Note: After this entry was posted, the Associated Press revealed that the item in question is actually a 20-year-old expended AT-4 anti-tank missile launcher that posed no threat. This morning a woman from Jersey City discovered a “missile” lying in the grass on her front lawn. Niranjana Besai showed the missile to her neighbor, who […]
By Hans M. Kristensen The now month-long clash between Russia and the West over U.S. plans to build a missile defense system in Europe should warn us that – despite important progress in some areas – Cold War thinking is alive and well. The missile defense system, Moscow says, is but the latest step in […]
The crucial interactions between military forces and the civilian environment in which they operate are the domain of “civil affairs,” a subject of urgent interest to the U.S. military in Iraq and elsewhere. Civil affairs operations that promote cooperation between the military and the local population help to advance the military mission. Activities that generate […]
The Congressional Research Service has recently updated several publications on Afghanistan, including these (all pdf). “NATO in Afghanistan: A Test of the Transatlantic Alliance,” updated July 16, 2007. “Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy,” updated June 21, 2007. “Afghanistan: Narcotics and U.S. Policy,” updated June 19, 2007. “Afghanistan: Government Formation and Performance,” updated June […]
Recent reports from the Congressional Research Service concerning China include these (all pdf). “Hong Kong: Ten Years After the Handover,” June 29, 2007. “China’s Economic Conditions,” updated July 13, 2007. “Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990,” updated July 12, 2007. “China-U.S. Trade Issues,” updated July 11, 2007. “China-U.S. Relations: Current Issues and Implications for […]
The Congressional Research Service, at congressional direction, does not permit direct public access to its products. Members of the public must connive or contrive to gain such access. So we do. Some recent CRS reports that caught our eye include these (all pdf). “Presidential Claims of Executive Privilege: History, Law, Practice and Recent Developments,” updated […]
Does Congress have the constitutional authority to legislate limits on the conduct of the war in Iraq? The answer may seem obvious. But to resolve any lingering doubt, the Congressional Research Service gave the topic a thorough analytic treatment in a newly updated report (pdf) and concluded that Congress does have such authority. “It has […]
The Congressional Research Service has produced several newly updated reports on Iraq for congressional consumption. CRS does not make its publications freely available to the public. But the following reports were obtained by Secrecy News (all pdf). “Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security,” updated July 13, 2007. “Iraq: U.S. Military Operations,” updated July 15, 2007. “Iraq: […]
Classification guides are used by government agencies and program managers to translate top-level national security classification policy into specific guidance on what information is to be classified and at what level. There are innumerable such guides, many of which are themselves classified. One recent (unclassified) example that provides a notion of the entire class of […]
For the second year in a row, the number of new national security secrets created by government officials declined, according to a new report to the President (pdf) from the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO). At the same time, however, the number of new classified records incorporating previously classified information increased sharply, ISOO found. While […]
An exceptionally interesting July 12 House Intelligence Subcommittee hearing on national security classification policy, featuring William Leonard of the Information Security Oversight Office, Meredith Fuchs of the National Security Archive, and myself, was recorded by C-SPAN and may be viewed online, at least temporarily, here. In accordance with new legislative transparency provisions, the Senate Intelligence […]
Updated below There are several practical steps that could be taken to improve national security classification and declassification policy, a House Intelligence subcommittee was told yesterday. In my testimony (pdf) at the July 12 hearing, chaired by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), I presented a menu of actionable proposals for the subcommittee to consider: Agency inspectors […]