National Security Act of 1947 - wikipedia National Security Act of 1947 National Security Act of 1947 Long title An Act to promote the national security by providing for a Secretary of Defense ; for a National Military Establishment ; for a Department of the Army, a Department of the Navy, a Department of the Air Force ; and for the coordination of the activities of the National Military Establishment with other departments and agencies of the Government concerned with the national security. Enacted by the 80th United States Congress Effective September 18, 1947 Citations Public law 80 - 253 Statutes at Large 61 Stat. 495 Codification Titles amended 50 U.S.C. : War and National Defense U.S.C. sections created 50 U.S.C. ch. 15 § 401 Legislative history Introduced in the Senate as S. 758 by John Gurney ( R -- SD ) on March 3, 1947 Signed into law by President Harry S. Truman on July 26, 1947 The National Security Act of 1947 was a major restructuring of the United States government 's military and intelligence agencies following World War II. The majority of the provisions of the Act took effect on September 18, 1947, the day after the Senate confirmed James Forrestal as the first Secretary of Defense. The Act merged the Department of War ( renamed as the Department of the Army ) and the Department of the Navy into the National Military Establishment ( NME ), headed by the Secretary of Defense. It also created the Department of the Air Force and the United States Air Force, which separated the Army Air Forces into its own service. It also protected the Marine Corps as an independent service, under the Department of the Navy. Aside from the military reorganization, the act established the National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency, the U.S. 's first peacetime non-military intelligence agency. Contents 1 History 2 Actions 2.1 Military 2.2 Intelligence 3 Gallery 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links History The National Security Act of 1947 was a major restructuring of the United States government 's military and intelligence agencies following World War II. The act and its changes, along with the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, were major components of the Truman administration 's Cold War strategy. The bill signing took place aboard Truman 's VC - 54 C presidential aircraft Sacred Cow, the first aircraft used for the role of Air Force One. The majority of the provisions of the Act took effect on September 18, 1947, the day after the Senate confirmed James Forrestal as the first Secretary of Defense. His power was initially limited and it was difficult for him to exercise the authority to make his office effective. This was later changed in the amendment to the act in 1949, creating what was to be the Department of Defense. Actions Military The Act merged the Department of War ( renamed as the Department of the Army ) and the Department of the Navy into the National Military Establishment ( NME ), headed by the Secretary of Defense. It also created the Department of the Air Force, which separated the Army Air Forces into its own service. It also protected the Marine Corps as an independent service, under the Department of the Navy. Initially, each of the three service secretaries maintained quasi-cabinet status, but the act was amended on August 10, 1949, to ensure their subordination to the Secretary of Defense. At the same time, the NME was renamed as the Department of Defense. The purpose was to unify the Army, Navy, and Air Force into a federated structure. The Joint Chiefs of Staff was officially established under Title II, Section 211 of the original National Security Act of 1947 before Sections 209 -- 214 of Title II were repealed by the law enacting Title 10 and Title 32, United States Code ( Act of August 10, 1956, 70A Stat. 676 ) to replace them. Intelligence Aside from the military reorganization, the act established the National Security Council, a central place of coordination for national security policy in the executive branch, and the Central Intelligence Agency, the U.S. 's first peacetime intelligence agency. The council 's function was to advise the president on domestic, foreign, and military policies, and to ensure cooperation between the various military and intelligence agencies. Gallery President Truman signs the National Security Act Amendment of 1949 in the Oval Office. Seal of National Military Establishment ( 1947 -- 1949 ), which was later renamed the Department of Defense. President Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 onboard this VC - 54C Presidential transport, the first aircraft used for the role of Air Force One. See also Goldwater -- Nichols Act References ^ Jump up to : `` Letter from James Forrestal to Chan Gurney ''. Committee on Armed Services, Records of the U.S. Senate. