The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence endorsed a statutory prohibition that prevents the Department of Defense from granting security clearances to former convicts who have served a year or more in jail, individuals who are mentally incompetent, are drug addicts, or have been dishonorably discharged from the military. The Pentagon had requested a repeal of […]
A federal appeals court yesterday heard oral arguments in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking disclosure of two Vietnam-era editions of the President’s Daily Brief. The Central Intelligence Agency refused to disclose the two PDBs to University of California professor Larry Berman, who filed the lawsuit in cooperation with the lawfirm Davis Wright Tremaine […]
Recent Congressional Research Service reports on Navy acquisition programs and related topics include these (all pdf). “Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress,” updated June 12, 2007. “Navy DDG-1000 (DD(X)) and CG(X) Ship Acquisition Programs: Oversight Issues and Options for Congress,” updated June 11, 2007. “Navy CG(X) Cruiser Design Options: Background […]
Some other recently updated Congressional Research Service reports that have not been made freely available to the public include these (all pdf). “China’s Currency: Economic Issues and Options for U.S. Trade Policy,” updated June 28, 2007. “Military Airlift: C-17 Aircraft Program,” updated June 5, 2007. “Indonesia: Domestic Politics, Strategic Dynamics, and American Interests,” updated June […]
One of the few comparatively new features in the post-cold war landscape of U.S. intelligence is the emergence of dozens of domestic intelligence “fusion centers.” These are state and local offices across the country that are supposed to integrate (or “fuse”) multiple information streams from national intelligence sources together with local law enforcement and other […]
Some recently updated reports of the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “Statutory Offices of Inspector General: Past and Present,” updated June 21, 2007. “Medal of Honor Recipients: 1979-2007,” updated May 29, 2007. “GAO: Government Accountability Office and General Accounting Office,” updated June […]
Some of the most important news in Department of Defense information policy has to do with what did not happen. Earlier this year, the Pentagon asked Congress to enact two new provisions that would have restricted public access to broad swaths of unclassified information. But Congress declined to approve either one. One provision would have […]
The United States appears to have quietly removed nuclear weapons from Ramstein Air Base. Here a B61 nuclear bomb is loaded unto a C-17 cargo aircraft. By Hans M. Kristensen The U.S. Air Force has removed its main base at Ramstein in Germany from a list of installations that receive periodic nuclear weapons inspections, indicating […]
The extensive reliance by the U.S. government on private security contractors to support military forces in Iraq poses numerous policy and legal questions that are explored in a new report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service. “The use of armed contractors raises several concerns for many Members, including transparency and accountability,” the report begins. “Transparency […]
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 […]