Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf).
“National Security Strategy: Legislative Mandates, Execution to Date, and Considerations for Congress,” May 28, 2008.
“Science, Technology, and American Diplomacy: Background and Issues for Congress,” May 22, 2008.
“Mexico-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress,” updated May 23, 2008.
“German Foreign and Security Policy: Trends and Transatlantic Implications,” updated April 29, 2008.
“The Army’s Future Combat System (FCS): Background and Issues for Congress,” updated May 12, 2008.
“American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics,” updated May 14, 2008.
A prior version of the CRS report on military casualties has been the subject of a widely reprinted spam email message that misrepresented casualties during the Clinton and Bush Administrations. A footnote in the latest CRS update states: “Distorted versions of Tables 4 and 5 have been circulating through the Internet. As the tables here and on the Department of Defense website show, total military deaths and hostile deaths increased from 2001 to 2005, and then decreased in 2006.” See also “E-mail on military deaths is shaky on facts” by Chuck Vinch, Army Times, March 27, 2008.
The research community lacks strategies to incentivize collaboration on high-quality data acquisition and sharing. The government should fund collaborative roadmapping, certification, collection, and sharing of large, high-quality datasets in life science.
The potential of new nuclear power plants to meet energy demand, increase energy security, and revitalize local economies depends on new regulatory and operational approaches at the NRC.
In anticipation of future known and unknown health security threats, including new pandemics, biothreats, and climate-related health emergencies, our answers need to be much faster, cheaper, and less disruptive to other operations.
To unlock the full potential of artificial intelligence within the Department of Health and Human Services, an AI Corps should be established, embedding specialized AI experts within each of the department’s 10 agencies.