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. March 4, 1947. Jump up ^ Fact Sheets : National Security Act of 1947 : National Security Act of 1947 Jump up ^ Kinnard, Douglas. `` The Secretary of Defense in Retrospect. '' The Secretary of Defense. Lexington : University of Kentucky, 1980. 192 - 93. Print. ^ Jump up to : Cambone, Stephen A. `` The National Security Act of 1947 -- 26 July 1947. '' A New Structure for National Security Policy Planning. Washington, D.C. : CSIS, 1998. 228 - 32. Print. Jump up ^ `` USC : Title 10 - ARMED FORCES LII / Legal Information Institute ''. Law.cornell.edu. Retrieved September 18, 2012. Jump up ^ `` USC : Title 32 - NATIONAL GUARD LII / Legal Information Institute ''. Law.cornell.edu. Retrieved September 18, 2012. Further reading McFarland, Keith D. `` The 1949 Revolt of the Admirals. '' Parameters 11.2 ( 1981 ) : 53 +. Stevenson, Charles A. `` The Story Behind the National Security Act of 1947. '' Military Review 88.3 ( 2008 ) : 13 +. online Stevenson, Charles A. `` Underlying assumptions of the National Security Act of 1947. '' Joint Force Quarterly 48.1 ( 2008 ) : 129 - 133. Trager, Frank N. `` The National Security Act of 1947 : Its Thirtieth Anniversary. '' Air University Review, November -- December ( 1977 ). External links Text at the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Information at the Department of State Bibliography of sources relating to the Act, including many links to online, public - domain sources `` National Security Act of 1947 ''. Enrolled Acts and Resolutions of Congress, compiled 1789 - 2008. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. July 26, 1947. VIAF : 180356918 BNF : cb15791611g ( data ) Major U.S. Intelligence Reforms U.S. Legislation National Security Act of 1947 ( 1947 ) Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ( 1978 ) National Intelligence Reorganization and Reform Act ( 1978 ) Patriot Act ( 2001 ) Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act ( 2004 ) Protect America Act of 2007 U.S. Commissions The First Hoover Commission The Second Hoover Commission ( 1953 ) The Rockefeller Commission ( 1975 ) Aspen - Brown Commission ( 1995 ) U.S. Commission on National Security / 21st Century ( 2001 ) Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission ( 2005 ) U.S. Committees The Church Committee ( 1976 ) The Pike Committee ( 1976 ) U.S. Executive Orders EO 11905 ( Ford, 1976 ) EO 12036 ( Carter, 1978 ) EO 12333 ( Reagan, 1981 ) EO 13355 ( G.W. Bush, 2004 ) EO 13470 ( G.W. Bush, 2008 ) U.S. Investigations The Murphey Investigation ( 1974 ) Iran - Contra Investigation ( 1987 ) U.S. Reports Eberstadt Report ( 1947 ) The Dulles -- Jackson -- Correa Report ( 1949 ) The Doolittle Report ( 1954 ) The Bruce - Lovett Report ( 1956 ) The Taylor Report ( 1961 ) The Kirkpatrick Report ( 1961 ) The Schlesinger Report ( 1971 ) Clifford / Cline Proposals ( 1976 ) Boren - McCurdy Proposals ( 1992 ) IC21 ( 1996 ) 9 / 11 Commission Report ( 2004 ) United States Armed Forces Book Portal MC AF CG Category MC AF CG Navbox MC AF CG Leadership Commander - in - chief : President of the United States Secretary of Defense Deputy Secretary of Defense Secretary of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Joint Chiefs of Staff : Chairman Vice Chairman United States Congress : Committees on Armed Services : Senate House Active duty four - star officers Highest ranking officers in history National Security Act of 1947 Goldwater -- Nichols Act Organization Service departments Department of Defense ( Secretary ) : Army ( Secretary ) Navy ( Secretary ) Air Force ( Secretary ) Department of Homeland Security ( Secretary ) : Coast Guard Branches Army ( Chief of Staff ) Marine Corps ( Commandant ) Navy ( Chief of Naval Operations ) Air Force ( Chief of Staff ) Coast Guard ( Commandant ) Reserve components Reserves : A MC N AF CG National Guard : A AF Civilian auxiliaries Military Auxiliary Radio System Merchant Marine Civil Air Patrol Coast Guard Auxiliary Unified Combatant Command Northern Central European Pacific Southern Africa Special Operations Strategic Transportation Structure United States Code Title 10 Title 14 Title 32 Title 50 The Pentagon Installations Units : A MC N AF CG Logistics Media Unit mottoes