It’s an impossible job, and perhaps it was meant to be. The Director of the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) has “responsibility for security classification, safeguarding and declassification policy and oversight throughout the Executive Branch of the United States Government.” Ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound is preferred but not required. Except […]
“It is an abuse of the classification process to withhold from Congress and the people of the United States broad assessments of the extent of corruption in the Iraqi Government.” Remarkably, that complaint was endorsed Tuesday by a large majority of the House of Representatives, which voted 395-21 to condemn the Administration’s restrictions on disclosure […]
A resolution has been introduced in the House of Representatives to honor the participants in “Post Office Box 1142,” a military intelligence interrogation program from World War II. “In advancing the Nation’s interests and uncovering vital secrets, the interrogators at P.O. Box 1142 never resorted to tactics such as sleep deprivation, electrical shock, or waterboarding. […]
The late Chuck Hansen, a relentless and resourceful researcher, worked for decades to document the history, technology, design and development of nuclear weapons. His findings helped nurture a continuing wave of scholarship and historical reflection on nuclear policy and technology. An extensive new collection of his most valuable and important acquisitions has recently been published […]
Earlier this year, the U.S. Army updated its Handbook on Weapon Systems. A copy of that illustrated and annotated catalog is now available online. Along with basic system data, each entry includes information about program contractors and foreign military sales, and other useful reference material. See “2007-2008 Army Weapon Systems.”
In a remarkable episode from the Civil War that is not as widely known as it might be, General Ulysses S. Grant issued Order No. 11 on December 17, 1862 expelling all Jews from those portions of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi where his forces had taken the field. Equally remarkable, President Lincoln did not say […]
In an attempt to convey to reporters the sensitivity of classified signals intelligence information and to discourage unnecessary disclosure of intelligence sources and methods, the National Security Agency held a series of by-invitation-only seminars for reporters and editors dubbed “SIGINT 101.” The seminars, which were apparently held on several occasions between 2002 and 2004, were […]
By an overwhelming majority, the House of Representatives voted yesterday to approve a limited federal shield law that would enable reporters to protect the confidentiality of their sources from compulsory disclosure under most circumstances. See the record of the October 16 House debate here. The White House issued a strong statement of opposition and suggested […]
Noteworthy legal, regulatory and other publications from the Department of Defense include the following (all pdf). “Forged in the Fire: Legal Lessons Learned During Military Operations, 1994-2006,” Center for Law and Military Operations, September 2006 (439 pp, 28 MB PDF file). “Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS),” DoD Directive 1400.35, September 24, 2007. “Minimum Security […]
China’s new Jin-class SSBNs at Huludao shipyard. (click on image for higher-resolution picture) By Hans M. Kristensen The two new Jin-class SSBNs I discovered on Google Earth earlier this month have now been photographed in port by an anonymous photographer. The photograph, which has appeared on several Chinese web sites (here and here) and sent […]
Upon lawful request and for a thousand dollars, Comcast, one of the nation’s leading telecommunications companies, will intercept its customers’ communications under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The cost for performing any FISA surveillance “requiring deployment of an intercept device” is $1,000.00 for the “initial start-up fee (including the first month of intercept service),” according […]
Much of the doctrinal literature concerning Army special operations is restricted from public disclosure, often for good reasons and sometimes for reasons that are hard to understand. But one new special operations manual has been approved for unrestricted public disclosure. As the title indicates, “Airdrop of Supplies and Equipment: Rigging Loads for Special Operations” (FM […]