The military subculture that pursues the development of fabulous, physically impossible weapons concepts at taxpayer expense is the subject of a new book by defense reporter Sharon Weinberger called “Imaginary Weapons.” Weinberger introduces the hafnium bomb, a hypothetical weapon that would supposedly harness the energy released from a nuclear transition within a hafnium isomer. It […]
The government’s acquisition of telephone records of tens of millions of Americans, as reported last week in USA Today, raises a host of thorny legal issues. In a new report (pdf), the Congressional Research Service performed a preliminary assessment of those issues. “The factual information available in the public domain with respect to any such […]
The widespread use of “Sensitive But Unclassified” (SBU) control markings is a major impediment to information sharing inside and outside of the federal government, according to testimony (pdf) last week from Thomas E. McNamara, the program manager for the Information Sharing Environment, who reports to the Director of National Intelligence. “More than 60 different marking […]
As well established as the practice of intelligence analysis may be, researchers continue to ask elementary questions about what analysis is, how it is done, and how it can be done better. “Intelligence analysis involves a complex process of assessing the reliability of information from a wide variety of sources and combining seemingly unrelated events. […]
A “Historical Dictionary of Israeli Intelligence,” published this month, is the third in a new series of reference works on major intelligence services, following volumes on British and U.S. intelligence. “Mossad,” the name of the Israeli foreign intelligence service, is probably the best known Hebrew word after “shalom,” the preface suggests. The new Dictionary, written […]
The Counterintelligence Office of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) would be abolished under new legislation and its functions would be reintegrated into the Department of Energy. The action would mark a striking reversal of one of the key intelligence reforms adopted following a series of security lapses at the Department of Energy national laboratories […]
Some notable new directives from the Department of Defense on defense and intelligence policy include the following. “DoD Intelligence Interrogations, Detainee Debriefings, and Tactical Questioning” (pdf), DoD Directive 3115.09, Under Secretary of Defense (Intelligence), 3 November 2005, change 1, 10 May 2006. “DoD Law of War Program” (pdf), DoD Directive 2311.01E, May 9, 2006. “Minimum […]
Some recent reports of interest from the Congressional Research Service include the following. “U.S. and International Responses to the Global Spread of Avian Flu: Issues for Congress” (pdf), updated May 1, 2006. “U.S. Policy Regarding the International Criminal Court” (pdf), updated April 26, 2006. “Russia” (pdf), May 8, 2006.
A provocative article written by Gabriel Schoenfeld in the March 2006 issue of Commentary Magazine proposed that the New York Times should be held liable under the espionage statutes for having published the December 16, 2005 article that revealed the existence of the Bush Administration’s warrantless domestic surveillance program. Discussion of that proposal continues with […]
In response to a request from a public interest group, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) agreed (pdf) to disclose the amounts of highly enriched uranium (HEU) fuel sought for export by two foreign countries. But the NRC said it reserved the right to withhold similar information in the future. The Nuclear Control Institute (NCI) had […]
The prosecution of two former officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) for allegedly mishandling classified information is attracting growing attention as the momentous character of the case and its implications for American civil liberties become clear. (AIPAC itself is not a defendant and is not accused of wrongdoing.) “When we say that […]
** The new Journal of National Security Law & Policy has recently published its second issue featuring several meaty articles on interrogation, torture and the rule of law. The full contents of the issue, along with subscription information, are available online here. ** “Regulatory transparency–mandatory disclosure of information by private or public institutions with a […]