Kenneth L. Wainstein, the former head of the Justice Department National Security Division, was named to the Public Interest Declassification Board by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Mr. Wainstein is a smart guy and an honorable public servant. But he is not the first or second person most people might think of to help advance […]
In its endless pursuit of national security, the United States has compromised core Constitutional values including civilian control of the military and states’ rights, writes William M. Arkin in his new book “American Coup” (Little, Brown, 2013). Since 9/11, a growing fraction of the population been mobilized and credentialed in support of homeland security — […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service obtained by Secrecy News include the following. Rare Earth Elements in National Defense: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress, September 17, 2013 Chemical Weapons: A Summary Report of Characteristics and Effects, September 13, 2013 North Korea: U.S. Relations, Nuclear Diplomacy, and Internal Situation, September 13, […]
Most of the world (including the U.S.) seems to be relieved now that there is affirmative progress towards eliminating Syria’s ghastly chemical weapon (CW) stockpiles, thereby avoiding (at least for now) a military strike that no one really wanted to undertake. The Syrian government has announced that it will soon join the Organization for the […]
The leak by Edward Snowden of a classified order issued by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) helped to arouse significant public interest, said the Court itself in an opinion issued today. Further disclosures are now justified, the Court indicated. “The unauthorized disclosure in June 2013 of a Section 215 order, and government statements in […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has withheld from online public access include the following. Securing U.S. Diplomatic Facilities and Personnel Abroad: Legislative and Executive Branch Initiatives, September 12, 2013 Securing U.S. Diplomatic Facilities and Personnel Abroad: Background and Policy Issues, September 12, 2013 Possible U.S. Intervention in Syria: Issues […]
By Hans M. Kristensen The issue of the improved military capabilities of the new B61-12 nuclear bomb entered the Dutch debate today with a news story on KRO Brandpunt (video here) describing NATO’s approval in 2010 of the military characteristics of the weapon. Dutch approval to introduce the enhanced bomb later this decade is controversial because […]
The end of the government’s fiscal year 2013 is just weeks away, but an intelligence authorization bill for fiscal year 2014 is nowhere in sight. In past years, the House and Senate Intelligence Committees typically reported intelligence bills in late spring or early summer for House-Senate conference and floor action later in the year. But […]
An introduction to the process for granting security clearances for access to classified information was presented in a new report from the Congressional Research Service. See Security Clearance Process: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, September 9, 2013. A related CRS report on leaks and the law was also updated this week. See Criminal Prohibitions on […]
Over the course of American history, Congress has formally enacted 11 declarations of war, as well as a similar number of statutory authorizations for the use of military force. The differences between these two categories of legislative action, which are quite distinct, are detailed in a Congressional Research Service report that was updated earlier this […]
The rise and fall (and rise) of intelligence spending over the past three decades is traced in a newly updated report from the Congressional Research Service. “Limited publicly available data suggests intelligence spending, measured in constant 2014 dollars, has roughly doubled since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and, before declines over the last three […]
Here are some new and updated reports on the conflict in Syria prepared by the Congressional Research Service: Possible U.S. Intervention in Syria: Issues for Congress, September 3, 2013 Syria: Overview of the Humanitarian Response, September 4, 2013 Syria’s Chemical Weapons: Issues for Congress, August 30, 2013