The controversial amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that were enacted under intense Administration pressure earlier this month are reviewed section-by-section in a new report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service. The legislation, dubbed the “Protect America Act of 2007,” removed legal impediments to the interception of foreign communications that pass through the […]
Recent reports from the Congressional Research Service on transportation security and related issues include the following (all pdf). “Highway Bridges: Conditions and the Federal/State Role,” August 10, 2007. “Federal Railroad Safety Programs: Selected Issues in Proposed Reauthorization Legislation,” August 10, 2007. “Transportation Security: Issues for the 110th Congress,” updated August 3, 2007.
Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include these (all pdf). “Diplomacy for the 21st Century: Transformational Diplomacy,” August 23, 2007. “U.S. Foreign Aid to East and South Asia: Selected Recipients,” updated August 22, 2007. “The Role of National Oil Companies in the International […]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has increasingly supplemented its traditional law enforcement role with new intelligence and counterterrorism functions, now says its paramount objective is to “prevent, disrupt, and defeat terrorist operations before they occur.” New domestic intelligence collection activities that have been adopted in pursuit of this goal are described in unusual detail […]
The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee scolded Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff last week for failing to notify him of plans to expand the use of intelligence satellites for homeland security applications. “Unfortunately, I have had to rely on media reports to gain information about this endeavor because neither I nor my staff […]
A comprehensive introduction to military operational law is presented in a new edition of the Operational Law Handbook (pdf) published by the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General. The Handbook, intended for the use of judge advocates, describes tactics and techniques for the practice of operational law. Along the way, it provides a useful survey of […]
A very disturbing report in yesterday’s Guardian details how the Nuclear Regulatory Commission sealed records for two companies that manufacture and store highly enriched uranium in 2004. This was after some “protected information” regarding the Navy’s nuclear program were found on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s website. I am not sure what “protected information” is, but […]
A relatively new technology for enriching uranium known as “Separation of Isotopes by Laser Excitation” or SILEX is described in some fresh detail in a recent Los Alamos paper (pdf). SILEX, developed in 1992 by Australian scientists, is the rarest of birds in U.S. classification policy: It is privately generated information that is nevertheless classified […]
China and the Uniked Kingdom have started a new arms race over who has the smallest nuclear weapons arsenal. By Hans M. Kristensen Mine is smaller! No, mine is smaller!! China and the United Kingdom have started a new type of nuclear arms race for the honor to have the smallest number of nuclear weapons. […]
In compliance with a requirement imposed by Congress, the Central Intelligence Agency declassified and released the executive summary of a CIA Inspector General report (pdf) that was generally critical of CIA performance prior to September 11, 2001. From a secrecy policy point of view, the most interesting thing about the disclosure is that it was […]
In what might be seen as a response to last year’s popular Army Field Manual 3-24 on Counterinsurgency (pdf), the U.S. Air Force has issued a new publication on “Irregular Warfare” (pdf). “Irregular warfare (IW) is defined as a violent struggle among state and nonstate actors for legitimacy and influence over the relevant populations. IW […]
Updated below Although Congress is out of session, the news that classified intelligence satellites may increasingly be used for domestic surveillance applications did not go unnoticed by congressional overseers. Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), chair of a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, sent a letter (pdf) to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff seeking answers to a […]