We were sad to learn that Professor Anna K. Nelson, a tenacious and effective advocate for improved public access to national security records, passed away last month. For decades, Prof. Nelson argued for improved declassification practices in almost every venue imaginable, from congressional hearings to the most obscure and transient advisory bodies. As a professor […]
At the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis blockade, unknown to the United States, the Soviet Union already had short-range nuclear weapons on the island, such as this FKR-1 cruise missile, that would most likely have been used against a U.S. invasion. . By Hans M. Kristensen and Robert S. Norris Fifty years ago the […]
The most fundamental purpose of national security policy is not to keep the nation safe from physical attack but to defend the constitutional order. At least, that is what President Reagan wrote in a Top Secret 1986 directive. “The primary objective of U.S. foreign and security policy is to protect the integrity of our democratic […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has not made available to the public include the following. Job Growth During the Recovery, updated October 16, 2012 The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR): Funding Issues After a Decade of Implementation, FY2004-FY2013, October 10, 2012 Statutes of Limitation in Federal Criminal […]
Updated below A court ruled this month that former CIA officer John Kiriakou, who is charged with unauthorized disclosures of classified information to the media, will not be permitted to argue at trial that he intended no harm to the United States, or that his entire career testifies to a deep commitment to national security. […]
A day-long conference on national security secrecy will be held tomorrow, October 16, at Fordham Law School in New York City. The conference brings together a promising mix of former government officials, journalists, litigators, academics and others, including myself. For more information on the conference, which is open to the public, see here.
What’s wrong with this picture? Despite NATO’s call for greater nuclear transparency, old-fashioned nuclear secrecy prevents media access to the Nuclear Planning Group. . By Hans M. Kristensen Less than six months after NATO’s Deterrence and Defense Posture Review (DDPR) adopted at the Chicago Summit called for greater transparency of non-strategic nuclear force postures in […]
In a new challenge to press independence, attorneys for John Kiriakou, the former CIA officer who is charged with leaking classified information, have asked a court for permission to depose three journalists in support of his defense. Two of the journalists are cited in the April 2012 Kiriakou indictment as Journalist A and Journalist B. […]
President Obama yesterday issued Presidential Policy Directive 19 on “Protecting Whistleblowers with Access to Classified Information.” The directive generally prohibits official reprisals against an intelligence community employee who makes a “protected disclosure” concerning unlawful activity or “waste, fraud, and abuse.” It does not authorize disclosure of classified information outside of official channels to the press […]
The outbreak of violence by individuals who seek to harm other persons or institutions cannot be reliably predicted today, the Defense Science Board said in a new report to the Secretary of Defense. Instead, efforts to counter violence should focus on prevention and mitigation of the threat. The new DSB study on “Predicting Violent Behavior” […]
Presidential elections and the possible transition to a new Administration are potentially a period of heightened national security vulnerability, a new report from the Congressional Research Service says. The report distinguishes five phases of the presidential election period, and proposes concerns relevant to each. Thre report provides tabulated listings of US military operations during presidential […]
A Department of Defense (DOD) report on Russian nuclear forces, conducted in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence and sent to Congress in May 2012, concludes that even the most worst-case scenario of a Russian surprise disarming first strike against the United States would have “little to no effect” on the U.S. ability to […]