“The government routinely overclassifies information,” so the mere fact that something is classified is not sufficient to establish that its unauthorized disclosure is prohibited by law, according to a defense motion (pdf) that was filed last week in the case of former State Department contractor Stephen Kim. Mr. Kim was accused under the Espionage Act […]
Russian experts are persuaded that Iran’s space program is serving to advance development of intercontinental ballistic missiles that could be used against targets throughout the Middle East and Russia, according to a CIA review of open source reporting. “Over the past year Moscow appears to have become more worried about the security implications of assisting […]
Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following (all pdf). “Political Transition in Tunisia,” February 2, 2011. “National Security Letters: Proposals in the 112th Congress,” February 1, 2011. “Murder or Attempted Murder of a Member of Congress and Other Federal Officials and Employees: Implications in Federal Criminal Law and Procedure of Events […]
In order to help determine the origins of microbial threats in terrorist incidents or epidemics, it would be useful to have a deep archive of various strains of lethal bacteria, the JASON defense advisory panel told the National Counterproliferation Center in a newly released 2009 report (pdf). Because of the natural variation in the microbes […]
There are seventeen so-called Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), such as Chagas disease, dengue fever and leprosy, that are found in some 149 countries, a new report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service explains. “Estimates indicate that some 2 billion people are at risk of contracting an NTD, of whom more than 1 billion people are […]
A January 31 Secrecy News item on “Diane Roark and the Drama of Intelligence Oversight” focused on the personal friction and hostility that are sometimes generated by the intelligence oversight process. Unfortunately, what I wrote did an injustice to Ms. Roark, the former House Intelligence Committee staffer, and to Thomas Drake, the former National Security […]
In a focused effort to combat overclassification, President Obama has ordered executive branch agencies to conduct a “Fundamental Classification Guidance Review.” The two year Review process, mandated in the December 2009 executive order 13526 (sect. 1.9) is intended to identify and eliminate obsolete classification requirements in current agency policies. Last week, the Information Security Oversight […]
What is the rationale for classifying information? The RAND Corporation attempted to articulate an answer to that question and then to apply it in practice to a current national security issue. In a new study prepared for the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, RAND researchers “developed a general framework for judging classification decisions” that, they suggested, might […]
Key characteristics of seventeen leading Iranian newspapers are described in a wall poster (large pdf) prepared last year by the DNI Open Source Center. With an estimated circulation of 350,000-450,000, “Hamshahri appears to be the most widely read newspaper in Iran thanks to its voluminous classified advertisement supplement, attracting individuals seeking to buy a car, […]
Last Wednesday, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) read brief excerpts from a classified U.S. State Department cable on the House floor. The cable was written in 1990 by U.S. Ambassador to Iraq April Glaspie and described her conversation with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein shortly prior to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. It was released January 1 by […]
Judging from appearances, the conduct of congressional oversight of intelligence is usually professional, placid and rather dull. Just beneath the surface, however, the process is sometimes filled with tension, conflict and human foible. In her day, Diane S. Roark, a Republican staffer on the House Intelligence Committee from 1985 to 2003, elicited an impressive amount […]
The Congressional Research Service is not equipped to provide up-to-the-minute coverage of current news events, like the continuing upheaval in Egypt. But CRS does provide deeply researched background on factual matters including U.S. economic and military aid to Egypt, as well as a detailed account of many aspects of U.S.-Egypt political relations. See the newly […]