Situation Room

Some mistakenly believe that the White House Situation Room is located in an underground bunker. This is not the case. The Situation Room is actually located on the ground floor of the West Wing not far from the Oval Office.

The Situation Room is not just one room, but it is made up of a conference room surrounded by offices and workstations. The entire area covers around 5,000 square feet. The conference room itself is soundproofed and recently underwent a major renovation in which much of the mahogany was removed from the walls and replaced with a new material that helps to cut down on noise.

During that renovation, which took place in 2006, the latest technology was also added. This included the latest in secure video conferencing, flat screen televisions and soundproof phone booths which are encased in glass. A feed that went directly to Air Force One was added as were sensors that can detect if there are any unauthorized communications devices, such as cell phones or Blackberries, in the room.

The Situation Room was born out of the frustration of President John F. Kennedy after the Bay of Pigs incident. This invasion made clear the need for there to be a one-stop clearinghouse for information regarding world events.

In 1961 The Situation Room took over the space that had formerly been Truman’s bowling alley. Kennedy ordered that every Department of Defense division was to report information to the Situation Room staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

At first, the “Sit Room” was manned by one person at a time who worked a 20-hour shift and slept on a cot in the room. Today, the staff includes 30 members who work in 5 teams. The staff constantly feeds information to the National Security Council and White House staff.

Another important change that took place in 2006 was the addition of the Homeland Security office and the White House Chief of Staff office in the Situation Room. Situation Room staff also arranges the President’s sensitive phone calls with other heads of state. They schedule the timing of each call and monitor the communications closely to be certain that the calls are secure.

Situation Room staff has two key relationships that are crucial in the dissemination of international information. One is the Office of the Executive Secretary. Every single piece of information relating to national security passes through this office.

The second important relationship is with the National Security Advisor. He is in constant contact with key members of the National Security Council during any alert or incident.

The Situation Room is the launch pad for alerts, including some that may require the President to be awakened in the middle of the night. At times, information may be so sensitive that the Situation Room director will deliver the written message directly into the hands of the President.

The stronger the relationship between the White House Situation Room staff and other key government offices the more quickly vital information can be distributed to decision makers and, in some cases, eventually to the American people.