The Obama Administration has launched two new series of Presidential directives on national security policy. Presidential Policy Directives (PPDs) will define and direct the implementation of new presidential policies. Presidential Study Directives (PSDs) will initiate policy review and development procedures.
Presidential Study Directive-1 (pdf), issued February 23, 2009, is entitled “Organizing for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism.”
The new PPD and PSD documents will succeed and replace directives known as National Security Presidential Directives (NSPDs) in the previous Administration.
The new alignment signals a clear shift in priorities: offices dedicated to clean energy and energy efficiency have been renamed, consolidated, or eliminated, while new divisions elevate hydrocarbons, fusion, and a combined Office of AI & Quantum.
We came out of the longest shutdown in history and we are all worse for it. Who won the shutdown fight? It doesn’t matter – Americans lost. And there is a chance we run it all back again in a few short months.
Promising examples of progress are emerging from the Boston metropolitan area that show the power of partnership between researchers, government officials, practitioners, and community-based organizations.
Americans trade stocks instantly, but spend 13 hours on tax forms. They send cash by text, but wait weeks for IRS responses. The nation’s revenue collector ranks dead last in citizen satisfaction. The problem isn’t just paperwork — it’s how the government builds.