ABSTRACT
The impact of structural weaknesses and the evolution of National Security Council (NSC) systems to overcome the deficiencies and respond to functional demands can be seen particularly well in two back-to-back administrations-those of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. This chapter examines the formal structures of both administrations and measures them against their ability to execute the requisite functions. The formal structure of the NSC system under the Carter administration was laid out in Presidential Directive/NSC-2, dated January 20, 1977. Presidential Review Memoranda (PRM) and Presidential Directives were the products of the NSC Staff. Although the actual work in drafting the studies to support a PRM might be done on an interagency basis, the Terms of Reference by which the parameters of the study were fixed were drafted by the NSC Staff. This layering and proliferation of committees helped guarantee that positions presented to the NSC were reasonably well coordinated, as long as issues were worked within the structure.