Operations and history Current deployments Conflicts Wars Timeline History : A MC N AF CG Colonial World War II Civil affairs African Americans Asian Americans Buddhist Americans Jewish Americans Muslim Americans Pakistani Americans Sikh Americans Historiography : A : 1 / 2 MC N AF Art : A AF Personnel Training MEPS ASVAB Recruit training : A MC N AF CG Officer candidate school : A MC N AF Warrant : A MC Service academies : A ( prep ) N ( prep ) AF ( prep ) CG Merchant Marine ROTC A : ECP MC / N AF Medical Other education Uniforms Uniforms : A MC N AF CG Awards & decorations : Inter-service A MC / N AF CG Foreign International Devices Badges : Identification A MC N AF CG Ranks Enlisted : A MC N AF CG Warrant officers Officer : A MC N AF CG Other Oath : Enlistment Office Creeds & Codes : Code of Conduct NCO A MC N AF CG Service numbers : A MC N AF CG Military Occupational Specialty / Rating / Air Force Specialty Code Pay Uniform Code of Military Justice Judge Advocate General 's Corps Military Health System / TRICARE Separation Veterans Affairs Conscription Chiefs of Chaplains : A MC N AF CG Equipment MC : vehicles weapons other AF CG Land Individual weapons Crew - served weapons Vehicles ( active ) Sea All watercraft Ships : A N ( active ) AF CG MSC Weapons : N CG Aircraft : N CG Reactors Air Aircraft World War I active Aircraft designation Missiles Helicopter arms Other Nuclear football Electronics ( designations ) Flags : A MC N AF CG Ensign Jack Guidons Food WMDs : Nuclear Biological Chemical Legend A = Army MC = Marine Corps N = Navy AF = Air Force CG = Coast Guard Harry S. Truman 33rd President of the United States ( 1945 -- 1953 ) 34th Vice President of the United States ( 1945 ) U.S. Senator from Missouri ( 1935 -- 1945 ) Presidency 1945 inauguration 1949 inauguration Potsdam Conference Agreement on Europe Declaration to Japan Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Fair Deal Mental Health Act National Institute of Mental Health National School Lunch Act Employment Act of 1946 Council of Economic Advisers Truman Doctrine Marshall Plan Loyalty Order National Security Act of 1947 Joint Chiefs of Staff National Security Council Department of the Air Force Central Intelligence Agency Key West Agreement Joint Long Range Proving Grounds Revolt of the Admirals Committee on Civil Rights Integration of the Armed Forces Housing Act of 1949 North Atlantic Treaty NATO Assassination attempt Korean War U.N. Security Council Resolutions 82, 83 Relief of General MacArthur Office of Defense Mobilization Science Advisory Committee 1952 steel strike Puerto Rican constitutional referendum, 1952 National Security Agency State of the Union Address ( 1946 1950 1952 ) Judicial appointments Supreme Court Cabinet Truman Balcony `` The buck stops here '' Life Early life and career Presidential Library, Museum, and gravesite Missouri Office and Courtroom Truman Committee Democratic vice presidential nomination of 1944 Books Bibliography Homes Birthplace Harry S. Truman Farm Home Harry S. Truman home and National Historic Site Historic District Blair House Truman Little White House Elections United States Senate election in Missouri, 1934 1940 Democratic National Convention 1944 1948 United States presidential election, 1944 1948 `` Dewey Defeats Truman '' campaign song Democratic Party presidential primaries, 1952 Legacy Truman Day Harry S Truman Building Truman Dam and Reservoir Harry S. Truman Scholarship Truman Sports Complex U.S. Postage stamps Related Give ' em Hell, Harry ( 1975 play and film ) Truman ( 1995 film ) Family Bess Wallace Truman ( wife ) Margaret Truman ( daughter ) John Anderson Truman ( father ) Martha Ellen Young Truman ( mother ) Clifton Truman Daniel ( grandson ) ← Franklin D. Roosevelt Dwight D. Eisenhower → Category Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Security_Act_of_1947&oldid=803339608 '' Categories : United States National Security Council 1947 in law History of the United States ( 1945 -- 64 ) United States federal defense and national security legislation Intelligence gathering law 80th United States Congress Military reforms Hidden categories : Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español فارسی Français Bahasa Indonesia Italiano 日本 語 Русский Slovenščina Svenska Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 1 October 2017, at 22 : 24. About Wikipedia

Question: what was the purpose of the national security act of 1947 apex
Answer: restructuring of the United States government's military and intelligence agencies following World War II