Establishing civilian control of intelligence and security services is a challenge and a crucial milestone for any aspiring democracy. Among other post-Soviet countries of Eastern Europe, Ukraine has made some remarkable strides in this direction. “As Ukraine continues the process of democratic consolidation, the issue of intelligence oversight remains vital, to ensure political accountability and […]
Noteworthy new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following (all pdf). “Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions,” December 20, 2007. “Data Mining and Homeland Security: An Overview,” updated December 5, 2007. “Polygraph Use by the Department of Energy: Issues for Congress,” updated December 10, 2007. “Egypt: Background and U.S. Relations,” updated December […]
U.S. government regulations that limit disclosures of certain scientific and technical information to foreign nationals — known as “deemed exports” — are obsolete and need to be replaced, according to a new advisory committee report (pdf). More broadly, however, the new report reflects the growing realization that government secrecy policies have become counterproductive and need […]
If a new information security policy emerges, it’s not likely to come from the Central Intelligence Agency, which still adheres to the coldest of cold war secrecy policies. Due to CIA classification restrictions, a new State Department documentary collection on The Intelligence Community, 1950-1955 suffers from significant, basic omissions. “Between the fiscal years ended June […]
New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “U.S. Arms Sales: Agreements with and Deliveries to Major Clients, 1999-2006,” December 20, 2007. “Overview of Education Issues and Programs in Latin America,” December 19, 2007. “Nuclear Weapons: The Reliable Replacement […]
Updated below This week marks one full year since publication of the latest print volume of the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series, the official documentary record of U.S. foreign policy which dates back to the Abraham Lincoln Administration. Publication of FRUS is required by law (Public Law 102-138) and is supposed to […]
Open government advocates hailed the passage of procedural amendments to the Freedom of Information Act that are intended to improve government responsiveness to FOIA requests and to strengthen the hand of requesters. The OPEN Government Act, which cleared both the Senate and the House over the past week, “becomes the first major reform to the […]
Speaking of classification reform, Rep. Jane Harman and 13 Democratic colleagues this week introduced “The Reducing Over-Classification Act of 2007.” The legislation focuses on the Department of Homeland Security and aims to make the Department a model of judicious information policy by curtailing classification and other restrictions on disclosure. “The goal is simple: make the […]
In October, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a riveting hearing with Jack Goldsmith, the former head of the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel. The record of that hearing has just been published. As was widely reported at the time, Mr. Goldsmith challenged the legality of certain aspects of the President’s warrantless surveillance program and […]
The U.S. Army has issued a new field manual (pdf) on the use of National Guard units known as “civil support teams” (CST) to respond to domestic terrorist or other incidents involving weapons of mass destruction. “The mission of the WMD-CST is to support civil authorities at domestic CBRNE [chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield […]
To begin the day the NBSB listened to presentations from each of the members of the Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise (PHEMCE). The Enterprise is coordinated within HHS by the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and includes the NIH, CDC, FDA and BARDA. PHEMCE’s role in HHS is to coordinate the research, development, […]
Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service obtained by Secrecy News include the following (all pdf). “China’s Space Program: Options for U.S.-China Cooperation,” December 14, 2007. “U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress,” updated December 12, 2007. “Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses,” updated December 5, 2007. “Iraq and Al Qaeda,” updated December 7, 2007. […]