Al Qaeda terrorists contemplated an attack on New York subways in 2003 using an “easily constructed” device called a “mubtakkar” to release cyanide gas, according to a story in Time Magazine this week. But there are reasons to question the reliability and significance of the story, suggested chemist George Smith of GlobalSecurity.org. For one thing, […]
“The alteration of official DoD imagery by persons acting for or on behalf of the Department of Defense is prohibited,” advises a new Pentagon Instruction. See “Alteration of Official DoD Imagery” (pdf), DoD Instruction 5040.05, June 6, 2006. “The days of total air superiority by friendly forces are over. Our potential enemies now may have […]
Coverage of the debate in both the House and the Senate on measures to endorse the current policy in Iraq, referred to a mysterious set of talking points, called the Iraq Floor Debate Prep Book. The Washington Post wrote: “Their position was bolstered by a 74-page document drafted by the White House and distributed by […]
Thirty seven Nobel Laureates signed a letter opposing the administration’s proposed nuclear trade deal between India and the United States. The letter was released at a press briefing at the National Press Club yesterday. The Federation of American Scientists was founded by scientists who had worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic […]
The Air Force has published a new report about the threat from ballistic and cruise missiles. The new report, Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat, presents the Air Force National Air and Space Intelligence Center’s (NASIC) assessment of current and emerging weapon systems deployed or under development by Russia, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Iran, Syria […]
Congressional oversight of intelligence is “dysfunctional,” according to a new report from the liberal Center for American Progress. Some of the most urgent and fundamental policy issues facing the nation are matters of intelligence policy: What are the proper boundaries of domestic intelligence surveillance? What is the legal framework for interrogation of enemy detainees? Why […]
The National Security Archive filed suit against the Central Intelligence Agency after the CIA began imposing costs to process Freedom of Information Act requests that it said were not “newsworthy” and therefore not entitled to a fee waiver. By interposing its own editorial judgment in the FOIA process, the CIA in effect is “trying to […]
The organization and management of U.S. Air Force space activities from pre-launch to post-operational disposal are described in a new AF Space Command Instruction (pdf) on “satellite operations.” “The objective of satellite disposal is to reduce the potential for spacecraft collisions and frequency interference, to mitigate the creation of additional space debris and to open […]
Some random reports of the Congressional Research Service that are not otherwise readily available in the public domain include the following: “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Issues and Legislative Options” (pdf), May 22, 2006. “Australia: Background and U.S. Relations” (pdf), April 20, 2006. “China’s Impact on the U.S. Automotive Industry” (pdf), April 4, […]
An interagency report on proposals to streamline controls on so-called “sensitive but unclassified” (SBU) information is due to be presented to the White House this month. Efforts to promote information sharing among government agencies and others involved in homeland security have been stymied by the growing use of over sixty different types of access controls […]
Some agencies treat oversight of their programs as a burden or a threat to be avoided or evaded. But that is a shortsighted view. The paradox of oversight is that when properly performed it actually serves the interests of the overseen program by building confidence in its legitimacy and integrity. Perhaps with that in mind, […]
“The National Security Agency is committed to declassifying national security information as instructed in Executive Order 12958, as amended,” the NSA declared in a 2005 declassification plan (pdf). “The Agency will use all available resources to successfully accomplish the provisions of the E.O. within the required time.” See “NSA Declassification Plan for Executive Order 12958, […]