Some noteworthy new reports from the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “Interrogation of Detainees: Overview of the McCain Amendment,” updated September 25, 2006. “The War Crimes Act: Current Issues,” September 25, 2006. “U.S. Policy Regarding the International Criminal Court,” updated August 29, […]
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says that it will no longer conceal the amounts of highly enriched uranium (HEU) fuel proposed for export to foreign research reactors. The announcement marks a step back from the heightened secrecy adopted by the NRC and other government agencies post-September 11. The revised policy had been sought by the […]
The Central Intelligence Agency requires current and former employees to submit all intelligence-related material that they intend to publish to the CIA for pre-publication review. Depending on the political climate, the subject matter and sometimes the personalities involved, the pre-publication review process can be routine and relatively painless, or it can be a bureaucratic nightmare […]
Some noteworthy military, intelligence and classification-related publications that have recently been issued include the following (all pdf). “Joint Operations,” JP 3-0 published on September 17, 2006 by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “reflects the current guidance for conducting joint and multinational activities across the range of military operations.” “The Iraqi Documents: A Glimpse Into the […]
Congress has appropriated about $437 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through FY 2006, according to a newly updated report from the Congressional Research Service. See “The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11” (pdf), updated September 22, 2006. Some other notable new CRS reports that have […]
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The U.S. Department of Justice said this week that it will seek to overturn a federal court ruling that required the National Reconnaissance Office to process a request from the Federation of American Scientists for release of NRO budget documents. In a July 24, 2006 decision (pdf), Judge Reggie B. Walton had ruled that the […]
Contrary to allegations by some military officers and members of Congress, the Top Secret Department of Defense intelligence analysis program known as ABLE DANGER “did not identify Mohammed Atta or any other of the 9/11 terrorists before the 9/11 attack,” a review by the Department of Defense Inspector General concluded (9.2 MB PDF). Rep. Curt […]
Some recent reports of the Congressional Research Service that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf). “Science and Technology Policy: Issues for the 109th Congress,” updated September 1, 2006. “Navy Ship Names: Background For Congress,” updated September 1, 2006. “Legal Developments in International Civil Aviation,” updated August 25, […]
A decision to trim a tree in the Korean demilitarized zone in 1976 escalated into a threat to use nuclear weapons. After a fatal skirmish between U.S. and North Korean border guards, U.S. forces in the region were placed on heightened alert (DEFCON 3) and nuclear forces were deployed to signal preparations for an attack […]
David T. Lykken, a psychologist who did pioneering research and public education on the limits and abuses of polygraph testing, died last week at age 78. With exceptional clarity he demonstrated that the polygraph is not a “lie detector” but simply a recorder of physiological responses to verbal stimuli. And, he explained, there is no […]
When the U.S. Army established a password-protected internet portal called Army Knowledge Online a few years ago, it swallowed up untold thousands of unclassified records that had previously been publicly available on the world wide web, and then ceased to be. One such item was the Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin (MIPB), a quarterly Army journal […]