National Security Act of 1947

E181

United States federal statute

The National Security Act of 1947 is a landmark U.S. law that reorganized the nation’s military and intelligence structure, creating institutions such as the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, and the Central Intelligence Agency.

Observed surface forms (5)

Surface form	Occurrences
National Security Act of 1947 as amended	2
National Security Act	1
National Security Act framework	1
National Security Act of 1947 (Pub.L. 80–253)	1
National Security Act of 1947 (as amended)	1

Statements (46)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	United States federal statute ⓘ
amendedBy	National Security Act Amendments of 1949 ⓘ
appliesTo	executive branch of the United States government ⓘ
authorized	conduct of covert operations by the CIA (as later interpreted and amended) ⓘ coordination of intelligence activities ⓘ
citation	61 Stat. 495 ⓘ
codifiedIn	Title 50 of the United States Code ⓘ
context	early Cold War ⓘ post–World War II reorganization ⓘ
country	United States of America ⓘ surface form: United States
created	Central Intelligence Agency ⓘ Department of Defense ⓘ Joint Chiefs of Staff ⓘ National Military Establishment ⓘ National Security Council of the United States ⓘ surface form: National Security Council National Security Resources Board ⓘ United States Secretary of Defense ⓘ surface form: Secretary of Defense United States Air Force ⓘ
dateSigned	1947-07-26 ⓘ
defined	functions of the Central Intelligence Agency ⓘ functions of the National Security Council ⓘ
effectiveDate	1947-09-18 ⓘ
effectOfAmendments	made Secretary of Defense a cabinet-level position with greater authority ⓘ renamed National Military Establishment as Department of Defense ⓘ
enactedBy	United States Congress ⓘ
establishedRoleOf	Secretary of Defense as principal defense policy advisor to the President ⓘ
governs	coordination of national security policy ⓘ structure of U.S. defense establishment ⓘ
historicalSignificance	cornerstone of the modern U.S. national security state ⓘ institutionalized peacetime intelligence apparatus in the United States ⓘ
legislativeSession	80th United States Congress ⓘ
merged	United States Department of War ⓘ surface form: Department of War Department of the Navy ⓘ
officeHeldBySigner	President of the United States ⓘ
publicLawNumber	Public Law 80-253 ⓘ
purpose	to coordinate military, intelligence, and foreign policy ⓘ to provide for the national security of the United States ⓘ
relatedTo	Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949 ⓘ Goldwater–Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 ⓘ
reorganized	United States Armed Forces ⓘ surface form: United States armed forces United States Intelligence Community ⓘ surface form: United States intelligence community
resultedIn	independent United States Air Force ⓘ Department of Defense ⓘ surface form: unified Department of Defense
separatedFrom	United States Army Air Forces ⓘ
shortTitle	National Security Act of 1947 self-link ⓘ
signedBy	President Harry S. Truman ⓘ surface form: Harry S. Truman

Referenced by (55)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Public Law 81-110 → relatedTo → National Security Act of 1947 ⓘ

Strategic Services Unit → relatedTo → National Security Act of 1947 ⓘ

Public Law 80-253 → shortName → National Security Act of 1947 ⓘ

this entity surface form: National Security Act

National Security Act of 1947 → shortTitle → National Security Act of 1947 self-link ⓘ

President Harry S. Truman → signedInstrument → National Security Act of 1947 ⓘ

subject surface form: Harry S. Truman