National Security Act Of 1947
A Major Upgrade For America's Domestic And Foreign Security
Mar 1, 2009
The National Security Act of 1947 was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. The act was signed on July 26, 1947 two years after the end World War II and is considered one of the major components of Truman’s Cold War strategy along with the Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine. The act was not only a chance for the United States to reorganize its foreign policy and intelligence community but also to completely restructure the military. From this act came many different components that would uniquely shape American policy in the future.
Complete Restructuring of United States Military
As far as the military was affected the Department of War and the Department of Navy were merged into one entity called the National Military Establishment. The title was later amended in 1949 to be called the Department of Defense. The Air Force formally the Army Air Corps was given independence from the Army and the Department of the Air Force was created. The Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force would all be controlled under the Department of Defense serving directly under the supervision of the Secretary of Defense. For the first couple years after the passage of the act the military service secretaries would enjoy somewhat cabinet level equality to the Secretary of Defense, but the act would be amended in 1949 to further highlight the subordinate positions of the service secretaries to the Secretary of Defense. The Marines remained under the control of the Department of the Navy, which was also allowed to keep its own aviation units separate from that of the Air Force. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) was also created in order to present strategic planning and coordination in an organized manner to the President. This change in military command structure further centralized the organization of policy among the three branches of the military.
Creation of U.S. Intelligence Community
Also created from this act was a significant boost in America’s intelligence community. The act created the National Security Council which is a committee of eleven seats chaired by the President of the United States and also created the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the post of Director of Central Intelligence. The CIA was formed directly from the WWII era Office of Strategic Services. This is the first time in American history the United States had a peace time intelligence agency. The United States had managed to set up their intelligence community as a combination of numerous civilian and military agencies working together and respectively against each other to obtain the most accurate information.
Controversial Development and Concerns
When introduced to congress the National Security Act was very controversial and took years and the direct involvement of President Harry S. Truman to finally be passed. Many compromises had to be made, for example the Air Force was given its own individual department but the navy retained the right to have its own aviation forces. Some original concerns of the act was that the CIA would turn into something like the German Gestapo or that the JCS would lead to a military coup but none of the ludicrous idea’s ever came to light and all created positions and offices have managed to work together cooperatively with no major problems.
Reform and Importance
The National Security Act of 1947 remained the charter for U.S. National Security until it was significantly altered by the National Security Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. The importance of National Security Act of 1947 cannot be overstated as it was the principle and vital document is orchestrating U.S. Cold War policy and reflected America’s acceptance of becoming a world superpower.
Sources:
United States Intelligence Community
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