Noteworthy new congressional reports and hearing volumes include the following:
“Report on Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009,” Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Report No. 111-101, December 3, 2009.
“Report on the USA PATRIOT Act Sunset Extension Act of 2009,” Senate Judiciary Committee report 111-92, October 28, 2009.
“National Industrial Security Program: Addressing the Implications of Globalization and Foreign Ownership for the Defense Industrial Base” (pdf), House Armed Services Committee, April 16, 2008 (published November 2009).
“Upholding the Principle of Habeas Corpus for Detainees” (large pdf), House Armed Services Committee, July 26, 2007 (published November 2009).
While it seems that the current political climate may not incentivize the use of evidence-based data sources for decision making, those of us who are passionate about ensuring results for the American people will continue to firmly stand on the belief that learning agendas are a crucial component to successfully navigate a changing future.
In recent months, we’ve seen much of these decades’ worth of progress erased. Contracts for evaluations of government programs were canceled, FFRDCs have been forced to lay off staff, and federal advisory committees have been disbanded.
This report outlines a framework relying on “Cooperative Technical Means” for effective arms control verification based on remote sensing, avoiding on-site inspections but maintaining a level of transparency that allows for immediate detection of changes in nuclear posture or a significant build-up above agreed limits.
At a recent workshop, we explored the nature of trust in specific government functions, the risk and implications of breaking trust in those systems, and how we’d known we were getting close to specific trust breaking points.