National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee

The National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) is a presidential advisory board composed of leaders in various key industries. Its membership is made up of thirty chief executives who represent the leading communications, network service, and information technology companies, as well as the most prominent firms in the areas of aerospace technology and finance. Created under Executive Order 12382, signed by President Ronald Reagan in September 1982, NSTAC has advised presidents on issues that include communications, information systems, protection of critical infrastructure, information assurance, and other concerns relating to national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP).

A subsidiary of the National Communications System (NCS), NSTAC acts as a liaison between government agencies and the private sector. NCS is among the leading government agencies concerned with national security and emergency preparedness, and it works closely with NSTAC in assessing challenges to the communication infrastructure, as well as in implementing solutions. Among projects initiated by NSTAC is the National Coordination Center for Telecommunications (NCC), established in 1984, in which thirteen NSTAC member companies work with NCS to develop, protect, and update national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) facilities nationwide.

█ FURTHER READING:

BOOKS:

Fifteen Years of Serving the President, 1982–1997. Washington, D.C.: National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, 1997.

ELECTRONIC:

National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee. <http://www.ncs.gov/NSTAC/nstac.htm> (February 2, 2003).

SEE ALSO

Communications System, United States National
Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office (CIAO), United States