Homeland Security Advisor
The Deputy Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, commonly referred to as the Homeland Security Advisor and formerly holding the title of Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, is a senior aide in the Executive Office of the President, based in the West Wing of the White House, who serves as the chief in-house advisor to the President of the United States on homeland security and counterterrorism issues. The Homeland Security Advisor is a statutory member of the Homeland Security Council. Serving at the pleasure of the President, the Homeland Security Advisor does not require Senate confirmation for appointment to the office.
Deputy Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism | |
---|---|
Executive Office of the President Homeland Security Council staff | |
Appointer | The President |
Constituting instrument | The post is defined by executive order. |
Formation | 2001 |
First holder | Tom Ridge |
Deputy | Deputy Homeland Security Advisor |
History
In the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush created 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 Political Independent / Unknown
No. | Portrait | Name | Term | Days served | President served under | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Start | End | ||||||
1 | Official title: Assistant to the President for Homeland Security | George W. Bush | |||||
Tom Ridge | September 20, 2001 | January 24, 2003 | 491 | ||||
2 | Official title: Assistant to the President for Homeland Security | ||||||
John A. Gordon | April 30, 2003 | May 28, 2004 | 394 | ||||
3 | Official title: Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism | ||||||
Frances Townsend | May 28, 2004 | March 30, 2008 | 1402 | ||||
4 | Official title: Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism | ||||||
Kenneth L. Wainstein | March 30, 2008 | January 20, 2009 | 296 | ||||
5 | Official title: Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism | Barack Obama | |||||
John O. Brennan | January 20, 2009 | January 25, 2013 | 1466 | ||||
6 | Official title: Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism | ||||||
Lisa Monaco | January 25, 2013 | January 20, 2017 | 1456 | ||||
7 | Official title: Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism | Donald Trump | |||||
Tom Bossert | January 20, 2017 | April 10, 2018 | 414 | ||||
– | Official title: Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism | ||||||
Rob Joyce Acting |
April 10, 2018 | May 31, 2018 | 51 | ||||
8 | Official title: Deputy Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism | ||||||
Doug Fears | June 1, 2018 | July 12, 2019 | 406 | ||||
9 | Official title: Deputy Assistant to the President and Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor | ||||||
Peter J. Brown | July 12, 2019 | February 7, 2020 | 210 | ||||
10 | Official title: Deputy Assistant to the President and Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor | ||||||
Julia Nesheiwat | February 21, 2020 | present | 177 |
See also
- Homeland Security Council
- National Security Advisor
- United States National Security Council
- Executive Office of the President
References
- "Text: President Bush Addresses the Nation". The Washington Post. September 20, 2001. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
- 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.