Some other new reports of the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “Enemy Combatant Detainees: Habeas Corpus Challenges in Federal Court,” updated June 26, 2007. “Defense Procurement: Full Funding Policy — Background, Issues, and Options for Congress,” updated June 15, 2007. “Data Mining […]
National security information sharing between the executive branch and Congress is examined in a recent law review article by Heidi Kitrosser. The author suggests that legitimate executive branch secrecy concerns can be addressed by limiting disclosure of certain information to selected congressional committees or other subsets of Congressional membership, which she calls “information funnels.” See […]
By Hans M. Kristensen A new satellite image appears to have captured China’s new ballistic missile submarine. Coordinates: 38°49’4.40″N, 121°29’39.82″E. A commercial satellite image appears to have captured China’s new nuclear ballistic missile submarine. The new class, known as the Jin-class or Type 094, is expected to replace the unsuccessful Xia-class (Type 092) of a […]
A new pamphlet (pdf) from the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) History Office describes locations in and around Washington, D.C. that have significant associations with the history of U.S. military intelligence. “The sites selected span two centuries of military intelligence in support of the Nation and its Army, starting with George Washington in […]
The White House press office and some Bush Administration critics are insisting that the 2003 executive order on classification policy endowed the Vice President with a unique status and classification powers identical to those of the President himself. But that’s not what the executive order says. “In this executive order the President is saying that […]
The Department of Defense TALON database of threat information that compiled information on U.S. persons involved in domestic protests was implemented in compliance with U.S. law, a review by the DoD Inspector General (pdf) concluded. However, some of the raw information was improperly retained in violation of a DoD directive, the IG said in an […]
The Senate Judiciary Committee last week issued a report on the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act, a bill to repeal provisions adopted in the last Congress that eliminated access to U.S. courts for suspected alien enemy combatants. “The legislation would permit detainees held by the United States Government as enemy combatants, or as potential enemy combatants, […]
Some noteworthy new reports of the Congressional Research Service include the following (all pdf). “Trafficking in Persons: U.S. Policy and Issues for Congress,” updated June 20, 2007. “Intelligence and Information-Sharing Elements of S. 4 and H.R. 1,” June 26, 2007. “Potential F-22 Raptor Export to Japan,” June 28, 2007. “The Department of Defense: Reducing Its […]
A new U.S. Army Field Manual (large pdf) introduces the science and technology of aeronautics to non-specialist readers in a rigorous but readable format. From Bernoulli’s principle to the challenges of night flight, the 392 page manual starts with the rudiments and builds from there. “Because the U.S. Army prepares its Soldiers to operate anywhere […]
Congressional leaders who are investigating the refusal of Vice President Cheney to comply with executive branch procedures for oversight of classification and declassification activity yesterday asked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (pdf) to account for his sluggish handling of the issue. Last January, J. William Leonard, the director of the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO), asked […]
Vice Presidential Chief of Staff David Addington defended Dick Cheney’s refusal to submit to oversight by the Information Security Oversight Office in a June 26 letter (pdf) to Sen. John Kerry. “The executive order on classified national security information — Executive Order 12958 as amended in 2003 — makes it clear that the Vice President […]
The Director of National Intelligence has issued policy guidance (pdf) that encourages and directs temporary assignments for intelligence officials in more than one element of the intelligence bureaucracy as a prerequisite for promotion to senior leadership positions. The idea is that such rotations would increase cohesion within the intelligence community, improve cooperation, and enhance a […]