New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following. United States v. Jones: GPS Monitoring, Property, and Privacy, April 30, 2012 China’s Rare Earth Industry and Export Regime: Economic and Trade Implications for the United States, April 30, 2012 Federal Agency Actions […]
New and updated Congressional Research Service reports that Congress has withheld from direct public access include the following. Cybersecurity: Authoritative Reports and Resources, April 26, 2012 The Budget Control Act of 2011: The Effects on Spending and the Budget Deficit When the Automatic Spending Cuts Are Implemented, April 23, 2012 Budget “Sequestration” and Selected Program […]
An Army field manual published last week explains the Army’s conduct of information collection activities in military operations. “In this manual, the term ‘information collection’ is introduced as the Army’s replacement for ‘intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance’ (also known as ISR),” the manual says. “This publication clarifies how the Army plans, prepares, and executes information collection […]
Government attorneys said yesterday that they would appeal an extraordinary judicial ruling that required the release of a classified document in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. The document in question is a one-page position paper produced by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) concerning the U.S. negotiating position in free trade negotiations. It […]
In response to congressional direction, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is considering whether to expand the scope of patent secrecy orders — which prohibit the publication of affected patent applications — in order to enhance “economic security” and to protect newly developed inventions against exploitation by foreign competitors. Currently, patent secrecy orders are applied […]
Noteworthy new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has not made readily available to the public include the following. Carbon Capture and Sequestration: Research, Development, and Demonstration at the U.S. Department of Energy, April 23, 2012 Members of Congress Who Die in Office: Historic and Current Practices, April 25, 2012 Hydraulic […]
The Senate Intelligence Committee has been reviewing the post-9/11 detention and interrogation practices of the Central Intelligence Agency for four years and is still not finished. But the end appears to be in sight. “The review itself is nearing completion — before the end of summer — but is not over yet,” a spokesperson for […]
Government attorneys yesterday asked a court for an extension of time to respond to two Freedom of Information Act lawsuits seeking disclosure of records pertaining to “alleged targeted lethal operations” conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency, including the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki. The attorneys’ request seems to portend a possible change in the government’s persistent […]
At a pre-trial hearing this week in the case of Pfc. Bradley Manning, who is suspected of releasing classified records to WikiLeaks without authorization, a military judge will consider several motions filed by Manning’s defense that seek to reduce the charges against him, or to have them dismissed altogether. The defense motions, filed by attorney […]
As is often remarked, the number of individuals charged with Espionage Act violations by the Obama Administration for disclosing information to the media without authorization is unprecedented and exceeds all previous cases in all prior Administrations combined. But why is that? There are several possible explanations. One answer is that the sources of unauthorized disclosures […]
We note with sadness the death last week of Congressional Research Service analyst Stephen Daggett, who tutored generations of Members and congressional staff in the intricacies of U.S. military spending. Although I did not know him personally, I read his work and learned from him for many years. Our condolences to his family and his […]
Following years of controversy, the Government Accountability Office this week released an unclassified version of its long-awaited report on FBI Counterterrorism. The report itself comes as an anti-climax, but it is the first GAO report involving intelligence-related matters to be completed since the issuance of an intelligence community directive last summer which authorized GAO to […]