SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2002, Issue No. 57
June 26, 2002

MISSILE DEFENSE SECRECY DISPUTED

The news that previously unclassified information about tests of emerging missile defense technologies will be classified in the future was met with skepticism yesterday during the Senate debate over the Defense Authorization Act for 2003.

"If the tests are rigorous and our anti-missile system is meeting our expectations, would it not be to our advantage to let our adversaries know how effective this system will be?" asked Sen. Robert Byrd.

"But perhaps this national missile defense system is not progressing as rapidly as hoped. Then would it not be to our advantage to encourage constructive criticism in order to improve the system?" Sen. Byrd continued.

"In either case, I cannot see how these secrecy edicts will promote the development of a missile defense system that actually works," he said. See:

The new secrecy policy was defended yesterday by Gen. Ronald Kadish, Director of the Missile Defense Agency, who declared that "we will not give our adversaries a free ride as we develop the system." See:

US-AUSTRALIA AGREE ON CLASSIFIED INFO

The US and Australia on June 25 signed a new agreement governing the handling and exchange of classified information.

"As the closest of allies, it is appropriate that Australia and the United States continue to maintain arrangements that allow the unhindered exchange of classified information," according to a statement from the Australian foreign minister. See:

FBI LEAK PROBE STIRS DEBATE

"The decision by the leaders of the House and Senate intelligence panels to ask the Justice Department to investigate whether someone on Capitol Hill leaked classified material bypassed the rules of both chambers and raises thorny constitutional questions about the oversight checks between the two branches of government, experts said last week."

See "Justice Leak Probe Gets Under Way," by Damon Chappie in the June 24 issue of Roll Call:

******************************

Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.

To SUBSCRIBE to Secrecy News, send email to majordomo@lists.fas.org with this command in the body of the message:
      subscribe secrecy_news [your email address]
To UNSUBSCRIBE, send email to majordomo@lists.fas.org with this command in the body of the message:
      unsubscribe secrecy_news [your email address]
OR email your request to saftergood@fas.org

Secrecy News is archived at:
      http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/index.html