New reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made publicly available include the following. The Purple Heart: Background and Issues for Congress, September 7, 2012 The National Labor Relations Act: Background and Selected Topics, September 7, 2012 Federal Public Transportation Program: An Overview, September 6, 2012 Unemployment Compensation (UC): Eligibility for Students […]
The National Archives announced that it has declassified over a thousand pages of records pertaining to the 1940 massacre of thousands of Polish Army officers and intellectuals in the Katyn Forest in the Soviet Union. The Katyn massacre has been a subject of intense interest and controversy in Poland, as well as a perennial irritant […]
“The prospect of drone use inside the United States raises far-reaching issues concerning the extent of government surveillance authority, the value of privacy in the digital age, and the role of Congress in reconciling these issues,” says a new report on the subject from the Congressional Research Service. “This report assesses the use of drones […]
The Department of Defense should focus on increasing the autonomy of drones and other unmanned military systems, a new report from the Defense Science Board said. DoD should “more aggressively use autonomy in military missions,” the Board report said, because currently “autonomy technology is being underutilized.” See “The Role of Autonomy in DoD Systems,” Defense […]
The U.S. Army has recently begun publishing two new series of Army Doctrine Publications (ADP) and Army Doctrine Reference Publications (ADRP). These publications generally offer a digest of existing doctrine in introductory form for broad consumption, with limited modifications and a few updates. Last week, the Army issued new unclassified publications on intelligence and special […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has chosen not to make available to the public include the following. The Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations and Issues for Congress, September 5, 2012 Weather-Related Power Outages and Electric System Resiliency, August 28, 2012 SBA Veterans Assistance Programs: An Analysis of Contemporary Issues, September 4, […]
Updated below Throughout much of this year, the U.S. military has been conducting joint military exercises with Israel or planning such exercises. A descriptive listing of 2012 U.S. exercises with Israel bearing codenames like NOBLE MELINDA and RELIANT MERMAID was recently published in a House Armed Services Committee hearing volume on the FY2013 budget request […]
“DoD security policy is fragmented, redundant, and inconsistent,” according to a new report from the Department of Defense Inspector General. This is not a new development, the report noted, but one that has persisted despite decades of criticism. There are at least 43 distinct DoD security policies “covering the functional areas of information security, industrial […]
Newly updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made publicly available include the following. Promoting Global Internet Freedom: Policy and Technology, updated August 30, 2012 Vulnerable Youth: Background and Policies, updated August 29, 2012 Researching Current Federal Legislation and Regulations: A Guide to Resources for Congressional Staff, updated August 31, 2012 […]
The classification guides that function as the framework for national security secrecy underwent a substantial overhaul during the past two years. As a result of the Fundamental Classification Guidance Review, a large fraction of existing classification guidance has been eliminated, and at least some existing categories of classified information have been declassified. Out of 3,103 […]
New reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has declined to make publicly available include the following. Internet Firearm and Ammunition Sales, August 28, 2012 Political Ads: Issue Advocacy or Campaign Activity Under the Tax Code?, August 29, 2012 U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones: Background and Issues for Congress, August 28, 2012 Critical Infrastructure Resilience: The […]
In its efforts to improve responsiveness to the needs of its customers, the National Reconnaissance Office this year planned to “provide intelligence data to warfighters in the field using mobile devices.” Evidently this capability had not been widely available up to now. That’s one of the slivers of information to be found in the NRO […]