A campaign by citizens’ groups in Germany last month persuaded the Bundestag (the German parliament) to authorize the release of thousands of research reports prepared by the Wissenschaftlicher Dienst, the German equivalent of the Congressional Research Service. “But not only that: The Parliament also changed its publication policy regarding all new reports. In the future, […]
When Gen. Keith Alexander became the new director of the National Security Agency in 2005, “his predecessor, Mike Hayden, stepped down, seething with suspicion”– towards Alexander. As told by Fred Kaplan in his new book Dark Territory, Gen. Hayden and Gen. Alexander had clashed years before in a struggle “for turf and power, leaving Hayden […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service this week include the following. Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau’s State Visit, March 2016, CRS Insight, March 7, 2016 Overview of FY2017 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS), March 7, 2016 First-Term Members of the House of Representatives and Senate, 64th-114th Congresses, March 7, […]
In this report, Christoper Bidwell, JD and Randall Murch, PhD, explore the use of microbial forensics as a tool for creating a common base line for understanding biologically-triggered phenomena, as well as one that can promote mutual cooperation in addressing these phenomena. A particular focus is given to the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region, as […]
The threat from the manufacture, proliferation, and use of biological weapons (BW) is a high priority concern for the U.S. Government. As reflected in U.S. Government policy statements and budget allocations, deterrence through attribution (“determining who is responsible and culpable”) is the primary policy tool for dealing with these threats. According to those policy statements, […]
The government is looking for a person to oversee, and perhaps sometimes to overrule, classification decisions made throughout the Executive Branch. A job opening for the position of Director of the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) was announced in USA Jobs last week. The ISOO director is appointed by the Archivist of the United States, […]
A new report from the Congressional Research Service considers legal aspects of encryption policy. It reviews the existing case law concerning efforts to compel disclosure of encrypted data. It also discusses related issues including the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, and the scope of the All Writs Act that is now the focus of a […]
The term “climate change” was included for the first time in the latest revision of the Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms (Joint Publication 1-02), published last week. Climate change is officially defined by DoD as “Variations in average weather conditions that persist over multiple decades or longer that encompass increases and […]
The domestic use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS, or drones) by the Department of Defense in support of civil authorities has been conducted in accordance with law and policy, the DoD Inspector General said in a 2015 report of an evaluation that was released last week. “DoD is fully compliant with laws, regulations, and national […]
In response to criticism of the hefty fees that could be charged to public requesters in its new Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) rule, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has agreed to modify the rule. The revised rule will adopt the more flexible and forgiving approach used in ODNI’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) […]
A bill to make Congressional Research Service reports available to the public through authorized rather than unauthorized channels was introduced in Congress yesterday. The bill was sponsored in the Senate (S. 2639) by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and in the House (H.R. 4702) by Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) and Rep. Mike […]
By Hans M. Kristensen and Robert S. Norris Our latest FAS Nuclear Notebook has been published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. This issue provides a new overview of the status and plans for US nuclear forces and updates our estimate of the number of nuclear weapons in the stockpile and deployed force. The […]