A Central Intelligence Agency publication on the analysis of insurgencies that has often been cited but not widely circulated was recently released by CIA under the Freedom of Information Act. “This pamphlet contains key definitions and analytic guides applicable to any insurgency…. Among other things, this guide is designed to assist in conducting a net […]
Harold C. Relyea, a scholar of American government at the Congressional Research Service, retired on January 30 after 37 years of government service. When I first started exploring government secrecy policy quite a few years ago, the writings of Harold Relyea were some of the first and some of the most informative things that I […]
Chinese submarines conducted 12 patrols in 2008, the highest ever. . By Hans M. Kristensen Chinese attack submarines sailed on more patrols in 2008 than ever before, according to information obtained by Federation of American Scientists from U.S. naval intelligence. The information, which was declassified by U.S. naval intelligence in response to a Freedom of […]
Attorney General-nominee Eric H. Holder, Jr. said that, if confirmed, he will review current litigation in which the Bush Administration has asserted the state secrets privilege and that he will seek to minimize the use of the privilege. “I will review significant pending cases in which DOJ has invoked the state secrets privilege, and will […]
In a January 21 memorandum, President Obama directed the Chief Technology Officer to coordinate the development of an Open Government Directive that would implement the Administration’s principles of transparency. But there is no Chief Technology Officer (CTO), so far. And there are fundamental questions about the nature, role, authority, budget, and status of such a […]
A new report from the Congressional Research Service provides an extensive overview of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, and the choices that confront U.S. policy makers. “The U.S. Government faces key strategic and operational decisions about its further engagement in the war in Afghanistan. These may include clarifying U.S. national interests in Afghanistan and the […]
“I think that trying to understand secrecy through geography helps make the subject more real,” writes Trevor Paglen in a new book about secret government. “Thinking about secrecy in terms of concrete spaces and practices helps us to see how secrecy happens and helps to explain how secrecy grows and expands.” Paglen, a geographer, writes […]
“It is incumbent upon all levels of government, as well as public and private parties within the U.S., to prepare for” a nuclear detonation in a U.S. city, according to a new U.S. government document. “Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation” (pdf) was drafted by an interagency team and published by the Homeland […]
Ambitious new interagency structures that are supposed to provide an improved intelligence response to maritime and air threats to national security are described in a newly-disclosed Intelligence Community Directive. The directive establishes what it calls Communities of Interest (COI) “to maximize intelligence collection and all-source analytic coordination.” “IC stakeholders in the maritime and air COIs […]
The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff have issued updated military doctrine on space operations (pdf) that includes new material on “offensive space control” and “proximity operations.” Offensive space control “entails the negation of enemy space capabilities through denial, deception, disruption, degradation, or destruction.” “Adversaries — both state and non-state actors — will exploit increased access […]
“There is a great deal of over-classification,” admitted Adm. Dennis C. Blair, the nominee to be the next Director of National Intelligence, at his confirmation hearing last week. “Some of it, I think, is done for the wrong reasons, to try to hide things from the light of day. Some of it is because in […]
Secrecy News last week misquoted a line in President Obama’s inaugural speech. He did not say: “And those of us who manage the public’s knowledge will be held to account….” What he said was “And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account….” The erroneous reference to “public knowledge” was […]