Ideally, the change of presidential administrations would be the occasion for a transformation in the relationship between government and the public, in which government information becomes easily and rapidly accessible to all interested parties. With that possibility in mind, dozens of public interest organizations concerned with access to government information (including FAS) have collaborated to […]
The conduct of unconventional warfare is explored in depth in a major new U.S. Army Field Manual on the subject (pdf). Unconventional warfare (UW) is defined as “Operations conducted by, with, or through irregular forces in support of a resistance movement, an insurgency, or conventional military operations… This definition reflects two essential criteria: UW must […]
The Congressional Research Service, which does not make its publications directly available to the public, has recently issued or updated several noteworthy reports. The following CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News have not previously been made available online (all pdf). “The President’s Office of Science and Technology Policy: Issues for Congress,” November 10, 2008 (40 […]
As the quality and availability of commercial satellite imagery continue to improve, the technology is adding a new dimension to public understanding of world events, while both enhancing and challenging national and global security. “Last month, the most powerful commercial satellite in history sent its first pictures back to Earth, and another with similar capabilities […]
Prof. James C. Warf, a Manhattan Project chemist, author and activist, died last week. An early member of the Federation of American Scientists, Dr. Warf held patents on the separation of plutonium from high-level nuclear waste. He taught chemistry at the University of Southern California for forty years, specializing in rare earth metals. He also […]
“Pakistan — a key U.S. ally in global efforts to combat Islamist militancy — is in urgent need of an estimated $4 billion in capital to avoid defaulting on its sovereign debt.” See “Pakistan’s Capital Crisis: Implications for U.S. Policy” (pdf), Congressional Research Service, November 7, 2008. A new Pentagon manual (pdf) issued by Under […]
The possibilities for significant changes in government secrecy policy are starting to attract official attention as the presidential transition process begins. “I know things are going to change,” one executive branch official with national security classification responsibility said this morning. “The folks that are inbound have a keen appreciation for the kind of things that […]
The National Reconnaissance Office has released a heavily redacted version of the Fiscal Year 2008 Congressional Budget Justification Book for the National Reconnaissance Program. It provides a few intriguing glimpses of the intelligence agency in transition. “Ten years ago, a user might be satisfied with an image or a signal intercept; now users demand fused, […]
On 4 November 2008, Mozambique ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) which bans all nuclear explosions on Earth, the CTBT Organization announced in a news release. The Treaty has now been ratified by 146 nations, and signed by 180. “To enter into force, however, the Treaty must be signed and ratified by the […]
The national security classification system at the Department of Homeland Security is “broken,” and one of the top ten challenges facing the next Secretary of Homeland Security is to fix it, according to a recent report (pdf) from the Homeland Security Advisory Council. “The federal security clearance process and classification system is broken and is […]
When an Army aircraft is flying in a zone where detonation of a nuclear explosive is anticipated, one of the pilots would be well advised to wear a patch over one eye to protect against flash blindness from the nuclear burst. “This practice allows vision in this eye in case blindness occurs to the unprotected […]
Information that would reveal a violation of the law may be properly classified as long as it is not deliberately classified for the purpose of concealing the violation, a federal judge indicated this week. That view, in a ruling (pdf) against the ACLU by DC District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, all but nullifies one of […]