Reciprocity in security clearances — meaning the acceptance by one agency of a security clearance granted by another agency, and vice versa — has been an elusive security policy goal for well over a decade. But lately it has become the subject of increased attention. “The Director [of National Intelligence] has done little to ensure […]
The Freedom of Information Act “continues to be a valuable tool for citizens to obtain information about the operation and decisions of the federal government,” the Government Accountability Office reported at a July 26 House hearing. “Since 2002, agencies have received increasing numbers of requests and have also continued to increase the number of requests […]
The Department of Defense has published a new manual (pdf) on the conduct of “technical intelligence” operations, or TECHINT. Technical intelligence here refers to the collection, analysis and exploitation of captured enemy materiel and documentation. TECHINT serves to maintain U.S. technological advantage on the battlefield and helps to counter adversary weapons systems and operations. TECHINT […]
The French magazine Défense Nationale asked me to submit an article about the new U.S. National Military Strategy published by the Bush administration in March 2006 and how it relates to the so-called preemption doctrine announced by the administration in 2002. The article is included in the July 2006 issue which focuses on the nuclear […]
The Pentagon is considering acquiring up to four types of Reliable Replacement Warheads (RRW), twice as many as reported so far, according to an overview discovered by the Federation of the American Scientists on a Pentagon web site. The Department of Energy told Congress in April that Los Alamos National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National […]
In a rare victory for public access to intelligence agency records, a federal court yesterday ordered (pdf) the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to process its FY 2006 budget request for release under the Freedom of Information Act. Judge Reggie B. Walton of the D.C. District Court granted a motion filed by the Federation of American […]
New reports from the Congressional Research Service, not readily available to the public, include these. “Intelligence Issues for Congress” (pdf), July 12, 2006. “Israel-Hamas-Hezbollah: The Current Conflict” (pdf), July 21, 2006.
At Thursday’s hearing on the sale of 36 F-16 aircraft to Pakistan, Assistant Secretary of State John Hillen endured tongue-lashings from several members of the House International Relations Committee (HIRC), who objected to the manner in which his bureau has managed the $5.1 billion arms package. Of particular concern was the administration’s unilateral decision to […]
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the 1978 law that is supposed to govern surveillance of foreign intelligence targets within the U.S., has had an unusually dynamic legislative history. It has been modified in a hundred ways on at least a dozen occasions, the Congressional Research Service reported (pdf) this week. Despite the demonstrated adaptability of […]
In a rare judicial denial of an official “state secrets” claim, a federal court yesterday rejected (pdf) a government assertion that a lawsuit against AT&T alleging illegal wiretapping should be dismissed because it would place state secrets at risk. In May, Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte formally asserted the state secrets privilege in support […]
A new legislative initiative (S. 2590) would require the government to disclose and to publish online all federal contracts, grants, and other forms of spending. “I like to think of this bill as ‘Google for Government Spending’,” said Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK). “The concept behind the bill is really quite simple: Put information on government […]
The role of deception in military operations is illuminated and elaborated in a new Department of Defense doctrinal publication (pdf). Military deception refers to “those actions executed to deliberately mislead adversary decision makers as to friendly military capabilities, intentions, and operations, thereby causing the adversary to take specific actions (or inactions) that will contribute to […]