The Transportation Security Agency last week circulated a notice to Federal Air Marshals regarding protection of sensitive data (pdf). A copy was obtained by Secrecy News. The notice focuses on Sensitive Security Information (SSI) and so-called Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII). SSI is transportation security-related information that is exempt from disclosure. Sensitive PII includes social […]
A new publication (pdf) from the Joint Chiefs of Staff presents “fundamental principles and guidance for intelligence support to joint operations.” The document provides an overview of the various intelligence-related disciplines, from imagery to interrogation, and their employment in support of military operations. See “Joint Intelligence,” Joint Publication 2-0, 22 June 2007.
The arcane details of national security classification policy became the stuff of late night comedy as White House officials struggled to justify the peculiar refusal of Vice President Dick Cheney to comply with the oversight requirements established by President Bush’s executive order on classification. For two successive days, the White House press briefing was dominated […]
Some recent reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available in the public domain include the following (all pdf). “Long-Range Ballistic Missile Defense in Europe,” June 22, 2007. “Foreign Science and Engineering Presence in U.S. Institutions and the Labor Force,” updated June 21, 2007. “Russian Political, Economic, and Security Issues […]
The Office of Vice President Dick Cheney proposed to abolish the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO), the executive branch organization that oversees the national security classification system, after its Director insisted that the Vice President comply with reporting requirements that apply to all executive branch entities. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the chairman of the House […]
The recent inadvertent disclosure of intelligence spending figures concealed in an official PowerPoint briefing does not reveal the size of the intelligence budget, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said this week (pdf). Close scrutiny of a PowerPoint slide presented by ODNI official Terri Everett (.ppt) at a conference last month turned […]
The House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing last April on the policy of “extraordinary rendition,” referring to the seizure of suspected terrorists and their transfer to a foreign country for detention and interrogation. The record of the hearing, which has just been published (pdf), features the volatile Michael Scheuer, a former CIA official involved […]
Each U.S. military service now has “combat camera” (COMCAM) units that provide a unique visual record of military operations, according to a new manual on COMCAM tactics and procedures (pdf). The photographic and motion imagery produced by military photographers “enhances the commander’s situational awareness and establishes a historical operations record.” If and when such imagery […]
Military doctrine for the planning and execution of U.S. counterdrug operations, including detection, monitoring, disruption and interdiction of illegal drug trafficking, is presented in a new publication from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. See “Joint Counterdrug Operations” (pdf), Joint Publication JP 3-07.4, 13 June 2007. The “capstone” publication for all joint military doctrine was also […]
Noteworthy new reports of the Congressional Research Service on national security, foreign policy and other topics include the following (all pdf). “Venezuela: Political Conditions and U.S. Policy,” updated June 8, 2007. “Navy Role in Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) — Background and Issues for Congress,” updated April 16, 2007. “Turkey’s 2007 Elections: Crisis of Identity […]
On Friday, the Washington Post posted an Associated Press story with a video still of a man in civilian clothes holding what appears to be an advanced SA-18 Igla man-portable air defense system (MANPADS).* To date, the only MANPADS reported to be in the arsenals of the Somali insurgents were the less sophisticated SA-7.** The […]
The structure of Army special operations forces, their capabilities and characteristic mission profiles, and the role of intelligence in supporting them are described in a newly disclosed U.S. Army field manual (pdf). There are nine distinct missions for Army special forces, including: unconventional warfare, direct action, counterproliferation, foreign internal defense, psychological operations, and “special activities,” […]