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Newer News: May 2015

April 2015 Intelligence News

• FAS Comments on CIA Decennial Review of Operational Files Exemption, submitted to CIA on April 27. "The operational files exemption allows the CIA to exclude exempted files not only from release, but even from search and review under the Freedom of Information Act."
• The method to Obama's silence on spying reforms by Brian Hughes, Washington Examiner, April 27. "President Obama has been taking a hands-off approach to overhauling government surveillance methods, a tactic designed to avoid a repeat of the political beating the White House took when the spying practices were exposed nearly two years ago."
• Killing of Hostages Calls US Drone Policy Into Question by Mike Eckel, Jeff Seldin, Voice of America, April 23. "The news Thursday that an American aid worker, along with an Italian, was inadvertently killed in a U.S. drone strike will deepen criticism about a pillar of U.S. counterterrorism efforts, experts and advocates said."
• Petraeus gets probation for leaking secrets to mistress by Rad Berky, USA Today, April 23. "David Petraeus, the retired four-star general leader who once commanded military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to leaking classified information to his mistress and biographer, Paula Broadwell, and was sentenced to two years probation and fined $100,000."
• David Petraeus pleads guilty, says he's ready to 'move on' by Michael Gordon, Miami Herald, April 23. "In a humbling chapter of an exemplary career, David Petraeus -- a dynamic West Point grad who led U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan before becoming the nation's top spy -- pleaded guilty Thursday to sharing classified information with his biographer."
• Text of a Proposed Agreement for US-China Cooperation on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (123 Agreement), transmitted to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, April 22. "The proposed Agreement provides a comprehensive framework for peaceful nuclear cooperation with China based on a mutual commitment to nuclear nonproliferation."
• Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 1731 - National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act of 2015, White House, April 21. "While the Administration supports House passage of H.R. 1731, improvements to the bill are needed to ensure that its liability protections are appropriately targeted to encourage responsible cybersecurity practices."
• Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 1560 - Protecting Cyber Networks Act, White House, April 21. "Several improvements to the bill are needed to ensure that it appropriately encourages and facilitates information sharing while safeguarding individuals' privacy interests and civil liberties."
• Space Forum Bans Press from Cybersecurity Panels by Brendan McGarry, DoD Buzz, April 7. "Organizers of the nation's biggest space conference have banned reporters and other members of the press from attending any of the event’s panels on cybersecurity."
• Two new judges added to spy court by Julian Hattem, The Hill, April 6. "In recent years, the Court has also secretly interpreted intelligence surveillance law in ways that were unexpected and counterintuitive, authorizing the collection of all domestic telephone metadata records," Steven Aftergood, the head of the Federation of American Scientists' project on government secrecy, wrote in a blog post on Monday.
• Fact Sheet: Parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran's Nuclear Program, the White House, April 2. "Below are the key parameters of a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear program that were decided in Lausanne, Switzerland. These elements form the foundation upon which the final text of the JCPOA will be written between now and June 30."