It is generally understood that there is no legally enforceable “right” to be granted a security clearance for access to classified information. And a landmark 1988 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Department of the Navy v. Egan has often been interpreted to preclude judicial review of the merits of an agency decision to deny or […]
Secret intelligence agency budget information was abundantly detailed in the Washington Post yesterday based on Top Secret budget documents released by Edward Snowden. See “U.S. spy network’s successes, failures and objectives detailed in ‘black budget’ summary” by Barton Gellman and Greg Miller, Washington Post, August 29. The newly disclosed information includes individual agency budgets along […]
A comprehensive overview of the still-not-fully explained decline of honeybee and other bee populations is presented in a new report from the Congressional Research Service. “To date, the precise reasons for bee colony losses are not yet known. Reasons cited for bee declines include a wide range of possible factors thought to be affecting pollinator […]
By Hans M. Kristensen Only a few years before U.S. nuclear bombs deployed at Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands are scheduled to be airlifted back to the United States and replaced with an improved bomb with greater accuracy, the U.S. and Dutch governments are in a dispute over how to deal with the environmental […]
The subject of offensive cyber action by the U.S. government was classified for many years and was hardly discussed in public at all. Then several years ago the possibility of U.S. cyber offense was formally acknowledged, though it was mostly discussed in the conditional mood, as a capability that might be developed and employed under […]
The Department of Homeland Security “is streamlining classification guidance and more clearly identifying categories of what can be released and what needs to remain classified,” according to a new report from the DHS Inspector General. The Reducing Over-classification Act of 2010 required the Inspector General at each executive branch agency that classifies information to evaluate […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has withheld from broad public distribution include the following. Financial Disclosure by Federal Officials and Publication of Disclosure Reports, August 22, 2013 Defense Surplus Equipment Disposal: Background Information, August 22, 2013 Iraq: Politics, Governance, and Human Rights, August 22, 2013 The United Arab Emirates […]
Mental health problems in the military are on the rise and pose a growing challenge to active duty forces, the Congressional Research Service said in a major new report on the subject. “Between 2001 and 2011, the rate of mental health diagnoses among active duty servicemembers increased approximately 65%. A total of 936,283 servicemembers, or […]
“Modern combat is chaotic, intense, and shockingly destructive. In your first battle, you will experience the confusing and often terrifying sights, sounds, smells, and dangers of the battlefield–but you must learn to survive and win despite them…. You must keep faith with your fellow Soldiers, remember your training, and do your duty to the best […]
By Hans M. Kristensen MSNBC used FAS data on the world nuke arsenals in an interview with Ploughshares Fund president Joe Cirincione about how deteriorating US-Russian relations might affect efforts to reduce nuclear arsenals. The updated weapons estimates on the FAS web site are here. Detailed profiles of each nuclear weapon state are published as […]
“The recent disclosure of classified information regarding U.S. national security programs requires a thorough assessment of the current classification system,” wrote Rep. Duncan Hunter in a letter to the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress. The leaks by Edward Snowden, in other words, are a sign that there are serious problems in government […]
The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 generally prohibits military forces from performing ordinary civilian law enforcement functions such as arrest, surveillance, interdiction, search and seizure. But a newly updated Department of Defense doctrinal publication notes that, despite this prohibition, “There are several forms of direct assistance to civilian law enforcement by military personnel that are […]