Carter, Reagan, Bush Presidential Directives

Operational guidance and delegations often appear in documents other than statutes and Executive Orders. Some have lasting influence. Perhaps one of the most puzzling thing about the current Administration is its failure to undertake any revision of the George W. Bush Homeland Security Presidential Directives. But here in a somewhat repetitive post [see blog posting of April 28, 2010]rare some of the influential directives for Homeland Security, EM, and FEMA from the Carter, Reagan,Bush administrations. What should be noted is that in a very basic way they are not self-implementing since no budget execution authority accompanies their issuance [just as no budget execution authority accompanies any Executive Order] and departments and agencies must either reprogram funds to support the mandates or redirect policy development and implementation to accomplish them in all programs, functions, and activities. Many aspects of the BUSH era HSPD's IMO have yet to be implemented. I keep hearing that HSPD-5 and HSPD-8 are under active revision but that has yet to be public.

So here goes:

CARTER PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVES AFFECTING FEMA

• PD-41 U.S. Civil Defense Policy
• PD-57 Mobilization Planning
• PD-58 Continuity of Government

REAGAN AND BUSH NATIONAL SECURITY DIRECTIVES DIRECTLY AFFECTING FEMA

1982

1. NSDD 23 U.S. Civil Defense Policy
2. NSDD 26 Civil Defense Policy
3. NSDD 30 Managing Terrorist Incidents
4. NSDD 47 Emergency Mobilization Preparedness

1983

1. NSDD 97 National Security Telecommunications Policy

1984

1. NSDD 145 Telecommunications and Computer Security

1985

1. NSDD 174 National Defense Stockpile of Minerals
2. NSDD 179 Task Force on Combating Terrorism
3. NSDD 188 Reorganization of “Emergency Preparedness” Functions

1986

1. NSDD 207 National Program for Combating Terrorism

1987

1. NSDD 259 Civil Defense

1990

1.  NSDD 42 Security of National Security Telecommunications and Information Systems

1992

1. NSDD 66 Civil Defense Mobilization of Private Industry During Emergencies

Editor’s Note:
For text as declassified see “National Security Directives of the Reagan & Bush Administrations- The Declassified History of U.S. Political & Military Policy 1981-1991” Christopher Simpson (Westview Press, 1995).

See also Presidential Decision Directives at FAS.org