New name, same as old name, still means security

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House’s National Security Council staff has regained its team name.

President Barack Obama signed an executive order Monday restoring the designation the NSC staff had operated under since the NSC’s creation in 1947. The NSC advises and assists the president on national security and foreign policy matters.

Obama changed the name nearly five years ago when he combined the functions of the NSC and the Homeland Security Council into one entity, calling it simply the National Security Staff.

That name had not been popular with national security staffers, however. The change back to the original Truman-era name was seen as a morale booster. The NSC staff operates under the leadership of National Security Adviser Susan Rice.