Homeland Security Advisor

Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
	Incumbent; Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall; since January 20, 2021
	Executive Office of the President; Homeland Security Council
Appointer	President of the United States
Constituting instrument	Homeland Security Act 2002
Formation	2001
First holder	Tom Ridge
Deputy	Russell Travers, Deputy Homeland Security Advisor (DHSA)

The Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, commonly referred to as the Homeland Security Advisor and formerly the Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, is a senior aide in the National Security Council, based in the West Wing of the White House, who serves as principal advisor to the President of the United States on homeland security and counterterrorism issues.

The Homeland Security Advisor is also a statutory member of the United States Homeland Security Council. Serving at the pleasure of the President, the Homeland Security Advisor does not require Senate confirmation for appointment to the office.

History[]

In the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush announced the creation of the interim Office of Homeland Security as a cabinet-level office in a speech to a joint session of Congress.^[1] He appointed Tom Ridge as its first Director. The Homeland Security Council was formally created on October 5, 2001, replacing the Office of Homeland Security.

Under the George W. Bush administration, the Homeland Security Advisor was independent of the National Security Council, residing within the Homeland Security Council. Under the Obama administration, while the Homeland Security Council remained, the Advisor held the title of Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, subordinating the position to the National Security Advisor.

At the start of the Trump administration, the position of Homeland Security Advisor, occupied by Tom Bossert, was elevated to the rank of Assistant to the President, making it equal in rank to the National Security Advisor. However, after clashes with the National Security Advisor, John Bolton, the position returned to the rank of Deputy Assistant to the President and was subordinate to the National Security Advisor.^[2]

List of Homeland Security Advisors[]

Democratic Republican Political Independent / Unknown

Denotes an Acting Homeland Security Advisor

No.	Portrait	Name	Term		Days served	President served under
No.	Portrait	Name	Start	End	Days served	President served under
1	Official title: Assistant to the President for Homeland Security						George W. Bush
1		Tom Ridge	September 20, 2001	January 24, 2003	491
2	Official title: Assistant to the President for Homeland Security
2		John A. Gordon	April 30, 2003	July 28, 2004	455
3	Official title: Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
3		Frances Townsend	July 28, 2004	March 30, 2008	1341
4	Official title: Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
4		Kenneth L. Wainstein	March 30, 2008	January 20, 2009	296
5	Official title: Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism						Barack Obama
5		John O. Brennan	January 20, 2009	January 25, 2013	1466
6	Official title: Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
6		Lisa Monaco	January 25, 2013	January 20, 2017	1456
7	Official title: Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism						Donald Trump
7		Tom Bossert	January 20, 2017	April 10, 2018	414
–	Official title: Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
–		Rob Joyce Acting	April 10, 2018	May 31, 2018	51
8	Official title: Deputy Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
8		Doug Fears	June 1, 2018	July 12, 2019	406
9	Official title: Deputy Assistant to the President and Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor
9		Peter J. Brown	July 12, 2019	February 7, 2020	210
10	Official title: Deputy Assistant to the President and Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor
10		Julia Nesheiwat	February 20, 2020	January 20, 2021	334
11	Official title: Homeland Security Advisor and Deputy National Security Advisor						Joe Biden
11		Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall	January 20, 2021	Incumbent	394		Joe Biden

References[]

^ "Text: President Bush Addresses the Nation". The Washington Post. September 20, 2001. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
^ Volz, Dustin (1 June 2018). "Donald Trump to Name Douglas Fears as White House Homeland Security Adviser". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2 June 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.

[1] "Text: President Bush Addresses the Nation". The Washington Post. September 20, 2001. Retrieved January 18, 2017.

[2] Volz, Dustin (1 June 2018). "Donald Trump to Name Douglas Fears as White House Homeland Security Adviser". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2 June 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.

[1]

[2]

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Homeland Security Advisor

Contents

History[]

List of Homeland Security Advisors[]

See also[]

References[]

Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism

Incumbent Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall since January 20, 2021
Executive Office of the President Homeland Security Council
Appointer	President of the United States
Constituting instrument	Homeland Security Act 2002
Formation	2001
First holder	Tom Ridge
Deputy	Russell Travers, Deputy Homeland Security Advisor (DHSA)

v t United States Homeland Security Advisors
Ridge Gordon Townsend Wainstein Brennan^d Monaco^d Bossert Joyce (acting) Fears Brown Nesheiwat Sherwood-Randall
^d Currently styled as Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism