October 17, 1983	December 4, 1985	2 years, 48 days
13			Poindexter, JohnJohn Poindexter	December 4, 1985	November 25, 1986	356 days
–			Keel, AltonAlton Keel Acting	November 26, 1986	December 31, 1986	35 days
14			Carlucci, FrankFrank Carlucci	January 1, 1987	November 23, 1987	326 days
15			Powell, ColinColin Powell	November 23, 1987	January 20, 1989	1 year, 58 days
16			Scowcroft, BrentBrent Scowcroft	January 20, 1989	January 20, 1993	4 years, 0 days			Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
17			Lake, TonyTony Lake	January 20, 1993	March 14, 1997	4 years, 53 days			Clinton, BillBill Clinton (1993–2001)
18			Berger, SandySandy Berger	March 14, 1997	January 20, 2001	3 years, 312 days
19			Rice, CondoleezzaCondoleezza Rice	January 20, 2001	January 25, 2005	4 years, 5 days			Bush, George W.George W. Bush (2001–2009)
20			Hadley, StephenStephen Hadley	January 26, 2005	January 20, 2009	3 years, 360 days
21			Jones, JamesJames Jones	January 20, 2009	October 8, 2010	1 year, 261 days			Obama, BarackBarack Obama (2009–2017)
22			Donilon, TomTom Donilon	October 8, 2010	July 1, 2013	2 years, 266 days
23			Rice, SusanSusan Rice	July 1, 2013	January 20, 2017	3 years, 203 days
24			Michael Flynn	January 20, 2017	February 13, 2017	24 days			Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2017–2021)
–			Kellogg, KeithKeith Kellogg Acting	February 13, 2017	February 20, 2017	7 days
25			McMaster, H. R.H. R. McMaster	February 20, 2017	April 9, 2018	1 year, 48 days
26			Bolton, JohnJohn Bolton	April 9, 2018	September 10, 2019	1 year, 154 days
–			Kupperman, CharlieCharlie Kupperman Acting	September 10, 2019	September 18, 2019	8 days
27			O'Brien, RobertRobert O'Brien	September 18, 2019	January 20, 2021	1 year, 124 days
28			Sullivan, JakeJake Sullivan	January 20, 2021	January 20, 2025	4 years, 0 days			Biden, JoeJoe Biden (2021–2025)
29			Waltz, MikeMike Waltz	January 20, 2025	May 1, 2025	101 days			Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2025–present)
–			Rubio, MarcoMarco Rubio Acting	May 1, 2025	Incumbent	91 days

Related Roles

• White House Chief of Staff
• Homeland Security Council
• Homeland Security Advisor

See also

In Spanish: Consejero de Seguridad Nacional (Estados Unidos) para niños