National Special Security Events (NSSEs) are public events that are deemed to require national-level security planning. They include Presidential inaugurations and nominating conventions, major sporting events like the Super Bowl, and international summits.
Between September 1998 and February 2007, there have been 27 designated NSSEs, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service, which helpfully tabulated them and provided as much related background as anyone might want. See “National Special Security Events” (pdf), November 6, 2007.
The human cost is measured in deaths. The financial cost is measured in the $52 billion taxpayers pay annually end stage renal disease – double NASA’s budget.
Gilman Louie, Longest Serving Board Chair of the Federation of American Scientists, Named Chair Emeritus
The proposed Office will resurrect the long-closed Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), the archive of which has been maintained by FAS for decades at https://ota.fas.org/.
If Congress needs help understanding the risks and rewards of a piece of technology, they shouldn’t have to rely solely on the sparknotes from a salesman. The rub is much simpler: Congress needs nerds.