Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “Classified Information Policy and Executive Order 13526,” December 10, 2010. “Screening and Securing Air Cargo: Background and Issues for Congress,” December 2, 2010. “Chemical Facility Security: Reauthorization, Policy Issues, and Options for […]
Last year, Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO) told reporters that there is “a far Left-wing fringe group that wants to disclose all our vulnerabilities. I don’t know what their motives are but I think they are very dangerous to our security.” More hating on Wikileaks? No, Senator Bond was actually talking about the Federation of American […]
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“Cyber security is now critical to our survival but as a field of research [it] does not have a firm scientific basis,” according to the Department of Defense. “Our current security approaches have had limited success and have become an arms race with our adversaries. In order to achieve security breakthroughs we need a more […]
How many government employees and contractors hold security clearances for access to classified information? Remarkably, it is not possible to answer that question today with any precision. But it should be possible by next February, officials said at a House Intelligence Subcommittee hearing on December 1. Currently there is no precise tally of the number […]
The U.S. Government insists that the classification markings on many of the leaked documents being published by Wikileaks and other organizations are still in force, even though the documents are effectively in the public domain, and it has directed federal employees and contractors not to access or read the records outside of a classified network. […]
The Department of the Treasury has recently produced a consolidated classification guide, detailing exactly what kinds of Treasury information may be classified at what level and for how long. It is in such agency classification guides, not in high-level government-wide policy statements, that the nuts and bolts of government secrecy policy are to be found, […]
“There appears to be no statute that generally proscribes the acquisition or publication of diplomatic cables,” according to a newly updated report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service, “although government employees who disclose such information without proper authority may be subject to prosecution.” But there is a thicket of statutes, most notably including the Espionage […]
After its access to the Wikileaks web site was blocked by the Library of Congress, the Congressional Research Service this week asked Congress for guidance on whether and how it should make use of the leaked records that are being published by Wikileaks, noting that they could “shed important light” on topics of CRS interest. […]
Noteworthy new products from the Congressional Research Service include the following (all pdf). “Securing America’s Borders: The Role of the Intelligence Community,” December 7, 2010. “Hamas: Background and Issues for Congress,” December 2, 2010. “U.S.-Australia Civilian Nuclear Cooperation: Issues for Congress,” December 1, 2010. “Intelligence Estimates: How Useful to Congress?,” November 24, 2010.
PDUSPD Jim Miller appears to confirm FAS/NRDC estimates for NATO and Russia tactical nuclear weapons. By Hans M. Kristensen A Wikileaks document briefly posted by The Guardian Monday appears to give an official number for the U.S. nuclear weapons deployed in Europe: 180. The number appears in a leaked cable written by U.S. NATO Ambassador […]
Missile Watch A publication of the FAS Arms Sales Monitoring Project Vol. 3, Issue 3 November 2010 Editor: Matt Schroeder Contents: Editor’s Note: Wikileaks and arms trafficking, Missile Watch sponsorship program Global News: UN Arms Register: Venezuela was the largest importer of MANPADS in 2009 Global News: Extradition of Viktor Bout could reveal much […]