Several recent Intelligence Community Directives (ICDs) were released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on January 22 in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from the Federation of American Scientists. Though mostly dry and uninformative, they are nevertheless important as expressions of bureaucratic definition and control. The newly released directives […]
U.S. special operations forces typically make use of some of the most sophisticated military and intelligence gear available. But sometimes a “no tech” solution is the right one. So, for example, Special Forces “may find themselves involved in operations in rural or remote environments… using pack animals,” including horses, donkeys and mules. “Pack animal operations […]
The FAS has obtained, via the Freedom of Information Act, a complete list of “unfavorable determinations” resulting from end-use checks of US arms exports (and export requests) performed by the State Department. The cases underscore the importance of America’s rigorous arms export control system and the danger of relaxing these controls, even on transfers to […]
The Director of the Congressional Research Service last week issued a revised agency policy on “Interacting with the Media” that warns CRS analysts about the “very real risks” associated with news media contacts and imposes new restrictions on speaking to the press. “CRS staff must report within 24 hours all on-the-record interactions with any media […]
In an unusual legal maneuver, the New York Times invoked the “state secrets” doctrine last month in a motion to dismiss the libel suit brought against it by Steven J. Hatfill, the former Army scientist who said he was erroneously linked by the Times to the 2001 anthrax attacks. The case was dismissed on January […]
In a major foreign policy blunder, China reportedly has conducted an anti-satellite (ASAT) test. First reported in Aviation Week and Space Technology, China allegedly used a medium-range ballistic missile to launch an unknown payload that slammed into the Feng Yun (FY-1C) polar-orbit weather satellite approximately 865 km (537 miles) above the earth on January 11. […]
The use of the national security classification system to conceal “earmarks” — targeted allocations of funds — that are self-serving or corrupt would be eliminated if a proposal by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) becomes law. The proposal was offered as an amendment to Senate bill S. 1, the Legislative Transparency and […]
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales notified the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday that President Bush will not reauthorize the controversial Terrorist Surveillance Program and that the surveillance activities conducted in that program will henceforth be subject to authorization by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. The Attorney General’s January 17 letter to Senators Patrick Leahy and Arlen Specter […]
Some noteworthy new reports of the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “Iran: Profile and Statements of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,” January 16, 2007. “Iraq: Regional Perspectives and U.S. Policy,” January 12, 2007. “A Joint Committee on Intelligence: Proposals and Options from the 9/11 […]
The imposition of a deadline for automatic declassification of most 25 year old, historically valuable classified records on December 31, 2006 rewrote the bureaucratic software that governs the national security classification system. In principle, official secrecy can no longer be indefinite and open-ended. Nevertheless, declassification will not be translated into disclosure and public access until […]
The current state of scientific knowledge regarding the conduct of interrogation and related forms of intelligence gathering is limited by numerous gaps in theoretical and practical understanding, according to a new book-length study (pdf) from the Intelligence Science Board, an advisory panel to the U.S. intelligence community. The study was prompted by “concerns about recent […]
“Effective 16 October 2006, Psychological Operations was established as a basic branch of the Army, pursuant to the authority of Section 3063(a)(13), Title 10, United States Code.” That is the substance of General Order 30 (pdf) issued by Secretary of the Army Francis J. Harvey on January 12, 2007. According to the Department of Defense […]