The elite JASON defense science advisory panel, most of whose deliberations and conclusions are classified, surfaced publicly for a moment with two new releases.
One new JASON report addresses the feasibility of reducing Defense Department dependence on fossil fuels.
“In light of an increasing U.S. dependence on foreign oil, as well as rising fuel costs for the U.S. and the DoD, and implications with regard to national security and national defense, JASON was charged in 2006 by the DDR&E [Director, Defense Research and Engineering] with assessing pathways to reduce DoD’s dependence on fossil fuels.”
A copy of the report was obtained by Secrecy News.
See “Reducing DoD Fossil-Fuel Dependence,” JASON report JSR-06-135, September 2006 (105 pages, 4.5 MB PDF).
The second release is an unclassified summary of a JASON review of plutonium aging in nuclear weapons, which found that most plutonium weapon “pits” have “credible lifetimes of at least 100 years.” This important conclusion diminishes the case for any new nuclear weapon development.
See the unclassified executive summary (pdf) of the JASON report on “Pit Lifetime” (flagged by ArmsControlWonk.com).
America’s affordability problem is bigger than home prices and rents. The best housing policies make it easier to build homes, and recognize how housing connects to other domains.
America’s affordability problem, for instance, is bigger than home prices and rents. How we build affects household costs like insurance and utilities.
As humans expand our geographic reach, encroach on untouched natural territories, and interact more with animal populations, we will encounter novel zoonotic diseases that threaten the human body. The sooner we act to address these risks, the better.
This report serves as a landscape assessment and toolbox from which local governments can negotiate an informed position when it comes to the levers available to them and includes a first-of-its kind analysis of eight executed community benefits agreements.