The Bush Administration formally notified (pdf) the Senate this week that it objects to a provision in a pending bill on homeland security that would require publication of the annual intelligence budget total. “The Administration strongly opposes the requirement in the bill to publicly disclose sensitive information about the intelligence budget.” “Disclosure, including disclosure to […]
The somber duties associated with official reporting of U.S. Army casualties, including notification of survivors, are spelled out in exhaustive detail in a new Army regulation (pdf). “Generally, casualty matters are unclassified,” the regulation states (obliquely admitting the possibility of classified casualties), “but they are assigned the protective marking of For Official Use Only” until […]
A legislative proposal by Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) that would criminalize the unauthorized disclosure or publication of classified information “concerning efforts by the United States to identify, investigate, or prevent terrorist activity” is drawing strong opposition even before it has been formally introduced. The Kyl proposal (pdf), which would amend the espionage statute at 18 […]
A new U.S. Air Force directive “provides policies for managing nuclear weapons and weapon systems, and for protecting personnel, property, and the environment from hazardous exposure to radioactive materials.” See Air Force Policy Directive 91-1, “Nuclear Weapons and Systems Surety” (pdf), 13 February 2007. Another new Air Force document on combating the threat or use […]
Analysts at the Congressional Research Service continue to churn out reports for Congress faster than they can reasonably be digested. Not all of them are of broad interest, nor do they consistently offer original content or significant analytical insight. But as long as Congress refuses to make them available online to the general public, there […]
The Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB), an advisory body whose members were appointed by the President and the Congress, held its eleventh meeting on February 24 to receive public input on potential improvements to national security classification and declassification policy. Much of the session was devoted to discussion of whether the annual intelligence budget total […]
Some recent reports of the Congressional Research Service that have not previously been made readily available in the public domain include the following (all pdf). “Climate Change: Science and Policy Implications,” January 25, 2007. “Foreign Science and Engineering Presence in U.S. Institutions and the Labor Force,” updated January 12, 2007. “U.S. Military Dispositions: Fact Sheet,” […]
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency announced today that it has canceled the controversial Divine Strake experiment. A 700 tons chemical explosion at the Nevada Test Site was intended to provide data for calibration of nuclear and conventional weapons against underground targets. Local fear that the explosion would kick up and disperse radioactive material from the […]
The statutes that enable the government to gain legal access to telephone records, whether for law enforcement or intelligence purposes, are examined in a newly updated report (pdf) from the Congressional Research Service. The report also discusses prohibitions on access to, or disclosure of, such records, along with exceptions to the prohibitions. See “Government Access […]
In a new study (pdf), the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government says that federal agencies have made little progress in improving their Freedom of Information Act programs, despite a year-old executive order directing them to become more requester friendly. The JASON defense science advisory panel released a slightly revised unclassified summary (pdf) of its […]
In the unprecedented prosecution of two former officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a federal court last year upheld the government’s controversial claim that the Espionage Act could be used to prosecute the unauthorized receipt and transmittal of classified information by private citizens who are not engaged in espionage. But as the […]
Intelligence analysis “must be objective and independent of political considerations,” according to a new “capstone” directive (pdf) issued by the Director of National Intelligence. The directive establishes the policy framework for intelligence analysis and defines a set of methodological standards and expectations, with an emphasis on inter-agency collaboration and outreach. “The IC will seldom have […]