Several government officials who collectively represent much of the public face of the national security secrecy system have retired recently. They include: * Sheryl Shenberger, Director of the National Declassification Center * Stephen Randolph, Historian of the State Department * David J. Sherman, NSA Associate Director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy * Joseph Lambert, CIA […]
Over the last three years, Congress has sharply increased its legislative activity on defense acquisition reform, with an average of 82 new provisions in this area per year, compared to an average of 47 provisions in the previous decade. “Reform” here often means expanded authority to acquire military goods and services with increased flexibility. A […]
Excessive compartmentalization of intelligence can be counteracted by the use of “portfolios” of compartmented programs, according to new intelligence community guidance. Undue secrecy in intelligence is not only a barrier to external oversight and public accountability. It can also be an obstacle to effective mission performance. That is fortunate in a way since it provides […]
“The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years,” President Trump provocatively tweeted yesterday, adding falsely that “they have given us nothing but lies & deceit.” A breakdown of US aid to Pakistan (excluding covert assistance) was recently provided by the Congressional Research Service. See […]
Over the past decade the Department of Energy/NNSA has recovered thousands of sealed radioactive isotope sources from around the world that were abandoned, unwanted or no longer needed. Sealed nuclear sources are utilized for a variety of industrial, medical or military purposes. But at the end of their useful life they can still pose a […]
The speech or debate clause of the US Constitution provides Members of Congress (and their staff) with civil and criminal immunity for “legislative acts” that they perform in the course of their duties, shielding them from harassment or intimidation. The clause is “a key pillar in the American separation of powers” that serves to “protect […]
The Department of Defense last month abandoned a 2008 policy that would have reduced the U.S. inventory of cluster munitions and imposed strict new safety and quality control standards on these anti-personnel weapons, which have been implicated in numerous civilian fatalities. “We must not lose our qualitative and quantitative competitive advantage against potential adversaries that […]
President Trump created an entire new category of presidential directives to present his guidance for the U.S. space program. The new Space Policy Directive 1 was signed on December 11 and published in the Federal Register today. “President Donald Trump is sending astronauts back to the Moon,” enthused NASA public affairs in a news release. […]
There were 181.3 million foreign nationals who were admitted to the United States on a temporary basis in FY 2016 for reasons such as business or tourism. A new report from the Congressional Research Service “explains the statutory and regulatory provisions that govern nonimmigrant admissions to the United States [and] describes trends in temporary migration, […]
“It is DoD policy to support a culture of scientific and engineering integrity,” according to a Department of Defense directive that was reissued last week. This is in large part a matter of self-interest, since the Department depends upon the availability of competent and credible scientists and engineers. “Science and engineering play a vital role […]
Soldiers and Marines fighting in populated urban environments have to assume that their actions are being closely monitored by the public, according to new military doctrine published last week. They need to have “an expectation of observation.” Increased transparency surrounding military operations in populated areas must be anticipated and factored into operational plans, the new […]
“In the wake of the 2016 election, concerns have been raised with respect to the legal regime governing foreign influence in domestic politics,” a new report from the Congressional Research Service notes. “The central law concerning the activities of the agents of foreign entities acting in the United States is the Foreign Agents Registration Act […]