Violent instability in Central America poses a growing threat to the countries of the region, with direct and indirect consequences for the United States, according to a new report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service. “The seven nations of Central America face significant security challenges. Well-financed and heavily armed criminal threats, fragile political and judicial […]
The challenges of conducting military operations in a mountainous environment are addressed in a new U.S. Army manual (pdf). In the mountains, “small mistakes can lead to catastrophic events,” while “technological supremacy can be negated by even the most crude and non-technical enemy actions,” the new manual said. Therefore, “Mountain combat calls for extreme physical […]
Sea-launched ballistic missiles on British ballistic missile submarines will be armed with the upgraded W76-1 nuclear warhead currently in production in the United States, according to a report from Sandia National Laboratories. According to the Labs Accomplishments from March 2011, “the first W76-1 United Kingdom trials test was performed at WETL [Weapon Evaluation Test Laboratory], […]
The Director of National Intelligence has prepared a draft intelligence directive on access by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to intelligence information, but it is “shockingly bad,” a congressional official said. The GAO is an investigative arm of Congress that performs audits and reviews in support of congressional oversight and the legislative process. But GAO […]
In its ongoing consideration of policy options for “transforming classification,” the Public Interest Declassification Board has produced three short new papers that are intended to prompt further discussion. The new papers discuss Simplifying the Declassification Review Process for Historical Records, Discretionary Declassification and Release of Contemporary National Security Information, and Regularizing the Declassification Review of […]
The first six days of Odyssey Dawn, the US war in Libya, cost an estimated $400 million, according to a new report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service. “Using operational details provided by DOD and DOD cost factors, a ‘bottoms-up’ estimate of the cost of initial operations suggests that in the first six days of […]
Most NATO countries support withdrawal of U.S. nuclear weapons from Europe, only three oppose, according to interviews with NATO officials. . By Hans M. Kristensen Two researchers from the Dutch peace group IKV Pax Christi have published a unique study that for the first time provides the public with an overview of what individual NATO […]
The U.S. intelligence community will prepare a National Intelligence Estimate on the implications of the continuing decline in U.S. manufacturing capacity, said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) citing recent news reports. “Last month Forbes reported that the continued erosion of the U.S. manufacturing base has gotten so serious that the Director of National Intelligence has begun […]
Despite a requirement of law, the U.S. State Department has failed to produce two retrospective volumes of the Foreign Relations of the United States Series documenting U.S. covert action in Iran (1952-54) and the Congo (1960-68). See Stephen R. Weissman, “Why is US withholding old documents on covert ops in Congo, Iran,” Christian Science Monitor, […]
In a process that will shape the future of secrecy policy for better or for worse, a search for a new Director of the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO), which oversees the national security classification system, has formally begun. “NARA seeks a Director of the Information Security Oversight Office with responsibility for policy and oversight […]
The decision to impose a no-fly zone on Libya is scrutinized from various perspectives in a new report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service. The report distinguishes “authorization” to establish a no-fly zone from the “legality” of the move, and also from its “legitimacy.” “The three concepts overlap but are all distinct,” the report says. […]
The Director of National Intelligence is calling for the “integrated defense” of intelligence community (IC) information and systems to protect against unauthorized disclosures of intelligence sources and methods. While every intelligence agency already has its own security procedures, a new Intelligence Community Directive (pdf) issued by the DNI would require a more coordinated and consistent […]