In 2004, Congress enacted an ambiguously-worded statute that made it a crime to produce, possess, or use the variola virus (which causes smallpox) or any derivative of it that has more than 85 percent of the variola gene sequence. Scientists were alarmed because the statute could be read to prohibit possession of other viruses that […]
Index on Censorship, the British magazine on freedom of expression, devotes its latest issue to secrecy, surveillance and executive authority in the United States at the end of the Bush Administration. It features articles by Jameel Jaffer, Geoffrey R. Stone, Eric Lichtblau, Patrick Radden Keefe, and myself, among others. Many of the articles can be […]
Noteworthy new Congressional publications on arms control-related topics include the following. “North Korea and Its Nuclear Program — A Reality Check” (pdf), Report to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, October 2008. “International Convention for Suppression of Nuclear Terrorism,” Report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, September 11, 2008. “Technologies to Combat Weapons of […]
In April 2006, Iran successfully test-fired a new high-speed torpedo called Hoot. It was test-fired again last July, along with various other missiles. “The torpedo is capable of destroying the largest warships and any other vessel on the surface or beneath the water, and split it into two parts,” according to an Iranian Naval Forces […]
Despite compulsory legislative reforms and multiple executive orders intended to streamline the granting of security clearances for access to classified information, the process remains “cumbersome,” according to a new House Intelligence Committee report. While backlogs and processing time have been reduced since enactment of the 2004 Intelligence Reform Act, overall “progress over the past five […]
Andrei Soldatov, the Russian journalist who runs the independent web site Agentura.ru that reports on Russian intelligence and security services, was the subject of a profile last week prepared by the DNI Open Source Center. “Soldatov has regularly highlighted the increasing influence of the special services in Russian government, reported on the security services’ efforts […]
Charles Homans considers “The Last Secrets of the Bush Administration” in the latest Washington Monthly. “An accounting of the Bush years is a less daunting prospect than it seems from the outset,” he says. “If the new president and leaders on Capitol Hill act shrewdly, they can pull it off while successfully navigating the political […]
Government officials were reminded recently that as they depart from government service with the end of the current Administration, they are not permitted to take classified information with them. “Classified information is not personal property and may not be removed from the Government’s control by any departing official or employee. This includes ‘extra’copies.” That timely […]
The United States Special Operations Command has published a newly updated handbook for use by special operations forces medics in the field. “It emphasizes acute care in all its forms (including gynecology, general medicine, dentistry, poisonings, infestations, parasitic infections, acute infections, hyper and hypothermia, high altitude, aerospace, dive medicine, and sanitation.)” The document, which is […]
Newly published congressional reports and hearing volumes that caught our eye include the following (mostly pdf). “Misleading Information from the Battlefield: The Tillman and Lynch Episodes,” Report of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, September 16, 2008. “Restoring the Rule of Law,” hearing before the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Senate Judiciary Committee, September […]
Some more reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “The U.S. Financial Crisis: The Global Dimension with Implications for U.S. Policy,” November 18, 2008. “China and the Global Financial Crisis: Implications for the United States,” updated November 17, 2008. “Reporting Requirements […]
Scattered details of a little-known U.S. government database containing the DNA of suspected terrorists were gathered and reported today in the Financial Times. See “Fears over Covert DNA Database” by Stephen Fidler. The Joint Federal Agencies [or more often: Antiterrorism] Intelligence DNA Database (JFAIDD) is described in a 2007 briefing slide (pdf) as “a searchable […]