More than two-thirds of Russia’s current ICBM force will be retired over the next 10 years, a reduction that will only partly be offset by deployment of new road-mobile RS-24 Yars (SS-27 Mod 2) ICBMs such as this one near Teykovo northeast of Moscow. . By Hans M. Kristensen Russia is planning to retire more […]
Questions of compliance with law now arise in every aspect of U.S. military operations, including the most highly classified clandestine activities, and so legal assistance must be routinely factored into military planning and mission execution. A newly updated Army manual describes the diverse forms of legal support to military operations. “Legal issues are a fundamental […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following. China’s Banking System: Issues for Congress, February 20, 2012 Rising Gasoline Prices 2012, March 1, 2012 Gun Control Legislation, March 2, 2012 Budget Process Reform: Proposals and Legislative Actions in 2012, March 2, […]
In an opinion published this week, DC District Judge Richard W. Roberts did an astonishing thing that federal courts almost never do: He probed into the decision to classify a government document and concluded that it was not well-founded. He ordered the agency to release the document under the Freedom of Information Act. The Center […]
In response to a congressional directive, the Department of Defense Inspector General has provided to Congress “an inventory of all identified unauthorized disclosures of SCI [sensitive compartmented information, or classified intelligence] to the public within DoD from the past three calendar years.” The classified IG report also described the actions taken by DoD in response […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has not made directly available to the public include the following. North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons: Technical Issues, February 29, 2012 Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians, February 29, 2012 The Eurozone Crisis: Overview and Issues for Congress, February 29, 2012 Sovereign Debt in Advanced […]
Road-mobile DF-31/31A ICBM launchers deploying to Central China are visible on new commercial satellite images. Click on image for larger version. . By Hans M. Kristensen Recent satellite images show that China is setting up launch units for its newest road-mobile Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) in central China. Several launchers of the new DF-31/31A appeared […]
“There is no ‘reporter’s privilege’ that shields the identity of confidential sources in good-faith criminal proceedings,” prosecutors reiterated in a new pre-trial brief in the case of former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling, who is accused of leaking classified information to author and New York Times reporter James Risen. Consequently, they said, Mr. Risen should not […]
A recently updated U.S. Army doctrinal manual on recovery of U.S. military personnel who are captured by enemy forces — which is considered “one of the highest priorities of the United States Government” — includes a new section on the recovery of journalists who have been kidnapped or detained abroad. “International journalists risk jail, kidnapping, […]
New or updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following. The Depreciating Dollar: Economic Effects and Policy Response, February 23, 2012 Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve: Current Policy and Conditions, January 30, 2012 Evaluating the Current Stance of Monetary Policy Using a Taylor Rule, January 30, 2012 Who Earns Pass-Through Business Income? […]
The Department of Defense has published its long-awaited new information security regulation that finally brings the Department into conformity with the Obama Administration’s 2009 executive order on national security classification policy. The new regulation, published in four volumes as DoD Manual 5200.01 and dated 24 February 2012, replaces Information Security Regulation 5200.1-R, which dates from […]
Are U.S. nuclear forces on “hair trigger” alert? Not exactly, a Department of Defense official told Congress recently. “Although it is true that portions of the U.S. nuclear triad are capable of rapid execution upon authorization from the President, a robust system of safeguards and procedures is in place to prevent the accidental or unauthorized […]