Over
45 years ago,
an impending national crisis highlighted the critical need
for reliable and interoperable telecommunications for the
Federal Government. President John F. Kennedy recognized the
threat during the Cuban Missile Crisis and, as a result, established
the National Communications System. |
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Background
and History of the NCS
The genesis of the National Communications
System (NCS) began in 1962 after the Cuban missile crisis
when communications problems among the United States, the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization, and foreign heads of state threatened to complicate
the crisis further. After the crisis, President John F. Kennedy
ordered an investigation of national security communications,
and the National Security Council (NSC) formed an interdepartmental
committee to examine the communications networks and institute
changes. This interdepartmental committee recommended the
formation of a single unified communications system to serve
the President, Department of Defense, diplomatic and intelligence
activities, and civilian leaders. Consequently, in order to
provide better communications support to critical Government
functions during emergencies, President Kennedy established
the National Communications System by a Presidential Memorandum
on August 21, 1963. The NCS mandate included linking, improving,
and extending the communications facilities and components
of various Federal agencies, focusing on interconnectivity
and survivability.
On April 3, 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed
Executive Order (E.O.) 12472 which broadened the NCS' national
security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) capabilities and
superseded President Kennedy's original 1963 memorandum. The
NCS expanded from its original six members to an interagency
group of 23 Federal departments and agencies, and began coordinating
and planning NS/EP telecommunications to support crises and
disasters.
With the addition of the Office of the Director, National Intelligence in September 2007, the NCS membership expanded to 24 members.
Each NCS member organization was represented on the NCS through the Committee
of Principals (COP) -- and its subordinate Council of Representatives
(COR). The COP -- formed as a result of Executive Order 12472. The COP provided advice and recommendations to the NCS and the National Security Council and its ties to other critical infrastructures. The NCS also participated in industry-Government planning through its work with the
President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory
Committee (NSTAC), with the NCS's
National Coordinating Center for Telecommunications (NCC) and the NCC's subordinate Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC).
After nearly 40 years with the Secretary of
Defense serving as its Executive Agent, President George W.
Bush transferred the National Communications System to the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The NCS was one of
22 Federal agencies transferred to the Department on March
1, 2003, in accordance with Executive
Order 13286. A revised Executive
Order 12472 reflects the changes of E.O. 13286. On November
15, 2005, the NCS became part of the Department's Directorate
for Preparedness after nearly two years under the Information
Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate.
On July 6, 2012, President Barack Obama issued Executive Order 13618, which dissolved the National Communications System as a consortium of Federal Departments and Agencies. Although many of the NCS programs will continue to support NS/EP communications, oversight of these programs now fall to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Cybersecurity and Communications, part of the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD).
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