WH Situation Room Marks 50th Anniversary

The White House Situation Room, fresh off its star turn as command central in the Osama bin Laden operation, hosted a ceremony Friday marking its 50th anniversary. A plaque honoring its founder, President John F. Kennedy, was unveiled in a ceremony attended by Caroline Kennedy, President Barack Obama, and nine former national security advisers, The Washington Post reported.

JFK set up the series of windowless rooms in the basement of the White House after the failed Bay of Pigs Cuban invasion.

National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said, “President Kennedy’s foresight put in place the infrastructure that allowed the president and his team to monitor the bin Laden mission in the Situation Room,” the Post reported.

The Sit Room, which has three meeting rooms, is staffed 24/7. Its clocks are set to wherever the president is and it has barriers against surveillance and is equipped with secure phone and video lines. The goal is to give presidents up-to-the-minute information on everything from revolutions and tornadoes to world events. In addition to regular briefings, Obama has used the room extensively for briefings on Afghanistan and the BP oil spill, the Post reported.