“If you would converse with me,” Voltaire is supposed to have said, “define your terms!” Several new military dictionaries make it easier to define elusive or obscure military terms. The Department of Defense has updated (for the second time this year) its massive “Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms,” Joint Publication 1-02, through 17 September […]
Updated Below The Bush Administration has issued a new National Space Policy that stresses unilateral American freedom of action in space. The new policy is intended to “enable unhindered U.S. operations in and through space to defend our interests there.” The policy affirms “the use of outer space by all nations for peaceful purposes, and […]
With the failure to stop and reverse the spread of nuclear weapons, military planners do not have the luxury of ignoring the possibility that such weapons might be used against military or civilian targets, abroad or at home. A new Department of Defense doctrinal publication (pdf) defines policies and procedures for managing “the consequences from […]
Some recent reports of the Congressional Research Service, not readily available to the public, include the following (all pdf). “Border Security: Barriers Along the U.S. International Border,” September 21, 2006. “The European Union’s Energy Security Challenges,” September 11, 2006. “Iraqi Civilian, Police, and Security Forces Casualty Estimates,” updated September 14, 2006.
Last week President Bush signed the Fiscal Year 2007 Homeland Security Appropriations Act, which includes $40 million for the Department of Homeland Security’s Counter-MANPADS Program – a multi-year initiative launched in 2003 to evaluate the feasibility of installing anti-missile systems on commercial airliners. The appropriation is nearly 10 times higher than the amount requested by […]
Five years after September 11, the government’s capacity to share intelligence and threat information with state and local officials (not to mention the public) remains sub-optimal, some of those officials complain. “Much of the needed intelligence information is locked away from those who need it in the field or on the scene because of outdated […]
A bill introduced by Congressional Democrats would empower the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to perform financial audits and other oversight of U.S. intelligence agencies, a function that those agencies have long resisted. “Since 9/11, effective [intelligence] oversight is needed now more than ever,” said Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) in a September 28 floor statement. “However, […]
Congress adopted legislation that limits the ability of the Department of Homeland Security to withhold so-called “sensitive security information” (SSI), which is a category of restricted information related to transportation security. The 2007 Homeland Security Appropriations Act would, among other things, require “the release of certain SSI information that is three years old unless the […]
Family members of U.S. military intelligence personnel who are killed while engaged in clandestine intelligence operations may be eligible for special monetary gratuities, according to a recently updated Defense Department Instruction (pdf). “A gratuity shall be paid to the dependents of any member of the Armed Forces or of any employee of the Department of […]
After years of public controversy, the Department of Energy has adopted a new polygraph testing policy that it said “will significantly reduce the number of individuals who will undergo a polygraph examination.” In particular, “DOE has decided to alter the role of polygraph testing as a required element of the counterintelligence evaluation program by eliminating […]
With hundreds of millions of pages to be reviewed for declassification in the coming decade, the National Archives (NARA) faces an enormous logistical challenge if it is to discharge its responsibility to open up the historical record to the American public. A new “Report on Declassification Challenges” (pdf) suggests that the Archives, led by National […]
Some new products of the Congressional Research Service obtained by Secrecy News include the following (all pdf). “Enemy Combatant Detainees: Habeas Corpus Challenges in Federal Court,” updated September 26, 2006. “Terrorist Surveillance Act of 2006: S. 3931 and Title II of S. 3929, the Terrorist Tracking, Identification, and Prosecution Act of 2006,” September 25, 2006. […]