...committee, is composed of executive branch officials responsible for national security, most importantly the secretaries of defense and state, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the national security adviser. Presidents try to ensure enough discipline, loyalty, or consensus...

...world-cracking importance, that the National Command Authorities be notified. That meant that, night or day, the Secretaries of Defense and State, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and finally the President had to be called. That night, these reports tolled out the massing...

...1999, a Pentagon intelligence agency sent a top secret cable to senior government officials, including the secretaries of defense and state, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the president's national security adviser. The report stated clearly that a Hong Kong company...

...message personally became part of the daily routine of America's top political and military leaders.13 The promise of these early efforts did not lead to...Defense and State, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other senior military 13 Secretary of State Colin Powell: "The terrorist attacks of September...

...Congress. The PDB was distributed to a very small group consisting of the President and Vice President, the Secretaries of Defense and State, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and at times a handful of others; it was typically shorter and more focused on matters of interest...