A noteworthy article from the CIA’s Studies in Intelligence Journal, published in 1979 and declassified last year, describes the use of “remote medical diagnosis” for foreign intelligence purposes. “Remote medical diagnosis is defined as the identification of the illnesses affecting a person without the benefit of a formal medical examination.” The authors provide capsule accounts […]
Congressional Research Service analyses of the Bush Administration’s domestic surveillance activity have been exceptionally influential, and their influence has been magnified by media coverage that has sometimes overstated the rather nuanced conclusions of CRS analysts. But now the CRS may face a backlash from Republican leaders in Congress who apparently resent the agency’s high profile […]
The Pentagon has formally cancelled a controversial revision of its Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations after the document was exposed last year in an article in Arms Control Today and described in the Washington Post. The revised draft doctrine included for the first time descriptions of preemptive use of U.S. nuclear weapons, which prompted the […]
A major new report from the National Research Council warns of future biological threats and urges increased attention to mechanisms for prevention, detection, mitigation and response to the destructive use of biological agents. But secrecy is not one of those mechanisms, the report says. “In general, restrictive regulations and the imposition of constraints on the […]
“The preeminent position that the United States has enjoyed in the life sciences has been dependent upon the flow of foreign scientific talent to its shores,” the National Research Council said in its new report on biosecurity (p. 159). But onerous visa requirements and so-called “deemed export” restrictions on scientific communications could erode the contribution […]
The possibility that Freedom of Information Act requesters can recover attorneys’ fees in FOIA lawsuits makes it easier to find attorneys to represent requesters on a contingency or pro bono basis. Conversely, when new restrictions on the award of attorneys fees are put in place, as they have been in recent years, the availability of […]
The government failed to preserve certain official email messages generated by the Office of the Vice President and the Executive Office of the President in 2003 as required by law, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald revealed in a January 23 letter (pdf). The contents and quantity of the missing email is unknown. In another letter dated […]
Cross-posted from Secrecy News: A new report from the Congressional Research Service takes a detailed look at proposals to significantly restructure the U.S. nuclear weapons complex. The proposals, offered by a Department of Energy Task Force, include closure and consolidation of various nuclear facilities and production of a newly designed Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW). “Some […]
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev nominated the crew of the ill-fated Soviet nuclear submarine K-19, which suffered a loss of coolant accident on July 4, 1961, for a Nobel Peace Prize this week. “Through the courage of the heroic sailors, a reactor explosion and a consequent environmental catastrophe in the ocean were averted,” Mr. Gorbachev […]
Jeffrey Lewis of ArmsControlWonk has obtained a copy of the latest IAEA brief on Iran’s nuclear program, “Developments in the Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement in the Islamic Republic of Iran and Agency Verification of Iran’s Suspension of Enrichment-related and Reprocessing Activities.” The amateur satellite spotters who monitor the orbiting network of classified reconnaissance […]
A new report from the Congressional Research Service takes a detailed look at proposals to significantly restructure the U.S. nuclear weapons complex. The proposals, offered by a Department of Energy Task Force, include closure and consolidation of various nuclear facilities and production of a newly designed Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW). “Some express concern that Task […]
The President did not mention the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership in the State of the Union Address. He did give a half sentence to nuclear power, along with windmills, but no specifics. The Department of Energy budget will be rolled out on Monday, around 2:00 p.m. It might appear there. Will keep you posted if […]