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Protection of Classified Information by Congress (CRS)

The rules and procedures for protecting classified information in Congress — which differ in the House and the Senate — are described in another new CRS report. See “Protection of Classified Information by Congress: Practices and Proposals,” updated January 11, 2006.

01.23.06 | 1 min read
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FAS
Blog
Kinetic Energy Kill for Ballistic Missile Defense (CRS)

A new report from the Congressional Research Service presents a skeptical overview of the development of kinetic energy interceptors — anti-missile missiles — for defense against incoming ballistic missiles. “The data on the U.S. flight test effort to develop a national missile defense (NMD) system are mixed and ambiguous. There is no recognizable pattern to […]

01.23.06 | 1 min read
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FAS
Blog
Patriot Act Reauthorization: A Legal Analysis (CRS)

The existing controversy over reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act — portions of which will “sunset” if they are not renewed — acquired a new dimension with the disclosure last month of an NSA domestic surveillance operation. Some now argue that the Patriot Act should not be reauthorized before the Bush Administration’s claims of inherent […]

01.23.06 | 1 min read
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FAS
Blog
Congressional Oversight in Theory and in Practice

The rudiments of Congressional oversight — its legal basis, its functions, and the diverse forms it takes — are concisely described in a newly updated report from the Congressional Research Service. “Congressional oversight refers to the review, monitoring, and supervision of federal agencies, programs, activities, and policy implementation…. Congress’s oversight authority derives from its ‘implied’ […]

01.23.06 | 1 min read
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FAS
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NSA: Redacting With Confidence

The National Security Agency has issued new guidance to assist officials in redacting (censoring) documents in Microsoft Word format and producing unclassified Adobe Portable Document (PDF) files without inadvertently disclosing sensitive information. “MS Word is used throughout the DoD and the Intelligence Community (IC) for preparing documents, reports, notes, and other formal and informal materials. […]

01.20.06 | 1 min read
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FAS
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The Legal Significance of Presidential Signing Statements

When he signed the 2006 Defense Appropriations Act, which included a prohibition against torture of detainees in U.S. custody, President Bush issued a signing statement implying that he could disregard the new prohibition in his capacity as commander in chief. “The executive branch shall construe [the statute], relating to detainees, in a manner consistent with […]

01.20.06 | 1 min read
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FAS
Blog
Justice Dept Issues White Paper on NSA Surveillance

The Department of Justice renewed its legal defense of warrantless domestic intelligence surveillance by the National Security Agency in a 42 page white paper transmitted to Congress yesterday. The white paper essentially reiterates at greater length the previous defenses articulated by the Bush Administration: (1) the surveillance action was authorized by Congress when it passed […]

01.20.06 | 1 min read
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Global Risk
Blog
Article: Preparing For The Failure Of Deterrence

The Royal Canadian Military Institute (RCMI) has published an article by FAS’s director of the Nuclear Information Project about how U.S. nuclear planners are preparing for the failure of deterrence by putting new strike plans into operation onboard long-range bombers and strategic submarines. This includes options to strike preemptively with nuclear weapons, if adversaries make […]

12.09.05 | 1 min read
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Global Risk
Blog
Lawmakers Object To Nuclear Doctrine

Sixteen members of Congress have asked President George W. Bush to intervene in the Pentagon’s revision of Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations. In a joint letter published by Representative Ellen Tauscher’s office, the lawmakers object to language that appears to broaden the role of U.S. nuclear weapons. The letter follows my critique of the doctrine […]

12.07.05 | 1 min read
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Global Risk
Blog
Global Strike Command Achieves Initial Operational Capability

On November 18, 2005, U.S. Strategic Command’s new Space a Global Strike command achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The new command, is tasked with implementing the new Global Strike mission assigned to STRATCOM in 2003. This includes CONPLAN 8022, a new strike plan that includes preemptive nuclear strike against weapons of mass destruction facilities anywhere in

12.02.05 | 1 min read
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Global Risk
Blog
Rumsfeld: Europeans Keep Nukes In Europe

During an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel on October 31, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld suggested that it is European governments, not the United States, that are responsible for the lingering deployment of U.S. nuclear bombs in Europe. Rather than defending the mission of the weapons, Rumsfeld said: “Some European countries in Europe made the decision to allow them

11.04.05 | 1 min read
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Global Risk
Report
The Four Faces of Nuclear Terrorism

This report examines the threat of nuclear terrorism and the possibility of terrorist groupsobtaining weapons-usable fissile materials to create a nuclear device.

06.09.05 | 0 min read
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