page_title: Presidential directive
section_title: National security directive
hierarchical_section_title: Presidential directive / National security directive
context_page_description: A presidential directive, or executive action, is a written or oral instruction or declaration issued by the President of the United States, which may draw upon the powers vested in the president by the U.S. Constitution, statutory law, or, in certain cases, congressional and judicial acquiescence. Such directives, which have been issued since the earliest days of the federal government, have become known by various names, and some have prescribed forms and purposes. Presidential directives remain in effect until they are revoked, which the president is free to do. The classification of presidential directives is not easily done, as the distinction between the types can be quite arbitrary, arising from convenience and bureaucratic evolution, and none are defined in the Constitution. Furthermore, the different types may overlap. As one legal scholar put it: "it is a bit misleading to overclassify presidential directives as comprising separate and distinct 'types' just because they have different headings at the top of the first page".
context_section_description: Directives commonly known as national security directives have been issued within the National Security Council by every president since Truman in various forms, involving foreign, military and domestic policies. Generally, such directives are highly classified, are not required to be published in the Federal Register, and are available to the public only after "a great many years" have elapsed. Unlike executive orders, national security directives are usually directed only to the National Security Council and the most senior executive branch officials, and embody foreign and military policy-making guidance rather than specific instructions.
caption: NSDD 14, when it was partially declassified. The directive is now declassified in full.[27]
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