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 […]
A detailed new portrait of China’s nuclear weapons program is beginning to emerge into the public domain following years of pre-publication conflict between author Danny B. Stillman and the Central Intelligence Agency. Mr. Stillman, a former Los Alamos intelligence officer, was able to learn more about China’s nuclear weapons infrastructure than any other American, particularly […]
A new report from the National Research Council probes deeply into the positive and occasionally negative effects of public participation on the environmental policymaking process. It is practically an article of faith in democratic societies that openness and public participation are presumptively good, but that doesn’t mean it’s true. On closer inspection, however, including empirical […]
Noteworthy new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service obtained by Secrecy News that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments, and Issues,” updated August 5, 2008. “Russia-Georgia Conflict in South Ossetia: Context and Implications for U.S. Interests,” updated August 29, […]
In an unusual maneuver designed to evade a threat of government sanction, a key defense witness in the trial of two former officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) who are charged with mishandling classified information last week moved to quash (pdf) a subpoena summoning him to testify at their upcoming trial. J. […]