Dept of Defense Role in Foreign Assistance, and More from CRS
The structure, development and ramifications of growing U.S. Department of Defense foreign assistance activities are described in a major new report from the Congressional Research Service. See “The Department of Defense Role in Foreign Assistance: Background, Major Issues, and Options for Congress” (pdf), August 25, 2008.
Other noteworthy new reports from CRS that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf).
“Pay-for-Performance: The National Security Personnel System,” September 17, 2008.
“The Defense Base Act (DBA): The Federally Mandated Workers’ Compensation System for Overseas Government Contractors,” September 15, 2008.
“The North Korean Economy: Leverage and Policy Analysis,” updated August 26, 2008.
“Presidential Claims of Executive Privilege: History, Law, Practice and Recent Developments,” updated August 21, 2008.
“Periods of War,” updated August 19, 2008.
“The Manhattan Project, the Apollo Program, and Federal Energy Technology R&D Programs: A Comparative Analysis,” September 3, 2008.
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.
tudents in the 21st century need strong critical thinking skills like reasoning, questioning, and problem-solving, before they can meaningfully engage with more advanced domains like digital, data, or AI literacy.