Today’s national security classification system “relies on antiquated policies from another era that undercut its effectiveness today,” the Information Security Oversight Office told the President in a report released yesterday. Modernizing the system is a “government-wide imperative,” the new ISOO annual report said. But that is a familiar refrain by now. It is much the same message that […]
In a not very subtle sign of the times, the U.S. Army has produced a deck of playing cards featuring weaponry used or held by Iran in order to familiarize soldiers with Iran’s inventory of weapons and presumably to facilitate their recognition on the battlefield. The Iran collection follows similar decks of playing cards illustrated with Chinese and Russian weapons. Another […]
Noteworthy new publications from the Congressional Research Service include the following. Kashmir: Background, Recent Developments, and U.S. Policy, August 16, 2019 Global Trends in HIV/AIDS, CRS In Focus, updated August 15, 2019 Retroactive Legislation: A Primer for Congress, CRS In Focus, August 15, 2019 Words Taken Down: Calling Members to Order for Disorderly Language in the House, […]
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is embarking on an ambitious effort to phase out the acquisition of paper records by 2022 and to transition to all-electronic record keeping. The White House Office of Management and Budget has endorsed the initiative and has directed all federal agencies to adopt exclusively electronic formats for managing […]
The problem of domestic terrorism is distinct from that of foreign terrorism because of the constitutional protections enjoyed by U.S. persons, the Congressional Research Service explained last week. “Constitutional principles — including federalism and the rights to free speech, free association, peaceable assembly, petition for the redress of grievances — may complicate the task of conferring domestic […]
Extreme weather events and rising sea levels are causing damage to U.S. military facilities and could threaten U.S. military infrastructure around the world. “Is the military ready for climate change?,” asked Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA). “It is not.” “In the last 12 months, severe storms have devastated Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Air […]
Over the coming year, high school students around the country will debate whether the U.S. should reduce its arms sales to foreign countries. Specifically, the national debate topic that was selected for the 2019-20 school year is: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reduce Direct Commercial Sales and/or Foreign Military Sales of arms […]
Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, who took office last week, has directed senior military and civilian defense officials to “more actively engage with the public,” according to a Pentagon memo issued on Friday. “Simply put, the Department benefits when we thoughtfully engage with the American public, Congressional leaders, international community, and the media,” wrote Jonathan Rath Hoffman, […]
There are only nineteen years since 1798 when the U.S. did not have armed forces engaged in military operations abroad, according to an updated tally from the Congressional Research Service. See Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2019, updated July 17, 2019. The most recent year in which U.S. military forces were […]
The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board is conducting oversight in nearly a dozen areas broadly related to intelligence and counterterrorism. The PCLOB oversight agenda was detailed in a statement this week. “This document describes the Board’s active oversight projects and other engagements. . . .The shorthand descriptions below are intended to provide public transparency, consistent with the protection […]
The Joint Chiefs of Staff briefly published and then removed from public access a new edition of their official doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons. But a public copy was preserved. See Joint Publication 3-72, Nuclear Operations, June 11, 2019. The document presents an unclassified, mostly familiar overview of nuclear strategy, force structure, planning, targeting, command […]
Noteworthy new publications from the Congressional Research Service include the following. The Impeachment Process in the House of Representatives, June 14, 2019 National Security Implications of Fifth Generation (5G) Mobile Technologies, CRS In Focus, June 12, 2019 U.S. Overseas Diplomatic Presence: Background and Issues for Congress, June 6, 2019 Maintaining Electric Reliability with Wind and […]