Did U.S. intelligence analysts actually “replicate” the mobile biological weapons laboratories that were supposedly deployed by Saddam Hussein, as stated in the Silberman-Robb Commission report? Arms control expert Milton Leitenberg of the University of Maryland posed this question earlier this year. Based on his own investigations, he has now concluded that there was no such […]
“I have been reading [former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon’s biography for a while now, and I am going to read the book again.” So said Hizbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah in an autobiographical note published last week in a Tehran magazine. In a discussion of his political objectives, he seemed to exclude the possibility of […]
The U.S. Army has updated its regulations governing unmanned aircraft system operations. See “Unmanned Aircraft System Flight Regulations” (pdf), U.S. Army Regulation 95-23, 7 August 2006.
The administration has submitted a $250M request to Congress to start work on a plutonium recycling program as part of its Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, or GNEP, proposal. Trying to figure out exactly what the proposal is has been like trying to nail Jell-o to the wall. Whatever criticism is raised, DOE responds that, no, […]
In a momentous expansion of the government’s authority to regulate public disclosure of national security information, a federal court ruled that even private citizens who do not hold security clearances can be prosecuted for unauthorized receipt and disclosure of classified information. The ruling (pdf) by Judge T.S. Ellis, III, denied a motion to dismiss the […]
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) said this week that it will not administer a grant to a San Antonio, Texas law school to study state freedom of information laws. In a story that prompted new concerns about official secrecy, USA Today reported last month that the government was going to pay St. Mary’s University […]
The Defense Intelligence Agency has prepared an illustrated briefing (pdf) on the components of a MANPADS shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile briefing to assist security personnel in identifying such weapons and apprehending those who possess them without authorization. “An individual cannot legally possess a MANPADS [man-portable air defense system] under federal law,” the DIA briefing notes. “If […]
Ethiopia this week became the 135th country to ratify the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty (CTBT), which prohibits the explosive testing of nuclear weapons. To enter into force, the CTBT must be ratified by 44 States listed in Annex 2 of the Treaty. So far, 34 of those States have done so. See “Ethiopia ratifies […]
Last week the House of Representatives debated and passed the United States and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act of 2006. I think that most of the debate missed what I consider the most important points. First of all, I should emphasize that every Congressman, even those most strongly opposed to the deal, introduced their remarks […]
“Sen. Kit Bond has gone way too far in an effort to curtail the public’s right to information on government operations,” according to one of the leading newspapers in his home state of Missouri. The Kansas City Star objected to a bill introduced this week by Senator Bond that would outlaw “leaks” or unauthorized disclosures […]
Information operations that are designed to influence the perceptions and conduct of enemy combatants and non-combatants can be a highly effective adjunct to military force, but they were not effectively executed by the U.S. military in Iraq, a new U.S. Army monograph (pdf) reports. Information operations can include military deception, psychological operations, operations security, and […]
(Updated below) The potential threat to commercial aircraft from hostile use of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles (Man Portable Air Defense Systems, or MANPADS) still does not have a satisfactory technological solution, the Department of Homeland Security said in a new report to Congress. “It is feasible to transition selected military [defense] technology to the commercial aviation […]