Katie Colten

FAS Roundup: August 25, 2014 August 25, 2014

From the Blogs WWII Atomic Bomb Project Had More Than 1500 “Leaks”: The Manhattan Project was among the most highly classified and tightly secured programs ever undertaken by the U.S.

FAS Roundup: August 11, 2014 August 11, 2014

From the Blogs Congress Grapples with Classification Issues: A bill introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) would direct the President to reduce the amount of classified information by 10%. It is one of several new congressional initiatives seeking to rectify perceived defects in the national security classification system. Most prominently, the Senate Intelligence Committee is engaged in an ongoing dispute with the Administration over declassification of the Committee’s report on the CIA’s post-9/11 detention and interrogation program.Asylum for Unaccompanied Children and More from CRS: Secrecy News has obtained recently released CRS reports on topics such as U.S.-Russia economic relations, asylum for unaccompanied children and the EPA's proposed CO2 rule for power plants.

FAS Roundup: August 4, 2014 August 4, 2014

Advancing U.S. Leadership in Nonproliferation and Nuclear Energy through Effective Partnerships Although the United States still has the largest number of nuclear power plants in the world, it does not dominate global nuclear power. While the United States was the leading nuclear power supplying nation more than thirty years ago, the reality today is clearly that the U.S. nuclear industry is only one of several major suppliers. In a new FAS issue brief, Dr. Charles Ferguson takes a look at options for the United States to gain back leadership via a cooperative approach. The brief analyzes what nations could be effective partners for the United States in furthering nonproliferation while providing for the continued use of peaceful nuclear energy. Read the issue brief Advancing U.S. Leadership in Nonproliferation and Nuclear Energy through Effective Partnerships.

FAS Roundup: July 28, 2014 July 29, 2014

Advanced nuclear reactors, U.S. sanctions on Russia and more. From the Blogs A Look Behind President Clinton's Veto of an Anti-Leak Bill: In 2000, both houses of Congress passed legislation that would have made any leak of classified information a felony. The provision, contained in the FY2001 intelligence authorization act, was designed “to ensure the prosecution of all unauthorized disclosures of classified information” said Sen. Richard Shelby, the primary sponsor of the provision, at the time. While some unauthorized disclosures of classified information were already prohibited by statute (including the Espionage Act), others have not been specifically outlawed, or else their legal status is uncertain, requiring strenuous efforts by prosecutors to fit a prohibition to the presumed offense. The Shelby provision would have removed all ambiguities and would have simply criminalized all leaks of classified information. But to the astonishment of nearly everyone, and to the relief of many, President Clinton vetoed the 2001 intelligence authorization bill because of the anti-leak measure. U.S. Sanctions on Russia and More from CRS: Secrecy News has obtained recently released CRS reports on topics such as U.S. sanctions on Russia in response to events in Ukraine, use of force in Iraq and the FY15 National Defense Authorization Act.

FAS Roundup: July 21, 2014 July 21, 2014

House amendment to cut NSC budget, nuclear risks and more. From the Blogs DNI Issues New Policy on Leak Damage Assessments: The Director of National Intelligence has issued new guidance on assessing damage resulting from the unauthorized disclosure of classified intelligence information to ensure that the damage assessments “are produced in an efficient, timely, consistent and collaborative manner.” Leak damage assessments should be used iteratively and the lessons learned from them should be applied “to strengthen the protection of classified national intelligence and prevent future unauthorized disclosures or compromises.” Virtual Biosecurity Center Update: The VBC is up and running again, featuring news articles and op-eds related to biotechnology, biological threats and science policy. The VBC is located at www.virtualbiosecuritycenter.org. Wanted: A Chef with a Top Secret Clearance: A secure U.S. government facility in Herndon, Virginia needs a master chef who holds or who can obtain a Top Secret security clearance. The job opening was announced by Sodexo, the international food service company. Steven Aftergood writes that the requirement for a chef with a Top Secret clearance exemplifies a significant policy problem, namely the use of the security clearance process as an employee screening tool.

