In response to a congressional directive, the Department of Defense Inspector General has provided to Congress “an inventory of all identified unauthorized disclosures of SCI [sensitive compartmented information, or classified intelligence] to the public within DoD from the past three calendar years.” The classified IG report also described the actions taken by DoD in response […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has not made directly available to the public include the following. North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons: Technical Issues, February 29, 2012 Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians, February 29, 2012 The Eurozone Crisis: Overview and Issues for Congress, February 29, 2012 Sovereign Debt in Advanced […]
Road-mobile DF-31/31A ICBM launchers deploying to Central China are visible on new commercial satellite images. Click on image for larger version. . By Hans M. Kristensen Recent satellite images show that China is setting up launch units for its newest road-mobile Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) in central China. Several launchers of the new DF-31/31A appeared […]
In this report, FAS President Charles Ferguson examines the national and international efforts to control and secure radioactive materials.
“There is no ‘reporter’s privilege’ that shields the identity of confidential sources in good-faith criminal proceedings,” prosecutors reiterated in a new pre-trial brief in the case of former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling, who is accused of leaking classified information to author and New York Times reporter James Risen. Consequently, they said, Mr. Risen should not […]
A recently updated U.S. Army doctrinal manual on recovery of U.S. military personnel who are captured by enemy forces — which is considered “one of the highest priorities of the United States Government” — includes a new section on the recovery of journalists who have been kidnapped or detained abroad. “International journalists risk jail, kidnapping, […]
New or updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following. The Depreciating Dollar: Economic Effects and Policy Response, February 23, 2012 Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve: Current Policy and Conditions, January 30, 2012 Evaluating the Current Stance of Monetary Policy Using a Taylor Rule, January 30, 2012 Who Earns Pass-Through Business Income? […]
The Department of Defense has published its long-awaited new information security regulation that finally brings the Department into conformity with the Obama Administration’s 2009 executive order on national security classification policy. The new regulation, published in four volumes as DoD Manual 5200.01 and dated 24 February 2012, replaces Information Security Regulation 5200.1-R, which dates from […]
Are U.S. nuclear forces on “hair trigger” alert? Not exactly, a Department of Defense official told Congress recently. “Although it is true that portions of the U.S. nuclear triad are capable of rapid execution upon authorization from the President, a robust system of safeguards and procedures is in place to prevent the accidental or unauthorized […]
DIA threat assessment shows slower Chinese nuclear modernization. . By Hans M. Kristensen At about the same time nuclear arms reduction opponents last week incorrectly accused the Obama administration of considering “reckless” cuts in nuclear forces that would leave the United States “with fewer warheads than China,” Congress received its annual threat assessment from the […]
The Department of Defense said it has cancelled more than 300 of its 1800 classification guides as a result of the ongoing Fundamental Classification Guidance Review. The defunct guides can no longer be used to authorize the classification of national security information. “The Department has continued to make impressive strides in updating our Security Classification […]
Dozens of major news media organizations joined together to defend the notion of a reporter’s privilege to protect the identity of a confidential against compulsory disclosure. The organizations filed an amicus curiae brief in support of New York Times reporter James Risen, who has been subpoenaed to testify in the case of Jeffrey Sterling, the […]