The Commonwealth of the Bahamas announced this week that it has ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, according to a news release from the CTBT Organization in Vienna. The Treaty prohibits all nuclear explosions. The ratification by the Bahamas brings the total number of Treaty ratifications to 141. But the Treaty cannot take effect […]
Classification markings will be removed from classified documents that are admitted into evidence in the upcoming trial of two former officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a court ruled earlier this month. The former AIPAC officials, Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman, are accused of unauthorized receipt and disclosure of classified information. […]
Updated below The efficacy of intelligence oversight in the Senate has been drastically undermined by procedural hurdles that enable the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee to overrule actions taken by the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senators complained earlier this month. To remedy this concern, a new bill has been introduced that would transfer budget appropriations authority to the […]
Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service obtained by Secrecy News include the following (all pdf). “Weak and Failing States: Evolving Security Threats and U.S. Policy,” November 15, 2007. “Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Security Issues,” updated November 14, 2007. “The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11,” […]
Italian news reports regarding upheaval in the organization of the Sicilian mafia were synthesized and summarized in a new analysis from the Open Source Center, a component of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. “The recent arrest of mafia fugitive Salvatore Lo Piccolo and the April 2006 capture of Bernardo Provenzano, the Sicilian […]
Recent reports of interest from the Congressional Research Service include the following (all pdf): U.S. Arms Sales to Pakistan, November 8, 2007. Nuclear Weapons: The Reliable Replacement Warhead Program, updated November 8, 2007. Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Political Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests, updated November 7, 2007. China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass […]
Nonlethal weapons “can provide a forgiving means of imposing our will on adversaries,” according to a new U.S. military manual (pdf). Nonlethal weapons (NLW), which do not normally cause fatal injuries, are intended to provide combatants with tools to disable, apprehend or deter an opponent by means short of lethal force. They may be deemed […]
An Iranian religious leader reiterated last week that not only is Iran not pursuing nuclear weapons, but that to do so would be a violation of Islamic law. “Production of nuclear bomb and even thinking on its production are forbidden from Islamic point of view,” said Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani in his Friday sermon at […]
The declaration of emergency rule in Pakistan has focused new concern on the status of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. It may also bring renewed attention to the case of Richard Barlow, the former intelligence officer who attempted to warn Congress two decades ago about Pakistan’s clandestine acquisition of U.S. nuclear technology and who was punished for […]
National Special Security Events (NSSEs) are public events that are deemed to require national-level security planning. They include Presidential inaugurations and nominating conventions, major sporting events like the Super Bowl, and international summits. Between September 1998 and February 2007, there have been 27 designated NSSEs, according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service, […]
Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “Managing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Policy Implications of Expanding Global Access to Nuclear Power,” November 1, 2007. “F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program: Background, Status, and Issues,” updated October 25, 2007. “Navy […]
Prosecutors will be permitted to secretly present certain recorded surveillance data to a jury in the forthcoming trial of two former officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) who are accused of unauthorized receipt and disclosure of classified information, a federal judge ruled (pdf) last week. Although the closely watched AIPAC case will […]