China’s foreign policy goals and actions in Asia, Africa and Latin America are assessed in a new report to Congress (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service. “The study opens with an overview section discussing China’s presumed foreign policy goals, the attractions and limitations of China’s ‘soft power,’ and the implications and options for the United […]
“The number of DEA intelligence analysts has grown from 11 since the DEA’s inception in 1973 to 710 stationed around the world as of March 15, 2008,” according to a new report from the Justice Department Inspector General (IG) on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as an intelligence agency. The new report (pdf) provides the […]
Secret law that governs the conduct of government activities but is inaccessible to the public is “a particularly sinister” phenomenon that is “increasingly prevalent,” said Senator Russ Feingold today at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution. The hearing produced a particularly rich record on the subject of secret law from […]
The House Judiciary Committee has asked the Attorney General (pdf) to report on the classification status of all written opinions of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel issued since 2001 that deal with national security, terrorism, civil or constitutional rights of U.S. citizens, or presidential, judicial or congressional power. “While we appreciate the need […]
The September 6, 2007 Israeli strike against a suspected Syrian nuclear facility remains a puzzle despite the confident assertion by U.S. intelligence officials last week (pdf) that the target was a Syrian reactor constructed for the production of plutonium with the assistance of North Korea. An extensive, frequently updated collection of open source materials on […]
The next ambassador from Bahrain to the United States will be a Jewish woman named Huda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo, according to a report in GulfNews.com last week. “Huda is Bahrain’s nominee for the post and this is of course very good news for Bahrain’s deep-rooted values of tolerance and openness,” said Faisal Fouladh of the […]
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing April 30 on the subject of “secret law.” “It’s been nearly forty years since Professor Kenneth Davis stated in his seminal treatise on administrative law that ‘Secret law is an abomination’,” according to a Committee announcement. “The upcoming hearing will examine the extent to which this abomination […]
Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “Africa Command: U.S. Strategic Interests and the Role of the U.S. Military in Africa,” updated March 10, 2008. “High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) and High Power Microwave (HPM) Devices: Threat Assessments,” updated […]
By Hans M. Kristensen The number of deterrence patrols conducted by Russia’s 11 nuclear-powered ballistic missiles submarines (SSBNs) decreased to only three in 2007 from five in 2006, according to our latest Nuclear Notebook published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. In comparison, U.S. SSBNs conducted 54 patrols in 2007, more than three times […]
By Hans M. Kristensen The Chinese navy has deployed a Jin-class (Type 094) ballistic missile submarine to a new base near Yulin on Hainan Island on the South China Sea, according to a satellite image obtained by FAS. The image shows the submarine moored at a pier close to a large sea-entrance to an underground […]
The military budget is out of control. Not in the sense of the mantra of “waste, fraud, and abuse.” That is, in fact, a tiny slice of the enormous U.S. military spending. No, the budget is out of control in the sense that spending on the military is no longer subject to meaningful political review. […]
“The 2008-2009 election marks the first presidential transition in the post-9/11 era, and is of concern to many national security observers,” a new report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service says. “While changes in administration during U.S. involvement in national security related activities are not unique to the 2008-2009 election, many observers suggest that the […]