1.2 |
Development of UK strategy and options, September 2000 to September
2001
225.
According to
published US accounts, on 1 March Secretary Powell was “given
the
task of
devising a plan and strategy to refocus the UN economic sanctions
on weapons
control” at
a meeting of National Security Council
“Principals”.128
President
Bush also
asked for
“a better military plan in the event that a pilot was shot down”
over Iraq.
The US
National Security Council (NSC) was established in accordance with
the
provisions
of the National Security Act of 1947 to “advise the President with
respect to the
integration
of domestic, foreign, and military policies relating to the
national security so as
to enable
the military services and the other departments and agencies of the
Government
to
cooperate more effectively in matters involving the national
security.”129
In March
2001, President Bush directed that attendees should include the
President, the
Vice
President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury,
the Secretary of
Defense,
and the National Security Advisor.130
The
Director of Central Intelligence and the
Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff were required to attend as statutory
advisers.
Others who
were directed to attend, as required, included: the Chief of Staff
to the
President;
the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy; Counsel to the
President;
the
Attorney General; the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget; and the
heads and
senior officials of other executive departments and
agencies.
The NSC
Principals Committee was established in 1989 as a forum for
consideration
of policy
issues affecting national security. President Bush directed that
its membership
should have
as regular attendees the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the
Treasury,
the
Secretary of Defense, the Chief of Staff to the President, and the
National
Security
Advisor.
The Chief
of Staff and National Security Advisor to the Vice President, the
National
Security
Advisor and the Deputy National Security Advisor were required to
attend all
meetings of
the NSC/PC.
Others who
were directed to attend, as required, included: the Director of
Central
Intelligence;
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the Attorney General;
the Director
of the
Office of Management and Budget; Counsel to the President; the
Secretary of
Commerce;
the United States Trade Representative; the Assistant to the
President for
Economic
Policy; the Secretary of Agriculture; and the heads and senior
officials of other
executive
departments and agencies.
226.
In
parallel, the UK began to define a new policy framework for
Iraq.
227.
The new
framework sought to contain more effectively the
military
threat from
Iraq by introducing a revised set of controls focusing on
military
128
Woodward
B. Plan of
Attack. Simon
& Schuster UK, 2004.
129
Section
101, National Security Act of 1947 (PL 235 – 61 Stat. 496; U.S.C.
402), amended by the
National
Security Act Amendments of 1949 (63 Stat. 579; 50 U.S.C. 401 et
seq.).
130
National
Security Presidential Directive (NSPD-1) 13 February 2001 (approved
for release 13 March
2001).
235