Executive Order 13260: Establishing the President’s Homeland Security Advisory Council and Senior Advisory Committees for Homeland Security
President: George W. Bush
Created a presidential homeland-security advisory council of up to 21 appointed members plus ex officio members, and four senior advisory committees, to advise on terrorism prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and intergovernmental coordination.
Status: Revoked.
Is Executive Order 13260 still in effect? No. Revoked effective March 31, 2003; DHS advisory council continued under statutory authority.
What does Executive Order 13260 do?
The order assigned these duties: President — Appoint up to 21 council members and designate its chair and vice chair; Homeland Security Assistant — Select senior-committee members, request meetings and receive advice.
Checked the presidential council and four senior committees against the signed order. EO 13286 revoked this structure effective March 31, 2003; DHS’s later advisory council is identified as a separate statutory departmental body.
Before and after
Before the order
The White House homeland-security structure lacked the cross-sector presidential council and four senior advisory committees specified here.
After the order
The council began advising the President and the White House homeland-security office. The Homeland Security Act then authorized the new DHS Secretary to establish advisory committees. EO 13286 revoked EO 13260 effective March 31, 2003, while DHS continued a Homeland Security Advisory Council under the Secretary’s statutory authority.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| President | Appoint up to 21 council members and designate its chair and vice chair | During the council’s operation |
| Homeland Security Assistant | Select senior-committee members, request meetings and receive advice | Periodically |
| Federal agencies and Office of Administration | Provide lawful information, funding and administrative support | As requested and subject to appropriations |
What happened next
EO 13260 signed.
EO 13260 established the presidential council and four senior advisory committees.
The Homeland Security Act authorized the DHS Secretary to establish advisory committees.
EO 13286 provided for revocation of EO 13260 effective March 31.
The EO 13260 structure ended; DHS’s successor advisory arrangements operated under statutory and departmental authority.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The bodies were advisory and subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act where applicable; policy decisions remained with federal officials. EO 13286 expressly ended this order’s structure, so the continuing DHS council should not be described as keeping EO 13260 in force. No order-specific merits judgment was located.
Sources by type
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Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 2, 2026. How we research →