If the Attorney General decided to withhold portions of the pending report of the Special Counsel, he might justify his decision by citing legal protections for grand jury information and for executive privilege. But there are exceptions to both of these categories, and Congress has tools of its own to pursue the desired information, the […]
Military contractors are such an integral part of U.S. military forces that “most military operations will include contracted support,” a newly updated Pentagon manual explains. In fact, “While some limited-duration operations, such as noncombatant evacuation operations, may use limited contracted support, all major operations will involve significant contracted support.” Aside from their prominent role in […]
A new congressional tally of military construction projects that have unobligated fund balances turned up hundreds of current projects fitting that description. See “FY2017-2019 Military Construction Projects/Programs with Unobligated Balances.” Because the President declared a national emergency, some of the funds for those military construction activities could be repurposed in order to pay for barriers along […]
Noteworthy new publications from the Congressional Research Service include the following. Definition of National Emergency under the National Emergencies Act, CRS Legal Sidebar, March 1, 2019 Foreign Affairs Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) Funding: Background and Current Status, CRS In Focus, updated March 4, 2019 EU Data Protection Rules and U.S. Implications, CRS In Focus, updated February 7, 2019 […]
Military tacticians use deception to induce an opponent to act against his own interests, or to refrain from acting when it would be advantageous. The theory and techniques of military deception were detailed this week in a new Army publication for military planners that also implicitly illuminates the role of deception in other contexts. In […]
New and updated publications from the Congressional Research Service, some but not all of which are now published at crsreports.congress.gov, include the following. National Emergency Powers, updated February 27, 2019 Department of Defense Use of Other Transaction Authority: Background, Analysis, and Issues for Congress, updated February 22, 2019 Defense Primer: Electronic Warfare, CRS In Focus, […]
The Russian military has started upgrading nuclear weapons bunkers at Engels Air Base and the Saratov-63 central nuclear weapons storage facility in Saratov province. At Engels Air Base, satellite images show one of two bunkers in the weapons storage area has been exposed as part of apparent maintenance of the base’s nuclear weapons mission. The […]
The use of military forces to perform domestic functions — such as constructing barriers along the US-Mexico border — could pose fundamental legal, policy and administrative challenges. “Military forces operating freely within civilian jurisdictions risk upsetting the constitutional balance between civil authority, the military, and the private sector,” the Army said this week in a newly […]
A new free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union and Japan places the US at a disadvantage, at least temporarily, the Congressional Research Service said. The new agreement entered into force this month. The two trading partners negotiated what Japan called the “world’s largest, free, industrialized economic zone” without the US partly in response to […]
In apparent disregard of criticism from President Trump, two new Inspector General reports on aspects of the wars in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq were openly published this week. “What kind of stuff is this?” the President had complained at a January 2 cabinet meeting. “We’re fighting wars, and they’re doing reports and releasing it to the […]
There were no less than 30 “national emergencies” in effect as of February 1, according to a tabulation prepared by the Congressional Research Service. An additional 21 national emergencies that are no longer in effect were also identified by CRS. Under the National Emergencies Act, a declaration of national emergency can be used to activate […]
The new National Intelligence Strategy released last week by DNI Dan Coats affirms transparency as a value and as a strategic priority for U.S. intelligence. The declared purpose of intelligence transparency is to raise public esteem for intelligence and to engender public trust. But because the policy is framed primarily as a public relations effort, […]