The policy infrastructure of U.S. intelligence community is defined by directives issued by the Director of National Intelligence on everything from security policy to roles and missions to relations with Congress. The new system of policy statements, known as Intelligence Community Directives (ICDs), is the successor to the former Director of Central Intelligence Directives (DCIDs). […]
Some notable recent reports of the Congressional Research Service include the following (all pdf). “Extraterritorial Application of American Criminal Law,” updated August 11, 2006. “U.S. Nuclear Weapons: Changes in Policy and Force Structure,” updated August 10, 2006. “NATO in Afghanistan: A Test of the Transatlantic Alliance,” August 22, 2006. “Radioactive Tank Waste from the Past […]
We recently received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security asking us to change the graphics on our website ReallyReady.org because they believe we have infringed on their “intellectual property” because we used logos and graphics that were similar to those used on their site, which was, of course, part of the point. Today […]
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) can be used to monitor U.S. persons who engage in unlawful collection of classified or controlled information even if they are not acting on behalf of a foreign power. That is the upshot of an August 14 ruling (pdf) disclosed last week in the case of two former officials […]
The Congressional Research Service does not make its reports directly available to the public. Recent CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News include the following (all in pdf). “Detection of Explosives on Airline Passengers: Recommendation of the 9/11 Commission and Related Issues,” updated August 9, 2006. “Defense: FY2007 Authorization and Appropriations,” updated August 7, 2006. “Defense […]
The annual financial costs attributable to the national security classification system reached a record high of $9.2 billion in 2005 according to a new report (pdf) from the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO). Classification-related costs include not merely the direct costs of classifying information, which are modest, but also the derivative costs of the personnel […]
U.S. Army policy for dealing with military personnel who assert a conscientious objection to military combat is set forth in a newly updated Army regulation (pdf). Criteria for likely approval or rejection of a conscientious objection claim are described. Claims that are insincere or “based on objection to a certain war” will “not be favorably […]
The first in a new series of Congressional Research Service reports on homeland security intelligence presents a broad introduction to the subject. “The proliferation of intelligence and information fusion centers across the country indicate that state and local leaders believe there is value to centralizing intelligence gathering and analysis in a manner that assists them […]
A new Congressional Research Service report (pdf) proposes an analytical framework for assessing the comparative strengths of U.S. conventional and nuclear forces in the context of a hypothetical future conflict with China. The authors consider “the possible role that U.S. nuclear and conventional forces might play in four stages of potential conflicts: deterrence, prior to […]
In the August 9th edition of Jane’s Defense Weekly, Deputy Editor Robin Hughes reveals alleged plans by Iran to supply Hezbollah with “a steady supply of weapons systems,” including Chinese QW-1 and its own Mithaq (or Misagh) man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS). The article cites unnamed western diplomats, who also claim that Iran agreed to […]
In a favorable decision for two former officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee who are charged with conspiracy to unlawfully gather national defense information, a federal court ruled (pdf) late last week that they did not solicit actual classified documents and that the government cannot now claim that they did. The latest decision […]
A July 31 Department of Homeland Security report to Congress on the status of defenses against shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles was removed from the Federation of American Scientists web site after DHS objected (pdf) to its publication. DHS urged that the unclassified report, marked “For Official Use Only,” be taken offline and, upon consideration, we agreed […]