In every state there is a body responsible for the security of the country as a whole. This article will focus on Ukraine. NSDC - what is it? When was this body created, and what are its main functions?
NSDC - what is it?
1996 is considered the year of formation of the body for defense and security in Ukraine. On August 30 of this year, Leonid Kuchma issued a corresponding decree. Before that, there were two separate councils in the country: one was responsible for security, the other de alt with defense issues.
NSDC - what is it? What are the functions of this body, and what powers does it have today? Let's consider these questions in more detail.
NSDC of Ukraine is an abbreviation of the National Security and Defense Council. This is a special body under the President, coordinating activities in the above issues. It should be noted that the decisions taken at the Council are implemented exclusively by decrees of the President. The main goal of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine is to coordinate actions, as well as control the executive authorities.
Organ structure
The head of the National Security and Defense Council, according to Ukrainian law, is the President. The second most important person in this body is the secretary, who is endowed with the followingpowers:
- planning the activities of the National Security and Defense Council;
- submission to the President for consideration of draft decisions of the body;
- organization and conduct of meetings;
- monitoring the implementation of decisions taken at meetings;
- coordination of the activities of the working bodies of the National Security and Defense Council;
- covering the agency's position in contacts with other authorities, political parties, public organizations, and the press.
In the entire history of the existence of the department, the position of its secretary was replaced by 12 people. By the way, in 2005 it was occupied by the current President of Ukraine - Petro Poroshenko. Today, Oleksandr Turchynov is the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (since December last year).
The structure of the National Security and Defense Council, in addition to the President and Secretary, may include:
- Prime Minister of Ukraine;
- Minister of the Interior;
- head of the SBU;
- Attorney General;
- Foreign Minister of the country;
- other government officials.
As of the beginning of 2015, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has 16 members.
Functions and powers
The body is endowed with fairly broad powers. In particular, the National Security and Defense Council conducts its research in terms of improving the state policy of national security and submits its recommendations and proposals to the President for implementation. At the same time, the body attracts specialists from various fields to this work (this can be government agencies, research institutes, universities, etc.). The National Security and Defense Council can also act as an initiator indevelopment of relevant legislative documents.
In addition, the Council is empowered to oversee the activities of all governments, including local ones. It is also worth noting that the powers of this body are significantly expanded in a state of war or a state of emergency. In such situations, it is designed to protect the population of the country from military and other threats.
The main forms of work of the National Security and Defense Council
To better answer the question "NSDC - what is it", you should find out the specifics and main forms of work of this body.
The main form through which the National Security and Defense Council implements its activities is meetings. At each of them, all members of the Council vote personally for themselves. In no case is it allowed to delegate one's powers to other persons.
People's deputies, heads of committees of the Verkhovna Rada, as well as its head (although they are not members of the Council) can take part in the meetings. According to the modern legislation of Ukraine, at least two-thirds of its votes are required for the adoption of a decision in the National Security and Defense Council. After that, the adopted decision (if there were enough votes) receives authority by presidential decree (by the way, this is discussed in the Constitution of Ukraine, in article 107).
In order to comprehensively work out particularly complex problems that require the involvement of specialists from various fields, the National Security and Defense Council is authorized in some cases to create temporary (situational) bodies. This may be an advisory body or an interdepartmental commission. Forseparate provisions are being prepared to outline the terms of reference of such bodies.
It would also not be superfluous to mention that the work of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine is financed exclusively from the state budget.
National Security and Defense Council coverage and public relations
The NSDC apparatus is represented by a whole list of various departments, departments and sectors, each of which performs its important function. Not the last role in this series is occupied by the information and analytical service. Its activities are especially important in modern conditions, when the so-called ATO is carried out on the territory of the two eastern regions of the country. It is through this service that the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine maintains communication with the public, in particular with the press, and also informs the population about the most important news.
The information and analytical service (or the center, as it is more commonly called), in addition to a purely informational function, also performs analytical and prognostic functions, studying the situation in the country or its individual regions. Based on this analysis, the service submits relevant proposals to the National Security and Defense Council.
Today the speaker of the center is Andrey Lysenko. The National Security and Defense Council, represented by him, constantly reports to the public and informs about the situation in the zone of military conflict. The Information and Analytical Center prepares its reports on a daily basis, covering the activities and all the news of the National Security and Defense Council. By the way, one of the last decisions taken by the Council was the decision to appeal to the UN with a request to send a peacekeeping contingent to the conflict zone in Donbass.
Andrey Lysenko -NSDC Speaker
Andrey Lysenko was born in 1968 in the city of Donetsk. By occupation - a military journalist, and by military rank - colonel. In 1996 he graduated from the Kyiv Military Humanitarian Institute (speci alty - "Journalism"). He gave more than ten years of his life to serve in the Ukrainian army. In particular, Andrei Lysenko was part of the peacekeeping contingent in Iraq in 2004.
Under the previous president of Ukraine - Viktor Yanukovych - it was Andrey Lysenko who headed the press service of the Presidential Administration. The National Security and Defense Council appointed him to the position of its speaker at the beginning of last year. He has been successfully doing this job to this day.
In conclusion…
Now you have a general idea of such a body as the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. Obviously, the main tasks of this department are to ensure the defense capability of the state, as well as the protection of the country's population in the event of external military threats or other problems. The structure of the National Security and Defense Council may include various representatives of the executive branch of government, including officials of the highest rank. It is also worth noting that under martial law, the powers of the National Security and Defense Council are significantly expanded, and it itself becomes almost the main body in the country in such a situation.
