Van Hipp has served as chairman of American Defense International, Inc. since the mid-1990s, advising corporate and government clients on business development, public relations, and technology marketing across sectors such as defense, security, energy, and health care. With a background that includes service as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army and Principal Deputy General Counsel of the U.S. Navy, he has worked closely with national security structures that intersect with intelligence policy. Van Hipp’s experience in government, law, and defense provides context for understanding advisory bodies such as the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, which supports presidential decision-making by evaluating the effectiveness of the intelligence community. His career reflects sustained engagement with the systems and institutions that shape national security oversight.
Understanding the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board
When a President needs national security information, one source of advice comes from the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, or PIAB. PIAB is an independent body inside the Executive Office of the President that advises the President on how effectively the intelligence community is meeting the nation’s intelligence needs. Here, the intelligence community means the federal agencies that collect, evaluate, produce, and carry out intelligence work.
PIAB does more than review one briefing or respond to one headline. The board helps the President judge whether the intelligence system is performing well and meeting current needs. That makes PIAB a system-level advisory body, not a unit that manages daily intelligence work. It also helps the President assess whether intelligence support is strong enough across the system, not only in one isolated area.
Independence is a central part of PIAB’s design. The President appoints the board’s members from people who do not work for the federal government. Because the board sits outside the intelligence agencies it reviews and stays out of daily management, it gives the President outside judgment.
PIAB’s work can cover the quality, quantity, and adequacy of intelligence activities. It can also assess management, personnel, organizational structure, and the performance of agencies involved in intelligence or intelligence policy. In plain terms, the board looks at how the intelligence system functions as a whole.
The board also has access and reporting authority that make that review meaningful. It has access to the information it needs to perform its functions, and it reports findings and recommendations to the President. The board may also report to the Director of National Intelligence and relevant department heads when appropriate. It must report to the President as necessary, but not less than twice each year.
PIAB’s role, however, remains limited. PIAB does not run intelligence agencies, direct operations, or handle day-to-day management. Its job is to assess, review, and recommend. That distinction matters because the board’s value comes from judgment and appraisal, not from issuing orders.
Membership also shapes how the board functions. The President chooses the members and names the chair, who sets the agenda and directs the board’s work. Its members are drawn from national security, political, academic, and private-sector backgrounds. The board may include no more than 16 members, which helps keep it focused and limited in size.
The board’s history shows that Presidents have preserved some version of this outside advisory role over time. President Eisenhower created the original body in 1956. President Kennedy renamed it in 1961, President Carter abolished it in 1977, President Reagan restored it in 1981, and President Bush gave it its current name in 2008. That record shows that Presidents have continued to see value in outside intelligence advice across changing administrations.
PIAB still matters because intelligence work must remain effective as national security demands change. The intelligence community must provide accurate, objective, and timely information as national security needs evolve. An outside board that reviews performance against those needs gives the President another way to test whether the system is keeping pace. That outside review also supports the goal of making sure intelligence reaches senior decision-makers in a form that is dependable and useful.
At the highest level, PIAB’s role is to help the President judge how well the intelligence system is performing through an independent review process. It does that by assessing performance across the intelligence community and offering recommendations for improvement. That outside assessment helps the President evaluate the broader system with more than internal reporting alone.
About Van Hipp
Van Hipp is chairman of American Defense International, Inc., where he has advised clients on government relations and strategic development since the mid-1990s. A former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army and Principal Deputy General Counsel of the U.S. Navy, he has experience in defense and national security policy. Hipp has also chaired the South Carolina Republican Party, served in the Presidential Electoral College, and contributed to academic and charitable boards.