New and updated products of the Congressional Research Service obtained by Secrecy News include the following. U.S.-Russia Economic Relations, CRS Insights, July 29, 2014 Russia Sanctions: Options, CRS Insights, July 28, 2014 Protecting Civilian Flights from Missiles, CRS Insights, July 28, 2014 Possible Missile Attack on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, CRS Insights, July 28, 2014 […]
In preparing its recent report on the Section 702 surveillance program, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) demonstrated an unusual mode of declassification, in which one executive branch agency asks another agency to declassify information. In this case, the process was remarkably productive, and it may offer a precedent for future declassification efforts. […]
New or newly updated publications from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has withheld from online public distribution include the following. Free Exercise of Religion by Closely Held Corporations: Implications of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., July 23, 2014 What Is the Farm Bill?, July 23, 2014 Deploying 5G (Fifth Generation) Wireless Technology: Is […]
In 2000, both houses of Congress passed legislation that would have made any leak of classified information a felony. The provision, contained in the FY2001 intelligence authorization act, was designed “to ensure the prosecution of all unauthorized disclosures of classified information.” said Sen. Richard Shelby, the primary sponsor of the provision, at the time. While […]
New publications from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has withheld from online public distribution include the following. U.S. Sanctions on Russia in Response to Events in Ukraine, July 18, 2014 Use of Force Considerations in Iraq, July 15, 2014 The Kurds and Possible Iraqi Kurdish Independence, July 15, 2014 Unaccompanied Alien Children: A Processing […]
Updated below The National Security Agency would be required to prepare an unclassified report on “all NSA bulk collection activities,” the Senate Appropriations Committee directed in its report on the Fiscal Year 2015 Department of Defense Appropriations bill, published yesterday. The Committee told the NSA to prepare a report “describing all NSA bulk collection activities, […]
The Director of National Intelligence has issued new guidance on assessing damage resulting from the unauthorized disclosure of classified intelligence information to ensure that the damage assessments “are produced in an efficient, timely, consistent and collaborative manner.” Leak damage assessments should be used iteratively and the lessons learned from them should be applied “to strengthen […]
When I read Eric Schlosser’s acclaimed 2013 book, Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety, I found a tantalizing revelation on pages 170-171, when it asked, “What was the ‘acceptable’ probability of an accidental nuclear explosion?” and then proceeded to describe a 1957 Sandia Report, “Acceptable Premature Probabilities for Nuclear Weapons,” which dealt […]
A secure U.S. government facility in Herndon, Virginia needs a master chef who holds or who can obtain a Top Secret security clearance. The job opening was announced by Sodexo, the international food service company. “Sodexo’s Government Services Division is seeking a strong Executive Chef to manage all the culinary operations at a high profile […]
The House of Representatives yesterday approved an amendment to cut the budget for the National Security Council by one third in response to NSC moves to block congressional access to information. “Over the last few months, we have had several instances in which the National Security staff has mandated that the Department of Defense and […]
The Obama Administration has requested $5 billion to create a new Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund (CTPF). The program would “build on existing tools and authorities” to establish a “more sustainable and effective” counterterrorism approach, focusing on building the counterterrorism capacity of partners worldwide through “train-and-equip” and other activities, according to the Congressional Research Service. “The CTPF […]
A Request for Proposals from industry to develop a new Air Force Long Range Strike Bomber is said to be imminent. But in fact, the aircraft may already be under development, the Congressional Research Service said last week. The projected funding stream for the proposed new aircraft “resembles a production program more than a typical […]