The trial of former CIA officer John Kiriakou, who is accused of making unauthorized disclosures of classified information, has yet to begin. But prosecutors and defense attorneys are now locked in a dispute over what classified information must be provided to the defense and can be cleared for disclosure at trial. The resolution of the […]
Military chaplains in the U.S. Army must have at least a Secret clearance. “This allow them access to the unit operations center and ensures that the chaplain is involved in the unit’s operational planning process.” A newly updated Army doctrinal publication on Religious Support, which describes the functions of chaplains, explains that “Religion plays an […]
Last month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton informed Congress that U.S. national security interests required a waiver of statutory limitations on security aid to Pakistan. “The Secretary’s accompanying justification for the waiver was delivered in classified form,” a newly updated report from the Congressional Research Service noted, adding that the waiver “appeared extremely difficult to […]
The National Archives has set up a new online portal that provides an overview of declassification activity in and around the Archives, with input from the National Declassification Center, the Public Interest Declassification Board, the Presidential Libraries, and the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP). The new section on ISCAP declassification decisions is of particular […]
The Department of Defense this week released a redacted version of the budget justification for the FY 2010 Military Intelligence Program (MIP). “The MIP sustains all programs, projects or activities that support the Secretary of Defense intelligence, counterintelligence, and related intelligence responsibilities and provides capabilities to meet the warfighters’ operational and tactical requirements whenever and […]
Reductions under the New START Treaty have gotten off to a very slow start . By Hans M. Kristensen More than a year and a half after the New START Treaty between the United States and Russia entered into force on January 5, 2011, one thing is clear: they are not in a hurry to […]
The Department of Defense this week established a new Defense Security Enterprise that is intended to unify and standardize the Department’s multiple, inconsistent security policies. The new security framework “shall provide an integrated, risk-managed structure to guide DSE policy implementation and investment decisions, and to provide a sound basis for oversight and evolution.” The Defense […]
The state and local fusion centers supported by the Department of Homeland Security have produced little intelligence of value and have generated new concerns involving waste and abuse, according to an investigative report from the Senate Homeland Security Committee Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. (NYT, WP) “It’s troubling that the very ‘fusion’ centers that were designed […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made available to the public include the following. Puerto Rico’s Political Status and the 2012 Plebiscite: Background and Key Questions, October 2, 2012 The Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program and Homeless Assistance, October 5, 2012 Federal Freight Policy: An Overview, […]
In its new term that began yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments over whether to affirm the right of journalists and human rights organizations to challenge the constitutionality of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act, or FAA. The FISA Amendments Act authorizes the collection of a broad swath of public communications […]
New and newly updated reports from the Congressional Research Service which have not been made publicly available include the following. Iran’s Nuclear Program: Status, updated September 26, 2012 Israel: Possible Military Strike Against Iran’s Nuclear Facilities, updated September 28, 2012 Senkaku (Diaoyu/Diaoyutai) Islands Dispute: U.S. Treaty Obligations, September 25, 2012 Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Political […]
A new satellite image appears to show part of India’s new SSBN partly concealed at the Visakhapatnam naval base on the Indian east coast (17°42’38.06″N, 83°16’4.90″E). . By Hans M. Kristensen Could it be? It is not entirely clear, but a new satellite image might be showing part of India’s first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, […]