FAS Roundup: July 7, 2014 July 7, 2014

New Nuclear Notebook, ODNI declassifies data on surveillance and more. Slowing Nuclear Weapon Reductions and Endless Nuclear Weapon Modernizations: A Challenge to the NPT The nine nuclear-armed states have large residual nuclear arsenals, and post-Cold War reductions of nuclear weapons have slowed. Nuclear nations have undertaken ambitious nuclear weapon modernization programs that threaten to prolong the nuclear era indefinitely. These trends present a challenge to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty community, appearing to contradict the promises by the five NPT nuclear-weapon states to pursue a halt to the nuclear arms race and to seek nuclear disarmament. In a new Nuclear Notebook published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists,Hans Kristensen, Director of the Nuclear Information Project and Robert S. Norris, Senior Fellow for Nuclear Policy, analyze the size and scope of nuclear modernizations of the nine nuclear states. Read the article here.

FAS Roundup: June 30, 2014 June 30, 2014

Crisis in Iraq and U.S. policy, Army directive on retaliation for reporting crime and more. From the Blogs "For Official Use Only" is Used Too Much at DHS, House Says: In a new report on Department of Homeland Appropriations for 2015, the House Appropriations Committee found that there is too much information that is marked "For Official Use Only" at DHS. Efforts to sort out what is really sensitive have “wasted substantial staff resources,” the report said. Therefore, the Committee would require any official who marked a document FOUO to identify himself or herself on the document, along with a justification for doing so. Army Directive Prohibits Retaliation for Reporting a Crime: The Secretary of the Army last week issued a directive specifying that retaliating against someone for reporting a crime is itself a crime.Prohibited forms of retaliation include adverse personnel actions and ostracism, as well as “acts of cruelty, oppression or maltreatment.” The directive implements a requirement that was enacted by Congress in the 2014 defense authorization act (section 1709) as part of a legislative response to instances of sexual assault in the military. Iraq Crisis and U.S. Policy and More from CRS: Secrecy News has obtained recently released CRS reports on topics such as the crisis in Iraq and U.S. policy, armed conflict in Syria, the C-130 Hercules Aircraft and Navy force structure and shipbuilding plans.

FAS Roundup: June 23, 2014 June 23, 2014

Funds for IC whistleblower support, new CRS reports and more From the Blogs Rep. Holt Adds Funds for IC Whistleblower Support: Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) devised an amendment to the 2015 Defense Appropriations bill that would earmark $2 million for investigation of intelligence community whistleblower complaints. The amendment was approved by the House of Representatives on June 18. The money was taken from the intelligence community management account and allocated to the IC whistleblowing and source protection directorate within the IC Office of the Inspector General. Unaccompanied Alien Children and More from CRS: Secrecy News has obtained recently released CRS reports on topics such as Iraq, the evolution of the Cooperative Threat Reduction and access to broadband networks. IC Media Policy Should Be Revised, Sen. Wyden Says: An Intelligence Community Directive that prohibited unauthorized contacts with the news media is overbroad and needs to be corrected, said Sen. Ron Wyden last week on the Senate floor.“I will tell you, I am troubled by how sweeping in nature this is,” Senator Wyden said about the Directive, ICD 119, issued last March. FAS's Steven Aftergood discussed the new IC media policy on NPR's On the Media on June 13.

