“Crimes reports” are official notifications that are sent by U.S. intelligence agencies to the Department of Justice when an unauthorized disclosure of classified information (or another potential federal crime) is believed to have occurred. Crimes reporting is required by statute, by executive order, and by interagency agreement between the Attorney General and the heads of […]
The broad spectrum of policies relating to gun control is surveyed in a sadly timely, updated report from the Congressional Research Service, which also provides statistics on the prevalence and use of firearms in the United States. See Gun Control Legislation, November 14, 2012. Other new and updated CRS reports that Congress has not made […]
By Hans M. Kristensen Despite enormous reductions of their nuclear arsenals since the Cold War, the United States and Russia retain more than 9,100 warheads in their military stockpiles. Another 7,000 retired – but still intact – warheads are awaiting dismantlement, for a total inventory of more than 16,000 nuclear warheads. This is more than […]
Updated below In the George W. Bush Administration, Vice President Dick Cheney advanced the idea that the Office of the Vice President is not part of the executive branch, and that it was therefore exempt from the sort of oversight mechanisms — including classification oversight — which it might otherwise be (and previously was in […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made publicly available include the following. The 2010 Census: Count Question Resolution Program, December 7, 2012 An Analysis of STEM Education Funding at the NSF: Trends and Policy Discussion, December 12, 2012 Value-Added Modeling for Teacher Effectiveness, December 11, 2012 Teacher Quality […]
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the U.S. intelligence agency that is responsible for developing and operating the nation’s intelligence satellites, has released a redacted version of its Congressional Budget Justification Book for the current fiscal year in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. “NRO systems allow users to quickly focus multiple sensors on […]
Noteworthy new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made available to the public include the following. Presidential Reorganization Authority: History, Recent Initiatives, and Options for Congress, December 11, 2012 Presidential Appointee Positions Requiring Senate Confirmation and Committees Handling Nominations, November 15, 2012 Legal Protections for Subcontractors on Federal Prime […]
The Senate moved last week to restrain the rapid growth of the Defense Clandestine Service, the Pentagon’s human intelligence operation. Under a provision of the FY2013 defense authorization act that was approved on December 4, the Pentagon would be prohibited from hiring any more spies than it had as of last April, and it would […]
Members of the public are invited to develop and submit ideas to an essay contest on the potential uses of open source information and technology to support international arms control initiatives. The State Department is sponsoring the contest in partnership with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and the Moscow-based Center for Policy Studies. […]
Noteworthy new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has not made publicly available include the following. Iran’s Ballistic Missile and Space Launch Programs, December 6, 2012 Syria’s Chemical Weapons: Issues for Congress, December 5, 2012 Egypt: Background and U.S. Relations, December 6, 2012 In Brief: Next Steps in the War in […]
In a long-awaited report to the President, the Public Interest Declassification Board urged the White House to take the lead in fixing the national secrecy system. The Public Interest Declassification Board is an advisory committee that was established by Congress to help promote possible access to the documentary record of significant U.S. national security decisions […]
Congressional concerns arising from China’s holdings of U.S. government debt, including the potential for economic destabilization or diplomatic coercion, are examined in a report from the Congressional Research Service that was updated today. See China’s Holdings of U.S. Securities: Implications for the U.S. Economy, December 6, 2012. Relatedly (though not newly updated), see Foreign Holdings […]