The question of whether a reporter is entitled to protect confidential sources has emerged as a central issue in the pending pre-trial appeal in prosecution of Jeffrey Sterling, the former CIA officer who is accused of leaking classified information to New York Times reporter James Risen. “There is no ‘reporter’s privilege’ applicable to criminal prosecutions […]
The Department of Defense basic research program has many strengths as well as some serious weaknesses, according to a new report (large pdf) from the Defense Science Board (DSB), but it needs to open up and to improve its information management practices. “As is true for most programs in the DoD,… less bureaucracy and more […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has not made publicly available include these. Defense: FY2012 Budget Request, Authorization and Appropriations, February 13, 2012 Guam: U.S. Defense Deployments, February 13, 2012 Conventional Prompt Global Strike and Long-Range Ballistic Missiles: Background and Issues, February 13, 2012 Keeping America’s Pipelines Safe and Secure: […]
From a secrecy policy point of view, the Administration’s FY 2013 budget proposal that was released yesterday contained one surprise: The Department of Defense disclosed the amount of its request for the Military Intelligence Program (MIP). This is something that the Pentagon has never done before and indeed had refused to do. “The Department of […]
New and newly updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has not made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress, February 10, 2012 China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities — Background and Issues for Congress, February 8, 2012 Military Base Closure: Socioeconomic […]
After all the speeches about greater openness have been delivered and the news releases about secrecy reform have been filed away, one may ask: What has actually been accomplished? How much improper secrecy has been eliminated? Specific answers to such questions may soon be forthcoming. The Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO), which is responsible for oversight of […]
The Department of Defense currently seeks expanded access to U.S. airspace for its unmanned aerial systems (UASs), and it anticipates the routine use of military UAS in the National Airspace System (NAS) as a long-term goal, according to a 25 year roadmap for UAS development. “The number of UAS in the DoD inventory is growing rapidly. […]
In recent years the Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) process has become an increasingly useful alternative to the Freedom of Information Act by which members of the public can challenge the classification of government records. Remarkably, agency classification positions have been overturned with some frequency in the MDR appeals process, which is something that almost never […]
In the wake of the devastating meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, many Americans are now reevaluating the costs and benefits of nuclear energy. If anything, the accident underscores that constant vigilance is needed to ensure nuclear safety. Policymakers and the public need more guidance about where nuclear power in the United States appears to be heading.
In a move that can only strengthen and improve oversight of the national security classification system, the Department of Defense Inspector General has begun a far-reaching review of Pentagon classification policy. Among other things, the Inspector General review will focus on “efforts by the Department to decrease over-classification.” In response to the “Reducing Over-classification Act” […]
A new book-length study of leaks of classified information published by the Defense Intelligence Agency’s National Intelligence University contends that “the tension between maintaining national security secrets and the public’s right to know cannot be ‘solved’, but can be better understood and more intelligently managed.” “Who Watches the Watchmen?” by Gary Ross explores the phenomenon […]
New reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). China’s Vice President Xi Jinping Visits the United States: What Is at Stake?, February 6, 2012 Lebanon and the Uprising in Syria: Issue for Congress, February 2, 2012 Iran’s Threat to the Strait […]