The Federation of American Scientists Biosecurity Project has the following position available: Job Title: Project Manager for Biosecurity Location: Washington, D.C. Salary: Commensurate with experience, generous benefits Education: Ph.D. or Masters degree considered. Description: FAS is looking for a smart, energetic individual to help direct a major web-based project using innovative video, multimedia and social […]
Stating that “dozens of billions of dollars” had been secretly wasted on misconceived intelligence programs, Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO) and other members of the Senate Intelligence Committee yesterday called for creation of a new subcommittee on intelligence within the Senate Appropriations Committee that would exercise greater control on intelligence spending. In the absence of a […]
A U.S. government compilation of interviews and other public statements issued by Usama bin Laden between 1994 and 2004 is now publicly available (pdf). The texts were translated by the CIA’s Foreign Broadcast Information Service (which has since been succeeded by the Open Source Center). The 289-page collection has not been approved for public release, […]
The House of Representatives yesterday passed the Overclassification Reduction Act, a bill that is intended to help reduce inappropriate classification of information in government. The bill would require the National Archivist to develop regulations to help combat overclassification. The bill would mandate increased accountability for classification actions, with incentives for challenging improper classification and penalties […]
By almost every available measure, government secrecy continued to increase over the past year, according to report this week from OpenTheGovernment.org, a broad coalition of consumer and open government groups. The report (pdf) describes the mostly unfavorable trends across a range of quantitative indicators, including classification and declassification activity, “black budget” spending, invention secrecy, Freedom […]
The State Department Historian last week released a new electronic volume of Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS), the official documentary record of U.S. foreign policy, devoted to events in Eastern Europe from 1973-1976. While every FRUS publication is of interest, the latest E-volume reinforced concerns about diminishing quality control in the venerable series. […]
A newly disclosed U.S. Army memorandum (pdf) from 2001 describes the procedures that the Department of Defense must follow to invoke the state secrets privilege, from identifying the information at issue to preparing the required declarations to support the claim of privilege. “These guidelines are intended to provide an instructive road-map for addressing the common […]
Knowledge management — referring to the creation, organization, application and transfer of knowledge — is systematically explored in a new U.S. Army Field Manual (pdf). Military knowledge management has been going on “implicitly since military operations began,” the Manual notes. But by making its practices explicit, the Manual aims to increase the awareness and efficiency […]
The increasing demands placed on U.S. special operations forces have created new challenges for training and retention that were described at a congressional hearing last year (pdf). “Recruiting since 9/11 has not been a problem for Special Operations Forces,” said Gen. Bryan D. Brown, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. “Every seat in every school […]
Noteworthy publications from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “India-U.S. Relations,” updated August 12, 2008. “Pakistan-U.S. Relations,” updated August 25, 2008. “Venezuela: Political Conditions and U.S. Policy,” updated August 1, 2008. “Latin America: Terrorism Issues,” updated August 27, 2008. “Iraq and Al […]
Sarkozy says he wants to be more open about France’s nuclear arsenal “than anyone ever has been” about theirs. OK, does the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle still carry nuclear weapons in peacetime? . By Hans M. Kristensen The French nuclear weapons arsenal currently includes approximately 300 warheads, according to our latest estimate published in […]
“Secrecy,” a well-reviewed documentary on national security secrecy, begins a theatrical run this month in selected theaters around the country. By identifying secrecy as a problem, filmmakers Peter Galison and Robb Moss implicitly adopt a critical stance towards their subject matter. But they also make a determined effort to present articulate defenders of secrecy policy […]