After the Central Intelligence Agency refused to release records requested under the Freedom of Information Act in softcopy format, requester Jeffrey Scudder filed a lawsuit against the Agency demanding that it comply, and he received a rather sympathetic hearing from the judge. (CIA’s Refusal to Release Softcopy Records Challenged in Court, Secrecy News, March 17, […]
Physicist and problem solver extraordinaire Richard L. Garwin is the subject of a new documentary film, Garwin. A screening of the film, sponsored by FAS and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, will be held on April 22 in Washington, DC.
Secrets and Leaks: The Dilemma of State Secrecy is the title of a new (2013) book by Princeton political scientist Rahul Sagar. The book has many interesting features and develops some novel arguments on leaks. I reviewed it for the Lawfare blog.
U.S. nuclear weapons strategy evolved during the Nixon administration from a reflexive policy of massive retaliation against a Soviet attack to a diverse range of options for more limited nuclear strikes. The transition was not without some bumps. A declassified 1974 memo recorded that National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger at first needed some persuading about […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has withheld from online public distribution include the following. Overview of Constitutional Challenges to NSA Collection Activities and Recent Developments, April 1, 2014 Reform of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Courts: A Brief Overview, March 31, 2014 The Debate Over Selected Presidential Assistants and Advisors: […]
Classified design drawings used in the manufacture of nuclear weapons have not been properly and reliably maintained by nuclear weapons labs managed by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the Department of Energy Inspector General said in a report last week. “NNSA sites could not always locate as-built product definitions or associated drawings for nuclear […]
By Hans M. Kristensen The latest aggregate data released by the US State Department for the New START treaty show that Russia has increased its counted deployed strategic nuclear forces over the past six months. The data show that Russia increased its deployed launchers by 25 from 473 to 498, and the warheads attributed to […]
The decision by the Central Intelligence Agency to terminate public access to its translations of foreign news reports at the end of 2013 continues to reverberate among frustrated former consumers. The translations had been performed by the Open Source Center (OSC) at CIA, and marketed to subscribers through the NTIS World News Connection (WNC). Their […]
Noteworthy new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has withheld from online public distribution include the following. U.S.-Vietnam Nuclear Cooperation Agreement: Issues for Congress, March 24, 2014 Ukraine: Current Issues and U.S. Policy, March 24, 2014 Central Asia: Regional Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests, March 21, 2014 Major U.S. Arms […]
The Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act (ICWPA) has rarely been relied upon by intelligence agency whistleblowers, according to a newly released 2009 report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Inspector General. During the ten year period after the Act came into effect in January 1999, intelligence agency Offices of Inspector General (OIGs) […]
The declassification of historical intelligence satellite imagery has been a boon to scientists, environmentalists and other researchers since it began with President Clinton’s executive order 12951. So, for example, “The declassification of imagery from CORONA and subsequent intelligence satellite programs has inspired a revolution in landscape archaeology in the Near East,” wrote archaeologist Jason Ur. […]
The number of Americans who have been investigated and deemed eligible for access to classified information rose last year to a total of 5,150,379 as of October 2013. It was the fourth consecutive year of growth in the security-cleared population. The new total includes civilian and military government employees (3.7 million) and contractor personnel (1 […]