“The chances for a radical change in leadership in Cuba are remote,” the Central Intelligence Agency assessed in a 1966 analysis (pdf) that was declassified last year. “Fidel Castro is still the undisputed ‘maximum leader’ of the Cuban revolution and the dominant figure in Cuban politics, despite rumors to the contrary which circulated widely last […]
“The United States and Canada maintain the world’s largest trading relationship, one that has been strengthened during the past fifteen years by the approval of two multilateral free trade agreements,” according to another recently updated Congressional Research Service report (pdf). “But it has been over security-related matters, particularly defense spending, Iraq, and missile defense, that […]
As frequently mentioned, the Congressional Research Service does not make its products directly available to the public. Some noteworthy new CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News and not readily accessible elsewhere include the following (all pdf). “Nuclear Weapons: Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty,” updated May 24, 2007. “Access to Government Information in the United States,” updated […]
A new Joint Chiefs of Staff publication (pdf) describes operational principles for executing deployment and redeployment — meaning transfer or withdrawal — of U.S. military forces. “Redeployment operations, particularly for combat units, … should be identified and planned as early as possible,” the document instructs. “The operation or campaign is concluded when the national strategy […]
How many SSBNs are China building? The Pentagon’s new annual report on Chinese military power ignores a recent projection made by the Office of Naval Intelligence that China may be building five new ballistic missile submarines. The projection has since become a public “fact” after being spread around the world by news papers and private […]
Updated below An unidentified Republican Senator placed a secret hold on the Open Government Act, a bipartisan bill to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act, thereby preventing the Senate from acting on the bill this week. “Regrettably, an anonymous Republican hold is stalling this important Freedom of Information Act legislation, needlessly delaying long-overdue reforms to […]
The Department of Defense has issued a new statement of security policy for the Raven Rock Mountain Complex, also known as Site R, which is one of the U.S. government’s emergency command centers and relocation sites. Although it is located in Pennsylvania, not Virginia, Raven Rock was legally designated in 2003 as part of the […]
The role of domestic criminal activity in generating financial and operational support for terrorism is considered in a new report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service. So-called “terrorist precursor crimes” may include various types of fraud, counterfeiting, narcotics trade, and illegal weapons procurement. “This report provides an overview of the types of terrorist precursor crimes […]
Judge Reggie B. Walton was appointed to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court by the Chief Justice of the United States effective May 19, Secrecy News has learned. The FIS Court, established by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, is composed of eleven District Court judges who are responsible for authorizing government requests for electronic […]
Historians and other researchers may continue to access archival records at Los Alamos National Laboratory, officials said last week. But they also affirmed strict new limits on such access. A story in Secrecy News (May 3) describing new restrictions on researchers was based on a misunderstanding by Lab personnel, Department of Energy and Lab officials […]
The FAS has acquired, via a Freedom of Information Act request, additional information about a cache of “22 surface-to-air missiles” discovered by Coalition Forces north of Baghdad on 4 January 2006. According to the responsive document – a redacted entry from a database maintained by Multi-National Corps-Iraq (MNC-I) – the missiles were SA-13 “Gopher” surface-to-air […]
An unclassified catalog of U.S. Air Force aircraft, weapons, and other systems — from the A-10 Thunderbolt to the Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser — is presented in a new Air Force publication. See The Air Force Handbook 2007 (326 pages, 17 MB PDF file).