The across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration that are expected to take effect on March 1 could impede the government’s ability to respond to WikiLeaks and to rectify the flaws in information security that it exposed, a Pentagon official told Congress recently. Zachary J. Lemnios, the assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering, was […]
Government-sponsored scientific research published in expensive journals should become more readily accessible to the public under an initiative announced by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on Friday. Federal agencies that fund at least $100 million per year in scientific research were directed by White House science advisor John Holdren to develop […]
Members of the public are invited to comment on the feasibility and desirability of various forms of institutional oversight at federally-funded institutions that perform research involving certain pathogens or toxins. “Certain types of research that are conducted for legitimate purposes may also be utilized for harmful purposes. Such research is called ‘dual use research’,” said […]
By Hans M. Kristensen The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) expects additional delays in production and delivery of the B61-12 nuclear bomb as a result of so-called sequestration budget cuts. During testimony before the Hours Energy and Water Subcommittee last week, NNSA’s Acting Administrator Neile Miller said an expected $600 million reduction of the agency’s […]
Judge Claire V. Eagan of the Northern District of Oklahoma was appointed this month to the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court by the Chief Justice of the United States. Her term on the FIS Court began on February 13, 2013 and will extend until May 18, 2019. She replaces Judge Jennifer B. Coffman, who retired […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has chosen not to make available to the public include the following. Federal Reserve: Unconventional Monetary Policy Options, February 19, 2013 Federal Assault Weapons Ban: Legal Issues, February 14, 2013 Pharmaceutical Patent Settlements: Issues in Innovation and Competitiveness, February 15, 2013 Unauthorized Aliens: Policy […]
By Hans M. Kristensen When the news media reported that a meteor had exploded over Chelyabinsk in Russia, the location name sounded familiar: the region is home to some of Russia’s most important nuclear weapons production and storage facilities. Impact sites still have to be found but one reportedly was Chebarkul Lake, some 72 kilometers […]
There are significant barriers to the Army’s use of unmanned aerial systems within the United States, according to a new Army manual, but they are not prohibitive or categorical. “Legal restrictions on the use of unmanned aircraft systems in domestic operations are numerous,” the manual states. The question arises particularly in the context of Defense […]
The Obama Administration issued policy statements this week on critical infrastructure protection and cyber security, including measures to encourage information sharing with the private sector and other steps to improve policy coordination. Curiously, the Administration issued both an Executive order and a Presidential directive devoted to these topics. Executive Order 13636 focuses on “Improving Critical […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service obtained by Secrecy News that have not been made readily available to the public include the following. North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons: Technical Issues, February 12, 2013 Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Security Issues, February 13, 2013 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty: Background and Current Developments, February 12, 2013 […]
.By Hans M. Kristensen The United States and Russia have some 1,800 nuclear warheads on alert on ballistic missiles that are ready to launch in a few minutes, according to a new study published by UNIDIR. The number of U.S. and Russian alert warheads is greater than the total nuclear weapons inventories of all other […]
By Hans M. Kristensen In early February, I participated in a conference in Warsaw on non-strategic nuclear weapons. The conference was organized by the Polish Institute of International Affairs, the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. It was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and the […]