Susilo to set up security and economic councils

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Soon after his inauguration on Wednesday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to announce the establishment of the National Security Council and the National Economic Council, along with the much-anticipated Cabinet line-up.

The two councils, which are modeled on the similar Cabinet structure of the United States government, will advise the president on matters related to the economy and security, the two most crucial issues of any administration.

There have been no words from Susilo or his inner circle about how the two councils will take shape, leaving observers guessing as to what they will be like.

If the planned councils are to resemble those of the U.S., the function of the National Security Council (NSC) will be to advise and assist the president on national security and foreign policy.

The U.S. NSC, established in 1947 based on the National Security Act, also serves as the president's principal arm for coordinating the policies among various government agencies.

The regular members of the council are the vice president, the state secretary, the secretary of the treasury, the defense secretary, and the assistant to the president for national security affairs.

Chairpersons of key institutions are ex-officio members of the council. The chairman of the joint chief of staff is the military advisor to the council and the director of the Central Intelligence Agency is the intelligence advisor.

The chief of staff to the president, counsel to the president and assistant to the president for economic policy are invited to every NSC meeting, as well as the attorney general. The heads of other executive departments and agencies, as well as other senior officials, are invited to NSC meetings when appropriate.

The most influential position in the NSC is the national security advisor, currently held by Condoleezza Rice, who acts as a principal source of input on foreign affairs.

During the Clinton administration, the NSC membership was expanded to include the secretary of the treasury, the U.S. representative in the United Nations, and the newly created assistant to the president for economic policy (who was also the head of the National Economic Council).

Established in 1993, membership of the National Economic Council (NEC) comprises numerous department and agency heads within the administration, whose policy jurisdiction impacts on the nation's economy.

The council director works in conjunction with the officials to coordinate and implement the president's economic-policy objectives.

The director has numerous assistants who produce reports on the following issues: agriculture, commerce, energy, financial markets, fiscal policy, health care, labor and social security.

By executive order, the NEC has four principal functions: to coordinate policy-making for domestic and international economic issues, to coordinate economic policy advice to the president, to ensure that policy decisions and programs are consistent with the president's economic goals, and to monitor the implementation of the president's economic policy agenda.