National Security and Defence Council
| Këshilli Kombëtar i Sigurisë dhe Mbrojtjes | |
 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 31 March 1993 |
| Preceding agency |
|
| Type | National security |
| Jurisdiction | President Nertilian Bushaj (Chairperson) |
| Headquarters | Kartha, Austeria |
| Agency executives |
|
| Parent agency | Secretariat-General |
| Child agencies | |
The National Security and Defence Council (Tethian: Këshilli Kombëtar i Sigurisë dhe Mbrojtjes: abbr. KKSM) is the government body responsible for national security and defence matters in Austeria. Although the President is ultimately responsible as commander in chief, the Four Amendments to the 1990 Constitution specifies that all major issues related to national security and defence should be deliberated by the Council in order to advise the President. As the highest state institution for national defence and security, the General Directorate for Security and the Austerian Armed Forces both report to the Council. During times of crisis, especially internal instability, the Council is the primary decision making body.
The KKSM is chaired by the President, government ministers, heads of security agencies, and the Chief of the General Staff. Although the Council constitutionally only serves as an advisory council to the President, in reality it has significant influence over a broad range of policy and the exercise thereof, which allows it to effectively determine the defence and security policy of Austeria. According to many academics, the KKSM is the "nucleus" of Trident, the security and defence establishment that forms a deep state within Austeria. The Council is widely considered to be the institutionalisation of their influence over Austerian politics.
History
The KKSM's existence is enshrined in the constitutional reforms of 1993 as the de facto successor to the Central Security Commission of the Austerian Liberation Front. Under the Presidency of Sotir Godo, it quickly established itself as a crucial part of coordinating policy on national security and defence issues. During the 2005 constitutional crisis that would lead to the Olive Revolution, the KKSM was called to consult President Fatos Majko on handling the civil unrest; instead the council controversially voted to call for the resignation of the President, which he did a day later. This was widely considered to be a soft coup by the security establishment and remains very controversial to this day. The 2005 crisis remains the most overt intervention by the deep state to Austeria which they have avoided doing again since.
In 2013, the Director-General of the National Police was given a seat on the Council as part of a crackdown on organized crime, although the agency remains overviewed by the Ministry of the Interior. In response to the outbreak of the Tsabaran Civil War, the Council has begun meeting once every few months to determine and evaluate Austeria's efforts to support the government of Tsabara and defend against infiltration by Zorasani intelligence services. The Council has repeatedly stated since 2020 that Zorasan is the most significant threat to Austerian national security today. In response, the Council has updated the Document on the Security and Defence Policy, a highly classified document commonly known as the "Red Paper". The updated document is speculated to have called for the establishment of an foreign intelligence service which was established as the Office for Foreign Relations and Information in 2022.
Role
As the national security council of Austeria, the body is responsible for coordinating policy and advising the President on related matters. Its primary purpose is to serve as the main policymaking forum to determine the country's forming a national security and defence policy. Under the constitution, it is mandated to develop policies on the security and integrity of the state and deliver its ‘recommendations’ to the President for consideration and implementation. Although its advice in the form of a white paper are legally nonbinding, analysts have noted that the directives publicly laid out by the President typically doesn't contradict it. It is generally considered that the Council is the true determiner of policy with the President only serving to implement it. In addition to advising the President on policy, the Council recommends appointments of the directors and deputy directors of the intelligence agencies to the President for approval.
The Council oversees the General Directorate for Security, the main intelligence agency, and the lesser intelligence agencies, which all report directly to the Council. The Sigurimi is represented by the Director of the agency, while the military is represented by the Chief of the General Staff. The Director General of the National Police is also represented under the control, although it remains under the purview of the Ministry of the Interior. The Directorate operates under the authority of the President within their capacity as chairman of the Council, but reports to the Council as a whole. The Directorate largely functions as an independent agency, but it follows the national security policy proposed by the Council and approved by the President. The lesser intelligence agencies, the Office for Foreign Relations and Information, Military Intelligence, and the National Police Intelligence Service, coordinate their activities with the Sigurimi at the direction of the KKSM.
In addition to national security policy, the Council establishes and coordinates the general guidelines for defence policy and oversees the Ministry of Defence in its implementation. The Council exercises de facto administrative and operational authority over the military through the Minister of Defense, who is the nominal head of the military, although the President is ultimately commander-in-chief.
Composition
The KKSM is chaired by President Nertilian Bushaj and Secretary General Hershor Dreshaj, the National Security Advisor.
| Membership of the National Security and Defence Council | |
|---|---|
| President (Chairperson) |
Nertilian Bushaj |
| National Security Advisor (Secretary General) |
Alpera Gjokaj |
| Minister of Defense | Calin Macedonski |
| Minister of the Interior | Božo Ljubić |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Alin Caragiale |
| Minister of Justice | Konstantinos Tsolakas |
| Director General of the National Police | Constantin Krasniqi |
| Director of the General Directorate for Security | Visho Ajazi |
| Director General of the Office for Foreign Relations and Information | Spyridon Avgeris |
| Director of Military Intelligence | Salar Pellazg |
| Director of National Police Intelligence Service | Konstantin Čomu |
| Chief of the General Staff | Hershor Dreshaj |