Russia’s Okno and Krona space surveillance systems are profiled in a newly updated open-source documentary collection (pdf) by former CIA analyst Allen Thomson. The precise location of the Okno facility, which is in Tajikistan, has not been publicly identified. But last year, observed Mr. Thomson, a new “Krona-N radar site near Nakhodka was found in […]
A new U.S. Army Field Manual presents an introduction for soldiers to “the warrior ethos” (large pdf). “Modern combat is chaotic, intense, and shockingly destructive,” the document states. “In your first battle, you will experience the confusing and often terrifying sights, sounds, smells, and dangers of the battlefield–but you must learn to survive and win […]
Espionage remains “a very real threat to U.S. national security,” a House Judiciary Committee panel was told this week. “Since the end of the Cold War, there have been 78 individuals arrested for espionage or espionage-related crimes and since the 21st century began, there have been 37 individuals arrested in the US as agents of […]
Author Max Holland takes an advance peek at a new, not-yet-published book about the 9/11 Commission. “In a revelation bound to cast a pall over the 9/11 Commission, [New York Times reporter] Philip Shenon will report in a forthcoming book that the panel’s executive director, Philip Zelikow, engaged in ‘surreptitious’ communications with presidential adviser Karl […]
Noteworthy new and newly updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following (all pdf). “Presidential Transitions,” updated December 27, 2007. “Engineered Nanoscale Materials and Derivative Products: Regulatory Challenges,” January 22, 2008. “NATO in Afghanistan: A Test of the Transatlantic Alliance,” updated January 7, 2008. “The Changing U.S.-Japan Alliance: Implications for U.S. Interests,” updated […]
At a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing today, witnesses discussed the feasibility and advisability of legislating reforms to the state secrets privilege. The state secrets privilege has been used by the executive branch to block discovery in civil litigation when the government believes that there is an unacceptable risk of disclosure of sensitive national security secrets. […]
Newly updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “China’s Currency: Economic Issues and Options for U.S. Trade Policy,” updated January 9, 2008. “Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy,” updated January 14, 2008. “Future of the Balkans and U.S. Policy […]
At a press briefing on Wednesday, John Rood, the Acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, fielded questions about the Bush Administration’s new Export Control Directive – the latest attempt to reduce delays and inefficiencies in the State Department’s export control system. If implemented properly, some of the proposals could help […]
The Senate Intelligence Committee proposal to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which is under consideration on the Senate floor today, “does not contain adequate protections to guard against the kind of Executive abuse that occurred with the [Terrorist Surveillance Program] and related programs,” according to a new Senate Judiciary Committee report. “Congress is […]
The U.S. Air Force last week issued revised procedures (pdf) for securely maintaining and transporting nuclear weapons. The move follows an incident last August in which crewmen at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota mistook missiles armed with nuclear weapons for unarmed missiles and flew them across the country without authorization. Though the Minot […]
A rising tide of criticism of the use of the state secrets privilege to derail litigation against the government has yielded new legislation introduced in the Senate to define the privilege and to limit its use. The state secrets privilege has been invoked with growing frequency to deflect claims of unlawful domestic surveillance, detention, and […]
There is a “great need” for legislation that will specifically prohibit and punish unauthorized disclosures of communication intelligence (COMINT), the U.S. military argued in a newly-released 1944 report (pdf). Such a law was in fact enacted in 1950. “Unauthorized disclosures… have jeopardized, on several occasions, the results of many years of arduous research and have […]