In an extraordinary rebuff to Bush Administration detention policy, a federal court yesterday ordered (pdf) that 17 Chinese Uighur detainees held in Guantanamo Bay shall be released into the United States because there is no lawful basis for their continued detention. The government immediately filed a motion to stay the ruling [update: the stay was […]
The House Intelligence Committee critically reviewed the U.S. intelligence satellite program in a rare unclassified report on the subject. See “Report on Challenges and Recommendations for United States Overhead Architecture,” House Intelligence Committee, House Report 110-914, October 3, 2008. “All counterterrorism programs that collect and mine data should be evaluated for their effectiveness and privacy […]
Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made available online until now include the following (all pdf). “Supreme Court Appellate Jurisdiction Over Military Court Cases,” October 6, 2008. “Presidential Succession: Perspectives, Contemporary Analysis, and 110th Congress Proposed Legislation,” October 3, 2008. “Defense: FY2009 Authorization and Appropriations,” updated September 29, 2008. […]
By Hans M. Kristensen A report from an advisory board to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has recommended that the United States beefs up its nuclear, conventional, and space-based posture in the Pacific to counter China. The report, which was first described in the Washington Times, portrays China’s military modernization and intentions in highly dramatic […]
In Israel, “newspaper headlines are often about future events rather than past events.” That peculiar assertion is presented by the DNI Open Source Center (OSC) in a new report on Israeli news media (pdf). The new report provides descriptive accounts of many major and minor Israeli news outlets, noting their ownership, circulation, political orientation and […]
“Intentional leaks of intelligence are a violation of law, may result in irrevocable damage to national security, and will not be tolerated,” according to a 2002 directive from the Director of Central Intelligence (pdf) that was itself leaked. The directive largely reiterates longstanding policy, though perhaps with increased vigor. It states twice that leaks will […]
An Army field manual (large pdf) published today updates military policy on “stability operations,” referring to the use of military and other instruments of national power “to maintain or reestablish a safe and secure environment, provide essential governmental services, emergency infrastructure reconstruction, and humanitarian relief.” The new manual “represents a milestone in Army doctrine,” grandly […]
In a newly released series of instructions, the Chief of Naval Operations has directed Navy classifiers to give greater attention to the possible need to classify compilations of unclassified information. According to executive branch classification policy, compilations of information may be classified even when all of their component parts are unclassified. Thus, the executive order […]
“A steady stream of intelligence failures in the 1990s occurred in every facet of CIA activity, from intelligence collection to analysis to counterintelligence to covert action,” writes John Diamond in a new book on “The CIA and the Culture of Failure.” This is of course well-trodden ground, and the author himself reported many of the […]
“FBI Prevents Agents from Telling ‘Truth’ About 9/11 on PBS” by Jeff Stein, Spy Talk, CQ Politics, October 1. “Former CIA Director Porter Goss’s Dusty Foggo Problem” by Laura Rozen, Mother Jones blog, October 1. “China Report Urges Missile Shield” by Bill Gertz, Washington Times, October 1, with a copy of the draft report from […]
A blistering critique of U.S. counterintelligence capabilities was authored by Michelle Van Cleave, the former National Counterintelligence Executive, in a case study prepared for the Project on National Security Reform. See Chapter 2 (pdf page 74) of this document (pdf). “Fundamental Elements of the Counterintelligence Discipline” (pdf), published by the Office of the National Counterintelligence […]
On Sept 23, 2008 the National Biodefense Science Board (NBSB) held an afternoon meeting to review the report and recommendations for the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) that had been prepared by the Disaster Medicine Working Group. The Working Group had assembled an assessment panel which evaluated previous reports done on the NDMS and put […]