New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that have been withheld by Congress from online public distribution include the following. Defense: FY2014 Authorization and Appropriations, December 16, 2013 Rare Earth Elements: The Global Supply Chain, December 16, 2013 China-U.S. Trade Issues, December 16, 2013 Samantar v. Yousef: The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and […]
In order to restore public trust, the U.S. intelligence community ought to be “aggressive” about reducing classification, former intelligence officials said last week. Secrecy “is an enormous problem,” said Michael Leiter, who directed the National Counterterrorism Center from 2007 to 2011. “I hope the DNI is very aggressive about moving towards less classification and more […]
In a slight but welcome incremental reform, reports to Congress from the Department of Defense are to be posted online, according to a provision in the pending FY 2014 defense authorization act. Up to now, such reports were to be made available to the public “upon request” (10 USC 122a). But under section 181 of […]
The latest edition of U.S. joint military doctrine on counterinsurgency states that while working to defeat and contain insurgency, efforts should also be made to “address its root causes.” Newly added doctrinal language “articulates that US counterinsurgency efforts should provide incentives to the host-nation government to undertake reforms that address the root causes of the […]
Foreign investment in the United States “dropped sharply in 2012,” according to a newly updated report from the Congressional Research Service, and in 2013 it could fall by another 10%. See Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: An Economic Analysis, December 11, 2013. Other new and updated CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News include […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has withheld from online public distribution include the following. Child Labor in America: History, Policy, and Legislative Issues, November 18, 2013 Internet Domain Names: Background and Policy Issues, December 5, 2013 Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2013, December 5, 2013 The Corporation for Public […]
The National Reconnaissance Office, which builds and operates U.S. intelligence satellites, has just released the unclassified portions of its FY 2014 Congressional Budget Justification, a detailed account of its budget request for the current year. Although more than 90% of the 534-page document (dated April 2013) was withheld from public release under the Freedom of […]
U.S. military doctrine extends to religious aspects of combat operations and the role of chaplains as spiritual advisers. A new update to that doctrine “clarifies the chaplain’s advisement role in the targeting process to ensure the focus is on the ethical, moral, and religious dimensions.” As noncombatants and “ministers of religion,” chaplains have protected status […]
In a new Open Government National Action Plan that was released today, the White House affirmed its support for open government values, and set an agenda for the remainder of the current Administration. “The new plan includes a wide range of actions the Administration will take over the next two years, including commitments that build […]
In a new report to Congress, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence identified the seven external advisory committees that currently support and advise the DNI. Ordinarily, government advisory committees that include non-governmental members are subject to open meeting requirements under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. It mandates that “the Congress and the public […]
New or updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has withheld from online public distribution include the following. Keystone XL Pipeline Project: Key Issues, December 2, 2013 Mountaintop Mining: Background on Current Controversies, December 2, 2013 Burma’s Political Prisoners and U.S. Sanctions, December 2, 2013 Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on […]
The structure and functions of the Defense Warning Network were outlined in a new directive issued yesterday by the Department of Defense. The mission of the Defense Warning Network is to provide notice “of potential threats posed by adversaries, political and economic instability, failed or failing states, and any other emerging challenges that could affect […]