White House Situation Room

The White House Situation Room, run by the National Security Council staff, is in the basement of the West Wing of the White House. The President of the United States and his advisors use it to monitor and deal with crises at home and abroad. The Situation Room is equipped with secure, advanced communications equipment for the President to maintain command and control of U.S. forces around the world. It should not be confused with the Presidential Emergency Operations Center which is situated under the East Wing.

Related Topics:
National Security Council - West Wing - White House - President of the United States - Presidential Emergency Operations Center - East Wing

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The room has secure communications systems built into it, and often a special White House staff duty officer will take notes of sensitive conversations between the President and other world leaders. The walls contain wood panels that hide different audio, video and other systems. The room also has three different digital clocks that display the time in Washington, D.C. and two other geographic locations, often the sites of sensitive current political or other types of events.

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In fiction, the White House Situation Room figures prominently on the television show The West Wing.

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