Some new or updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf).
Security Assistance Reform: “Section 1206” Background and Issues for Congress, January 13, 2012
The Berry Amendment: Requiring Defense Procurement To Come From Domestic Sources, January 13, 2012
In Brief: Assessing DOD’s New Strategic Guidance, January 12, 2012
Circular A-76 and the Moratorium on DOD Competitions: Background and Issues for Congress, January 17, 2012
The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program: Background, Funding and Activities, January 13, 2012
Nuclear Power Plant Design and Seismic Safety Considerations, January 12, 2012
Chemical Facility Security: Issues and Options for the 112th Congress, January 13, 2012
Satellite imagery of RAF Lakenheath reveals new construction of a security perimeter around ten protective aircraft shelters in the designated nuclear area, the latest measure in a series of upgrades as the base prepares for the ability to store U.S. nuclear weapons.
It will take consistent leadership and action to navigate the complex dangers in the region and to avoid what many analysts considered to be an increasingly possible outcome, a nuclear conflict in East Asia.
Getting into a shutdown is the easy part, getting out is much harder. Both sides will be looking to pin responsibility on each other, and the court of public opinion will have a major role to play as to who has the most leverage for getting us out.
How the United States responds to China’s nuclear buildup will shape the global nuclear balance for the rest of the century.