The National Reconnaissance Office has published a new Journal in unclassified format. “National Reconnaissance: Journal of the Discipline and Practice” is intended “for the education and information of the NRO community” and to promote “the study, dialogue, and understanding of the discipline, practice, and history of national reconnaissance.” The centerpiece of the first issue is […]
For several decades the Naval Security Group (NAVSECGRU) Command has been the Navy’s cryptologic organization, with responsibility for signals intelligence and communications security and with NAVSECGRU Activities scattered around much of the world. But now the NAVSECGRU Command has been disestablished and all NAVSECGRU Activities and Detachments have been renamed as Navy Information Operations Commands […]
Air Force personnel are warned in a recent instruction not to track low observable (LO) or “sight sensitive” aircraft during test flights at Edwards Air Force Base. “Low observable” is another term for stealth, and “sight sensitive” refers to objects that yield sensitive information simply by visual inspection. “It is strictly forbidden to train tracking […]
A resolution introduced in the German Parliament last week calls for the withdrawal of U.S. nuclear weapons from Germany. The resolution, which was submitted by nine parliamentarians from the newly formed party Die Linken, also calls for the German Air Force to end its controversial NATO mission to deliver U.S. nuclear bombs in times of […]
After nearly a decade of pressure from openness advocates inside and outside of government, the Department of Energy has finally released its landmark history of the production of highly enriched uranium (HEU). The study “was commissioned [in 1996] to facilitate discussions of HEU storage, safety, and security with stakeholders, to encourage other nations to declassify […]
Last week, Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) lashed out at the Congressional Research Service for asserting that the Bush Administration may have had a legal responsibility to notify more than just eight members of Congress regarding the NSA surveillance activity. Rep. Hoekstra, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, did not merely suggest that the CRS […]
The Department of Defense is moving ahead smartly in response to President Bush’s executive order (EO) 13392 directing agencies to improve the processing of Freedom of Information Act requests. Many outside observers were puzzled by the issuance of the December 14, 2005 order, since the current Administration has been no friend of FOIA or of […]
U.S. Air Force doctrine on special operations is presented in a new Air Force publication. “This publication provides the overarching doctrinal guidance for the conduct of Air Force special operations across the full range of military operations. It describes the characteristics, capabilities, United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) core tasks, Air Force Special Operations Command […]
Here I detail the two major pieces of biosecurity legislation up for consideration by Congress this year, S.1873, The Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2005 and S.1880, The National Biodefense and Pandemic Preparedness Act of 2005. They both address similar issues relating to the nation’s ability to develop countermeasures against emerging […]
In a rare relaxation of mounting restrictions on disclosure of government information, the Labor Department has agreed to reverse its policy of withholding notes taken by mine safety inspectors from prompt release under the Freedom of Information Act. In a January 11 letter written in the wake of the Sago mine disaster, Rep. Henry Waxman […]
Sunshine Week is a broad-based initiative intended to focus public concern over the growth of official secrecy. During the week of March 13, 2006, there will be a series of events exploring the diverse and increasing barriers that obstruct public access to government information. Details and educational resources are available on the Sunshine Week web […]
The Department of Defense has abandoned plans to revise its Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations. The draft revision became controversial when it was disclosed last year because of its unusually frank discussion of preemptive use of nuclear weapons. The decision to cancel the revision was discovered by Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists. […]