The Department of Defense last week issued a new directive (pdf) that regulates the conduct of its intelligence activities. It replaces a prior directive from 1988, and reflects the structural changes in national and military intelligence that have occurred since then. “All DoD intelligence and CI [counterintelligence] activities shall be carried out pursuant to the […]
The U.S. Army says it will fulfill its obligations to share information with foreign governments and organizations pursuant to international agreements, but it cautions against promising too much. “The policy of the United States is to avoid creating false impressions of its willingness to make classified or unclassified information/technology available,” according to an August 2 […]
By most available quantitative measures, government secrecy continues to grow in problematic ways, according to a new annual survey (pdf) from the advocacy coalition OpenTheGovernment.org. While the creation of new secrets (termed “original classification decisions”) actually declined in the past year, total classification activity grew significantly, as did the use of controls on unclassified information, […]
Noteworthy reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “Congress and the Internet: Highlights,” August 29, 2007. “Pakistan-U.S. Relations,” updated August 24, 2007. “United Nations Peacekeeping: Issues for Congress,” updated August 21, 2007. “Intelligence Issues for Congress,” updated August 7, 2007. “Extradition […]
Hey, we found the Iraqi WMD’s. They were being stored at the UN! I am sure it will be all over the news by tonight, but it is astonishing how fast the press was all over what really amounts to an act of stupidity, and most certainly not a large public hazard. Sure, one can’t […]
In an earlier blog (see below), I discussed how, during the Congressional debate about the US-India nuclear deal, even those members of Congress opposed to the deal bent over backwards to declare their support for closer ties between the world’s two largest democracies. And everyone agreed the deal is generous, opens long-closed doors, and sets […]
The slim Mk4A reentry body for the W76-1 warhead. The administration plans to produce 2,000 between 2007 and 2021. By Hans M. Kristensen The Bush administration has decided to more than double the number of nuclear warheads undergoing an expensive upgrade for potential future deployment on the Navy’s 14 ballistic missile submarines, according to answers […]
The controversial amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that were enacted under intense Administration pressure earlier this month are reviewed section-by-section in a new report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service. The legislation, dubbed the “Protect America Act of 2007,” removed legal impediments to the interception of foreign communications that pass through the […]
Recent reports from the Congressional Research Service on transportation security and related issues include the following (all pdf). “Highway Bridges: Conditions and the Federal/State Role,” August 10, 2007. “Federal Railroad Safety Programs: Selected Issues in Proposed Reauthorization Legislation,” August 10, 2007. “Transportation Security: Issues for the 110th Congress,” updated August 3, 2007.
Noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include these (all pdf). “Diplomacy for the 21st Century: Transformational Diplomacy,” August 23, 2007. “U.S. Foreign Aid to East and South Asia: Selected Recipients,” updated August 22, 2007. “The Role of National Oil Companies in the International […]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has increasingly supplemented its traditional law enforcement role with new intelligence and counterterrorism functions, now says its paramount objective is to “prevent, disrupt, and defeat terrorist operations before they occur.” New domestic intelligence collection activities that have been adopted in pursuit of this goal are described in unusual detail […]
The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee scolded Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff last week for failing to notify him of plans to expand the use of intelligence satellites for homeland security applications. “Unfortunately, I have had to rely on media reports to gain information about this endeavor because neither I nor my staff […]