A Central Intelligence Agency employee who supported Agency declassification activities was killed in a traffic accident late last year. Perhaps befitting a CIA classification official, his name has not been publicly acknowledged by the Agency. “The CIA expressed its sadness concerning a CIA member’s death,” according to a brief notice in the December 2007 minutes […]
Although there is no foolproof system of preventing unauthorized disclosures of classified information (“leaks”), there are a variety of new technical tools that can deter such disclosures or facilitate identification of those who compromise information security, according a 2002 CIA Task Force Report that was released last year under the Freedom of Information Act. See […]
President Bush issued Executive Order 13462 last week redesignating the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB) as the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB), and modifying the Board’s functions and interactions with the executive branch. The Order appeared to diminish the Board’s autonomy and to further reduce its influence, which has been negligible in recent years. […]
Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following (all pdf). “Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty: Issues and Arguments,” February 28, 2008. “Fusion Centers: Issues and Options for Congress,” updated January 18, 2008. “The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: A Brief Overview of Selected Issues,” updated February 8, 2008. “The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: Comparison of […]
Noteworthy new publications from the Congressional Research Service include the following (all pdf). “Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Weapons and Missiles: Status and Trends,” updated February 20, 2008. “Water Infrastructure Needs and Investment: Review and Analysis of Key Issues,” updated January 23, 2008. “Russian Energy Policy toward Neighboring Countries,” updated January 17, 2008. “North American Oil […]
The Joint Chiefs of Staff recently reaffirmed the requirement to preserve historically valuable records pertaining to the Iraq War. “Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and NOBLE EAGLE and current operations pertaining to Iraq are a prominent part of American and world history. It is important that we preserve the historical records of these continuing operations and we […]
“The disdain and uncooperative nature that this administration has shown toward Congress… is so egregious that I can no longer assume that it is simply bureaucratic incompetence or isolated mistakes. Rather, I have come to the sad conclusion that this administration has intentionally obstructed Congress’ rightful and constitutional duties.” That rather damning criticism comes not […]
“We fully intend to put the Reimer Digital Library back to where the public can access the unclassified documents,” wrote U.S. Army Major General Tony Cucolo in an email message to Secrecy News. Public access to the online library of U.S. Army publications has been blocked since February 6, when a system security upgrade was […]
The leading presidential candidates should be questioned about their willingness to depart from the secrecy practices that have characterized the Bush Administration, wrote civil libertarian Nat Hentoff in his syndicated column this week. Whether it concerns domestic surveillance, coercive interrogation, or extraordinary rendition, “I haven’t heard any of the frontrunners stress this need for a […]
The simplest, most effective and most achievable way to improve congressional oversight of intelligence might be to utilize the Government Accountability Office to audit and evaluate intelligence programs, a prospect that is opposed by the Director of National Intelligence. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on Friday, February 29 […]
By Hans M. Kristensen The recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Air Force nuclear weapons safety was a welcome but long-overdue event. Internal reports about deteriorating nuclear weapon safety and surety in the Air Force have been accumulating since the early 1990s, but six nuclear weapons had to “disappear” for a day from Minot […]
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence provided an overview of U.S. intelligence data mining development programs in a new report to Congress (pdf). Data mining is used by intelligence agencies to search through databases in order to discern patterns of activity that could indicate a threat to national security. The new report presents […]