The U.S. Army has published its 2011 Weapon Systems handbook, a catalog of current weapon programs that are in various phases of the acquisition process. A copy was obtained by Secrecy News. Many of the programs are mature and familiar; others are less so. In each case, the program’s purpose and status are described, contractors involved in production are identified, and countries that have acquired the weapon system through foreign military sales programs are listed.
January saw us watching whether the government would fund science. February has been about how that funding will be distributed, regulated, and contested.
This rule gives agencies significantly more authority over certain career policy roles. Whether that authority improves accountability or creates new risks depends almost entirely on how agencies interrupt and apply it.
Our environmental system was built for 1970s-era pollution control, but today it needs stable, integrated, multi-level governance that can make tradeoffs, share and use evidence, and deliver infrastructure while demonstrating that improved trust and participation are essential to future progress.
Durable and legitimate climate action requires a government capable of clearly weighting, explaining, and managing cost tradeoffs to the widest away of audiences, which in turn requires strong technocratic competency.