Executive Council (Meridon)

The Executive Council of Meridon is a composed of the seniormost officials of the Federal Executive Departments, and serves as the primary advisory body to the President of Meridon on all matters of state. Composed of officials appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, the officials on these body are not elected officials. The size and membership of the Council are set by law, however it is common practice for presidents to appoint temporary (albeit nonvoting) members of the Cabinet to advise on special matters, most usually in response to political crises or handling complex issues of policy. Currently, the Council consists of 12 permanent members and 2 adjutant members.

Formally, the council is headed by the Vice President of Meridon, however in practice the President regularly heads all functions and meetings of the Council.

Structure
The Federal Executive Departments operate primarily as envelope organizations, and oversee and contain multiple subordinate organizations that more directly control and administrate specific functions of day to day life. Officers of the Executive Council primarily exist to receive, develop, and interpret policy instructions per the legislature and the executive, and translate these goals to said organizations. All Federal officers serve exclusive at the president's pleasure. While appointments to these offices require the approval of the Senate, these officers may be dismissed at will.

The structure of members on the Cabinet, however, is set by law, and the only permanent voting members of the Council are those who occupy offices enumerated to them. Adjutant members are generally appointed to each individual president's cabinet, and a variety have been appointed in times where additional and more specific advice is required. The President is entitled to appoint five such members. Of these, the Undersecretary of Intelligence is generally re-appointed by each following commission, and the Undersecretary for Welfare, Immigration and Refugee Affairs has been reappointed twice so far, first being appointed in 2012.

The cabinet's structure has undergone a number of changes since its first inception in the First Union of Meridon, including the addition, reduction, splitting, and renaming of parties. The current-day departments of State, Defense, Treasury, and Justice have existed consistently in some form since its first inception. The newest addition to the permanent membership of the Council is the Homeland Department, which was created as a department and added in 1989.

Executive Council Officers

 * This list is as provided by the Executive Office of the President, 2 May 2021.

Membership
The membership of the Executive Council consists of the Vice President as chairperson, and with the 12 heads of the Federal Executive Departments as permanent members. There is no prerequisite for membership on the council, however while sitting on the council, members may not serve as active members of the Meridonian Defense Forces, be employed in any paid capacity or receiving funds from any corporation, and may not be sitting members of the Senate of Meridon.

Composition
As of the current Acton Council, the Council consists of 12 executive officers and 2 adjutant officers. The most recent addition was TBD, appointed as Health Service Secretary on 03 January 2022. The longest-tenured member currently on the council is TBD, who has been Energy Secretary since 06 March 2015.

Adjutant Officers
Adjutant officers are appointed to the Cabinet directly by the President, and do not require approval from the Senate. Like permanent members, they serve at the President's pleaure but do not contribute to votes. A variety of adjutant officers have to meet the same requirements for membership as permanent members, with the exception being that active duty commissioned officers of the Meridonian Defense Forces may serve on the council given that they meet all other requirements and receive Senatorial approval.

Undersecretary for Intelligence
The Undersecretary for Intelligence is the appointed head of the Meridonian Intelligence Agency, responsible for both domestic and international intelligence work. Although subordinated to the Homeland Secretary, due to the increasing need for more direct access to intelligence information the Undersecretary for Intelligence has been included as a non-voting cabinet member since 1975.

Undersecretary for Welfare, Immigration and Refugee Affairs
The Undersecretary for Welfare, Immigration and Refugee Affairs conducts and coordinates administrative support for refugees, immigrants, and underprivileged peoples within Meridon as well as advising the Council on actions to support these. The Department of Welfare, Immigration and Refugee Affairs was formed from a merger of multiple departments from the Health and National Development Directorate in 2012.