Noteworthy new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2009,” January 27, 2010. “Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians,” February 26, 2010. “China-North Korea Relations,” January 22, 2010. “Honduran Political […]
One of China’s two Jin-class SSBNs with two open missile tubes. Click for larger image. . By Hans M. Kristensen One of China’s two new Jin-class SSBNs was photographed with two of its 12 missile tubes open when it visited Xiaopingdao Naval Base in March 2009. The Jins are being readied to carry the JL-2, […]
Release of the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) is delayed once again. Originally due late last year, in part so it could inform the on-going negotiations on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty Follow-on (START-FO), after a couple of delays it was supposed to be released today, 1 March, but last week word got out that it […]
The House of Representatives last week approved two secrecy-related amendments to the pending FY 2010 intelligence authorization act (HR 2701). The amendments and the bill itself await further action in a House-Senate conference. An amendment by Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) would require the Director of National Intelligence to identify records held by U.S. intelligence agencies […]
A study (pdf) of the news media in 15 Arab countries shows some new signs of vigor and creativity in the Arab press, despite familiar financial constraints and structural changes affecting news organizations. Overall daily circulation and the number of news publications continue to rise. “We are confident that the fundamentals of the media in […]
Noteworthy new volumes of congressional hearings on national security-related topics include the following (all pdf). “War Powers in the 21st Century,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee, April 28, 2009 (published January 2010). “Voice of Veterans of the Afghan War,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee, April 23, 2009 (published February 2010). “Strategic Importance of the Arctic in U.S. […]
The current U.S. strategic war plan is directed against six adversaries. Guess who. . By Hans M. Kristensen While the completion of the Obama administration’s Nuclear Posture Review continues to slide, FAS today published an issue paper on how a decision to reduce the role of nuclear weapons might influence the U.S. strategic war plan. […]
Missile Watch A publication of the FAS Arms Sales Monitoring Project Vol. 3, Issue 1 February 2010 Editor: Matt Schroeder Contributing Author: Matt Buongiorno Graphics: Alexis Paige Contents: Global Overview Afghanistan: No recent discoveries of shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missiles in insurgent arms caches Eritrea: UN slaps arms embargo on major missile proliferator Iraq: Fewer public reports […]
Executive branch agencies have spent more than a billion dollars on declassification of government records in recent years, but the results have been unsatisfactory, requiring a change in declassification policy and procedure. “Between 1997 and 2007 the Federal Government acknowledges spending $1.343 billion on declassification,” reported Michael J. Kurtz, Assistant Archivist at the National Archives, […]
The Justice Department has released its responses to questions (pdf) originally posed by the House Judiciary Committee in 2007 about the Department’s views on the legal framework governing electronic surveillance under the amended Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. In questions for the record from a September 18, 2007 hearing, House Committee members probed the potential use […]
New reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “Government Interventions in Response to Financial Turmoil,” February 1, 2010. “International Food Aid Programs: Background and Issues,” February 3, 2010. “Architect of the Capitol: Appointment Process and Current Legislation,” February 16, 2010. “Ozone […]
The Quadrennial Deference Review forecasts reduction in regional role of nuclear weapons. By Hans M. Kristensen A little-noticed section of the Quadrennial Defense Review recently published by the Pentagon suggests that that the Obama administration’s forthcoming Nuclear Posture Review will reduce the role of nuclear weapons in regional scenarios. The apparent reduction coincides with a […]