FAS Roundup: June 16, 2014 June 16, 2014

New issue of the PIR, DoD report on Chinese military forces and more. Spring Issue of the Public Interest Report The Spring issue of the PIR is now available online; it includes articles on Hezbollah's use of drones, nuclear terrorism and Pakistan's energy crisis. Spring 2014 Public Interest Report Volume 67, No 2 CONTENTS: The Evolution of the Senate Arms Control Observer Group PDF Version The National Security Working Group (NSWG) began as the Arms Control Observer Group (ACOG) in 1985 and helped to build support for arms control in the Senate. This group created an official role for senators to join U.S. delegations as they negotiated arms control treaties. In recent years, there have been calls from both parties to revive the Observer Group, as there is diminishing nuclear policy expertise in a divided Senate. Additionally, there is a large need for a group of engaged and knowledgeable senators invested in arms control issues. By Nickolas Roth. President's Message: American Scientists and Nuclear Weapons Policy PDF Version The first group of American atomic scientists who worked on nuclear arms control issues identified with three schools of thought: control, finite containment and infinite containment. The control group favored the international control of atomic energy and concepts which created multilateral means to control and safeguard fissile materials. Scientists who believed in finite containment were generally reluctant (and some opposed) to advocating for more powerful weapons. Those scientists who belonged to the infinite containment school argued for a world government or coalition of allied nations to enforce world peace. President Charles D. Ferguson applies these three schools of thought to the dilemma the United States is facing with Iran over efforts to control the Iranian nuclear program and confronting decades of mistrust. Misconceptions and the Spread of Infectious Disease PDF Version New and improved medical treatments for infectious diseases are vital to improving global health security; however, public education is equally important. Myths and misperceptions regarding infectious diseases have detrimental effects on global health when a disease outbreak occurs. While it may seem that this problem is isolated to remote regions of the developing world, neither infectious diseases nor misconceptions regarding them are explicitly confined to certain areas. By Brittany Linkous. Hezbollah and the Use of Drones as a Weapon of Terrorism PDF Version The international terrorist group Hezbollah, driven by resistance to Israel, now regularly sends low flying drones into Israeli airspace. These drones are launched and remotely manned from the Hezbollah stronghold in Lebanon and presumably supplied by its patron and strategic partner, Iran. As their sophistication grows, Hezbollah’s drones will be increasingly valuable for reconnaissance missions and could potentially carry and launch some weapons of mass destruction -- biological and chemical weapons and even radioactive “dirty” bombs. In the hands of a jihadist group such as Al Qaeda, they could be used to kill civilians as a substitute for on-ground suicide attacks. By Milton Hoenig. Keeping the Lights on: Fixing Pakistan's Energy Crisis PDF Version From frequent attacks by Islamic militants across the country to a slowing economy, it is clear that there are many issues that threaten Pakistan’s stability. However, the most pressing issue that Pakistan faces today is its deteriorating economy. In particular, a crushing energy shortage across the country significantly constrains economic growth. By Ravi Patel and Nelson Zhao. A Scenario for Jihadist Nuclear Revenge PDF Version When President Obama declared in 2009 that “nuclear terrorism is the most immediate and extreme threat to global security,” it was scarcely noticed. Passage of time and reluctance to think the unthinkable have generated complacency; no nuclear weapon has been used aggressively since the August 9, 1945, attack on Nagasaki. Terrorists now have new opportunities to covertly fabricate nuclear weapons on their own, and the threat is compounded by the potential anonymity of the attackers. By Edward A. Friedman and Roger K. Lewis. More from FAS PDF Version News and Notes from FAS Headquarters.

FAS Roundup: June 2, 2014 June 2, 2014

Global biosecurity engagement, House intel report on surveillance and more. Examining Global Biosecurity Engagement Programs Global biosecurity engagement programs are designed to prevent the harmful use of biological agents and pathogens. It is difficult to measure the effectiveness of these programs in improving biosecurity given that there have been relatively few attempts to misuse the life sciences. Metrics that focus on outputs (what was done) as opposed to outcomes (the impact of what was done) have not been helpful in determining how these efforts might be improved in the future. Broadening the scope of biosecurity engagement metrics can help align program goals with a more qualitative approach that prioritizes the international partners’ global health security. To understand how biosecurity engagement is conducted and evaluated, Michelle Rozo, Ph.D. candidate at Johns Hopkins University, interviewed more than 35 individuals in the United States and abroad (including government officials and their non-governmental partners) regarding current and future programs that can be used to create a cohesive, global health system approach to biosecurity. The results from the interviews are compiled in an issue brief which also provides a strategy for policymakers to focus more on qualitative public health outcomes instead of quantitative security outputs. With this strategy, programs will cost less and be more effective in reducing global threats. Read the issue brief, Placing Global Biosecurity Engagement Programs Under the Umbrella of Global Health Security here (PDF).

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Author: Katie Colten