If the Obama Administration wants to advance the cause of open government, one particularly fruitful way to do so would be to share unclassified open source intelligence publications with the public. The Federation of American Scientists offered that suggestion in response to a White House call for public input into the development of the pending […]
The battle for public access to open source intelligence may have been lost before most people even knew it began, judging from the new book, “No More Secrets: Open Source Information and the Reshaping of U.S. Intelligence” by Hamilton Bean (Praeger, 2011). “No More Secrets” is an academic work, not an expose. But it is […]
New and updated reports on China and Taiwan from the Congressional Research Service include the following (all pdf). China-U.S. Trade Issues, August 10, 2011 U.S.-Taiwan Relationship: Overview of Policy Issues, August 4, 2011 China’s Currency: A Summary of the Economic Issues, August 3, 2011 Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990, August 2, 2011 U.S.-China […]
A newly released intelligence guide to document classification markings explains the meaning and proper use of control markings to designate classified information. See “Authorized Classification and Control Markings Register” (pdf), CAPCO, Volume 4, Edition 2, May 31, 2011. (See also the associated Implementation Manual of the same date.) This material is very detailed, comprehensive and […]
Prosecutors in the case of former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling, who is accused of leaking classified information, should not be permitted to present their evidence at trial in modified or redacted form and should also not be able to employ other extraordinary security measures, defense attorneys argued in an August 19 pleading (pdf). Specifically, the […]
Recent reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “The European Union: Foreign and Security Policy,” August 15, 2011 “Standard & Poor’s Downgrade of U.S. Government Long-Term Debt,” August 9, 2011 “The Obama Administration’s Cybersecurity Proposal: Criminal Provisions,” July 29, 2011
There can be such a thing as too much security, the Navy said in a new Instruction on “Operations Security” (pdf) or OPSEC. OPSEC refers to the control of unclassified indicators that an adversary could use to derive “critical information” (CI) concerning military or intelligence programs. “Properly applied, OPSEC contributes directly to operational effectiveness by […]
While information sharing among government agencies has increased dramatically over the past decade, it still falls short in some areas. Due to “impediments to intelligence information sharing between U.S. forces and coalition partners,” information sharing with U.S. allies in Afghanistan has faltered to the detriment of the military mission, the Inspector General of the Department […]
The Obama Administration is putting the finishing touches on a new executive order that is intended to improve the security of classified information in government computer networks as part of the government’s response to WikiLeaks. The order is supposed to reduce the feasibility and the likelihood of the sort of unauthorized releases of classified U.S. […]
How will Obama reduce the role of nuclear weapons in the strategic war plan? . By Hans M. Kristensen The Obama administration has begun a review of the president’s guidance to the military for how they should plan for the use of nuclear weapons. The review, which was first described in public by National Security […]
Even the most highly classified offensive cyberwar capabilities that are acquired by the Air Force for use against enemy computer systems will be subject to “a thorough and accurate legal review,” the U.S. Air Force said in a new policy directive (pdf). The directive assigns the Judge Advocate General to “ensure all cyber capabilities being […]
New reports from the Congressional Research Service on topics of economic policy include the following (all pdf). “Boosting U.S. Exports: Selected Issues for Congress,” July 21, 2011 “Economic Recovery: Sustaining U.S. Economic Growth in a Post-Crisis Economy,” July 18, 2011 “Inflation: Causes, Costs, and Current Status,” July 26, 2011 “Treasury Securities and the U.S. Sovereign […]