Directive 51 is a presidential arrangement from 2007, that promises an assurance of specific rights in a catastrophic emergency. It was written and signed by President George W. Bush on May 4, 2007. This emergency describes a location independent incident that threatens the American people, infrastructure, environment and political functions.
If another operation like Dark Winter was conducted there is a possibility that an organization such as The Division will be activated in order to not only restore government control but to also save of what remains of society.
Despite Directive 51 being kept a secret, information about its existence was leaked, and reporters like Rick Valassi were actively investigating it.
The nonclassified elements of Directive 51 specify that, in the event of a catastrophic emergency, all governmental power will be transferred to the president, top advisers and a committee including:
- Vice President
- National Security Advisor: senior aide in the executive office of the president, serving as the chief in-house adviser to the president on national security issues.
- National Continuity Coordinator (NCC): the directive specifies that the assistant to the president for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism will be designated as the national continuity coordinator. The NCC would be tasked with ensuring the continuity of all "national essential functions" (federal, local, territorial, and tribal governments, as well as private sector organizations) through a National Continuity Implementation Plan (NCIP).
- Continuity Policy Coordination
- Committee (CPCC): the CPCC is to be responsible for coordinating the NOC's NICP. It's to be chaired by a senior director from the Homeland Security Council staff, designated by the NCD.
Centralization of Power[]
Prior to Directive 51, a catastrophic emergency would have been handled according to the National Emergencies Act (NEA). The NEA allowed the president to declare a state of emergency, but also gave Congress the power to "modify, rescind, or render dormant such delegated emergency authority," if it deemed that he'd acted inappropriately.
However, Directive 51 effectively supersedes the NEA, through the appointment of the NCC, without any specific act of Congress authorizing the position. It also negates any requirement that the president submit to Congress a determination that a national emergency exists.
Furthermore, the U.S. Constitution states that the three main branches of the federal government (executive, legislative and judicial) must be kept equal and separate, with no single branch coordinating the others. Under Directive 51, the executive branch effectively takes a leading role, coordinated by the president.
In Real Life[]
Directive 51 also known as National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive was written and signed on May 4, 2007. The law also gives American citizen's specific rights in a catastrophic emergency. The law was signed after Operation Dark Winter also caused the collapse of society by creating a mock simulation of a smallpox outbreak in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and additional cases in Georgia and Pennsylvania. The directive is highly controversial as it allows a single branch of government to coordinate with the others.
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