The release of President Obama’s first Presidential Policy Directive on “Organization of the National Security System” was reported by Karen DeYoung in the Washington Post and by Josh Gerstein in Politico.
“Secretary of Defense Robert Gates lifted a blanket ban on news media coverage of the honor guard ceremonies that mark the return of military casualties from abroad,” the National Security Archive noted.
The unreleased Bush Administration documents that are most coveted by reporters, civil libertarians, and others are discussed in “Opening the Files on Bush’s Secrets” by Jon Wiener in The Nation, March 16, 2009.
A new Army Field Manual on “Electronic Warfare in Operations” (pdf) has been issued as part of “an overall effort by the Army to rebuild its internal Electronic Warfare capability.” It also serves as a useful primer on the subject. The new Field Manual, FM 3-36, has been approved for unrestricted release.
A new trial date has been set in the “AIPAC Case,” in which two former employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee are charged with improperly receiving and transmitting classified national defense information. The new date is May 27, 2009.
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.
When a hurricane hits, it’s all hands on deck – that goes for federal data, too. Pulling back from our investments in timely, accurate, and accessible public data will only make us less prepared and put us all at greater risk.
This is bigger than a singular elimination of race and ethnicity questions. It could accelerate the second wave of widespread reductions to demographic data, leaving public health officials with even less information to deliver better health outcomes for all Americans.