Ordinarily, decisions about granting security clearances and determining whether an individual has a “need to know” certain classified information are made by the executive branch. But a federal judge recently ruled that a court can also make such determinations and can require the disclosure of classified information to a cleared individual even against the wishes […]
There are more Department of Defense contractors in Afghanistan today than there are uniformed U.S. military personnel, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service. Not only that, the ratio of contractors to troops in Afghanistan is higher than in any prior military engagement in U.S. history. “As of March 2009, there were […]
Some other new reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not previously been posted online include the following (all pdf). “United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan: Background and Policy Issues,” July 30, 2009. “Detection of Nuclear Weapons and Materials: Science, Technologies, Observations,” August 4, 2009. “The Global Economic Crisis: Impact on Sub-Saharan Africa and […]
Robert Steele, the longtime proponent of a robust open source intelligence program, has a new web site which notably includes an archive of intelligence-policy related documents, several of which I had missed. The collection is accompanied by his own occasionally tart commentary. The Open Society Institute (which supports the FAS Project on Government Secrecy) announces […]
Two 90-day interagency reviews of government secrecy policies that were ordered by President Obama on May 27 are now essentially complete. A review of the current executive order on classification policy is finished except for a few “sticky” issues pertaining to intelligence agency authorities, according to one participant in the interagency process. The recommendations of […]
Open source intelligence products, which are based on information gathered in the public domain, are often withheld from public disclosure, for various reasons. These include habit, the cultivation of the mystique of secret intelligence, the protection of copyrighted information, and the preservation of “decision advantage,” i.e. the policy-relevant insight that open source intelligence at its […]
“Japan is a media-saturated nation where the level of consumption of both newspapers and television is extremely high by global standards,” according to a new assessment from the DNI Open Source Center (OSC). “Furthermore, the news media have the deep trust of the people…. More Japanese adults trust journalism than trust any other institution [including] […]
The Obama Administration is giving increased attention to the continuing post-9/11 challenge of information sharing, with a newly appointed White House Senior Director of Information Sharing Policy tasked to lead the effort. But this new activity does not imply any reduction in the volume of security and safety-related information that is withheld from the public. […]
U.S. special operations forces (SOF) are successfully collecting valuable operational intelligence materials in the field, but they lack the capability to quickly process, exploit and disseminate those materials, the House Appropriations Committee said in its recent report on the 2010 defense appropriations bill (excerpts). “Ongoing SOF operations demonstrate the ability to collect significant amounts of […]
If it wanted to, the Obama Administration could instantly increase oversight of the national security classification system by tasking the Offices of Inspector General (IG) at each of the major classifying agencies to assume some responsibility for secrecy oversight. In coordination with the Information Security Oversight Office, those IGs could perform periodic audits of classification […]
The United States provided around $15.4 billion in overt aid to Pakistan between Fiscal Years 2002 and 2009, according to a newly updated Congressional Research Service tabulation. The U.S. aid included military training, equipment and other forms of assistance. An additional $3.6 billion is requested for FY 2010. See “Direct Overt U.S. Aid and Military […]
The Venezuelan government of President Hugo Chavez “is moving forcefully to silence critics by introducing a Media Crimes bill that would give it sweeping authority to jail journalists, media executives, and bloggers who report on anything that the government considers to be harmful to state interests,” said a new assessment (pdf) by the Intelligence Community’s […]