The Federation of American Scientists has added a fifth Case Study to our Dual-Use Research education series. This new case study focuses on the work of Dr. Stuart Levy of Tufts University School of Medicine in antibiotic resistance. Dr. Levy is also a member of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB). Dr. Levy’s […]
A U.S. Army official told the Federation of American Scientists that Army documents on the FAS web site had been published by FAS “illegally” and must be removed. “There are only 5 Official Army Publications Sites,” wrote Cheryl Clark of the U.S. Army Publications Directorate in a May 4 email message. “You are not one […]
The recent evolution of Army operations security (OPSEC) policy can be traced from the 1995 regulation (pdf) on the subject to the 2005 revision (pdf) to the latest iteration of April 2007 (pdf). In response to reporting by Noah Shachtman of Wired News and the Danger Room blog, the Army issued a Fact Sheet (pdf) […]
The U.S. Army issued an updated regulation (pdf) governing its conduct of intelligence activities, including domestic surveillance policy and practice. The new regulation makes several technical changes and rescinds the “For Official Use Only” status of the prior edition. See “U.S. Army Intelligence Activities,” Army Regulation 381-10, May 3, 2007. For comparison, the prior edition, […]
Some noteworthy new (or newly updated) publications of the Congressional Research Service that have not otherwise been made available to the public online include the following (all pdf). “FY2007 Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Other Purposes,” updated May 2, 2007. “Congressional Authority To Limit U.S. Military Operations in Iraq,” updated April 24, 2007. […]
In a recent article on the resurgence of Islamic rebels in Somalia, Associated Press reporter Chris Tomlinson provides new information on the shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missiles allegedly supplied to Somali Islamists last year. Tomlinson claims that the Shabab – the military wing of the Council of Islamic Courts – received 200 shoulder-fired missiles from Eritrea, one […]
Updated Below Los Alamos National Laboratory will no longer permit historians and other researchers to have access to its archival records because Los Alamos National Security (LANS), the private contractor that now operates the Lab, says it has “no policy in place” that would allow such access. “Policies that had previously applied to the University […]
A major new report from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) describes government secrecy and public access policies in dozens of countries from Albania to Uzbekistan. The report surveyed freedom of information (FOI) laws, national security classification policies, penalties for unauthorized disclosures of information, and provisions for protecting journalists’ sources. There is […]
A Bush Administration plan to require a standardized identification system for federal employees poses “severe threats to the privacy rights of scientists and others,” employees at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) wrote to Congress last week (pdf). In August 2004, President Bush issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12, “Policy for a Common Identification Standard […]
When the government asserts the state secrets privilege in the course of litigation, the judiciary must independently evaluate the purported secret that is at issue and should not simply defer to the executive branch, several public interest groups argued in an amicus curiae brief (pdf) this week. The brief, to which the FAS Project on […]
Updated below A new U.S. Army regulation (pdf) on Operations Security (OPSEC) would sharply restrict the ability of soldiers to participate in public life without supervision and authorization from superior officers. The regulation also encourages Army personnel to view attempts by unauthorized persons to gather restricted information as an act of subversion against the United […]
The planning and performance of Joint Special Operations are described in some detail in a new publication (pdf) from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Joint special operations (SO) are conducted by SOF [special operations forces] from more than one Service in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive environments to achieve military, diplomatic, informational, and/or economic objectives […]