“Intentional leaks of intelligence are a violation of law, may result in irrevocable damage to national security, and will not be tolerated,” according to a 2002 directive from the Director of Central Intelligence (pdf) that was itself leaked. The directive largely reiterates longstanding policy, though perhaps with increased vigor. It states twice that leaks will […]
An Army field manual (large pdf) published today updates military policy on “stability operations,” referring to the use of military and other instruments of national power “to maintain or reestablish a safe and secure environment, provide essential governmental services, emergency infrastructure reconstruction, and humanitarian relief.” The new manual “represents a milestone in Army doctrine,” grandly […]
In a newly released series of instructions, the Chief of Naval Operations has directed Navy classifiers to give greater attention to the possible need to classify compilations of unclassified information. According to executive branch classification policy, compilations of information may be classified even when all of their component parts are unclassified. Thus, the executive order […]
“A steady stream of intelligence failures in the 1990s occurred in every facet of CIA activity, from intelligence collection to analysis to counterintelligence to covert action,” writes John Diamond in a new book on “The CIA and the Culture of Failure.” This is of course well-trodden ground, and the author himself reported many of the […]
“FBI Prevents Agents from Telling ‘Truth’ About 9/11 on PBS” by Jeff Stein, Spy Talk, CQ Politics, October 1. “Former CIA Director Porter Goss’s Dusty Foggo Problem” by Laura Rozen, Mother Jones blog, October 1. “China Report Urges Missile Shield” by Bill Gertz, Washington Times, October 1, with a copy of the draft report from […]
A blistering critique of U.S. counterintelligence capabilities was authored by Michelle Van Cleave, the former National Counterintelligence Executive, in a case study prepared for the Project on National Security Reform. See Chapter 2 (pdf page 74) of this document (pdf). “Fundamental Elements of the Counterintelligence Discipline” (pdf), published by the Office of the National Counterintelligence […]
On Sept 23, 2008 the National Biodefense Science Board (NBSB) held an afternoon meeting to review the report and recommendations for the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) that had been prepared by the Disaster Medicine Working Group. The Working Group had assembled an assessment panel which evaluated previous reports done on the NDMS and put […]
The Senate Judiciary Committee has authorized the issuance of a subpoena for a copy of opinions of the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). OLC opinions interpret the law for executive branch agencies. Controversially, they have been used to sanction official departures from existing legal norms in domestic surveillance, prisoner interrogation, and other areas. […]
Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI) this week defended the current structure of congressional oversight of intelligence, and specifically rejected a proposal by Sen. Christopher Bond (R-MO) to establish a subcommittee on intelligence within the Senate Appropriations Committee (described in Secrecy News, Sept. 12). Sen. Bond’s proposal, according to Sen. Inouye, would have the undesirable effect of […]
The African Republic of Burundi this week ratified the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty which prohibits all nuclear explosions. A total of 145 nations have now ratified the Treaty, according to a news release from the CTBT Organization. Detailed background on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty is available from the Congressional Research Service in a report […]
Yale Law School will hold a conference September 27 on “Governing After 2008,” examining a range of national policy issues and possible new directions for the next Administration. I will be speaking on secrecy and accountability. Stop by if you’re in the neighborhood.
By Hans M. Kristensen The new nuclear policy paper National Security and Nuclear Weapons in the 21st Century published quietly Tuesday by the Defense and Energy Departments embraces the “lead and hedge” strategy of the first Clinton administration for how US nuclear forces and policy should evolve in the future. Yet the “leading” is hard […]