SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2017, Issue No. 87
December 14, 2017

Secrecy News Blog: https://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/

A NEW CATEGORY OF PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVES 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.

But the directive itself does no such thing. Instead, it makes modest editorial adjustments to the 2010 National Space Policy that was issued by President Obama and adopted in Presidential Decision Directive 4.

Obama's policy had stated:

Trump's new SPD-1 orders the deletion and replacement of that one paragraph with the following text:

And that's it. At a White House signing ceremony on December 11, President Trump said grandly that "This directive will ensure America's space program once again leads and inspires all of humanity."

But it's hard to see how that could be so. The Trump directive does not (and cannot) allocate any new resources to support a return to the Moon, and it does not modify existing authorities or current legislative proposals.

Interestingly, it also does not modify the many other provisions of Obama's 14-page space policy, including requirements "to enhance U.S. global climate change research" and "climate monitoring." Unless and until they are modified or revoked, those provisions remain in effect.

NON-IMMIGRANT ADMISSIONS TO THE US, AND MORE FROM CRS

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, including changes over time in the number of nonimmigrant visas issued and nonimmigrant admissions." See Nonimmigrant (Temporary) Admissions to the United States: Policy and Trends, December 8, 2017:

Other new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.

Supreme Court Declines to Take Up Military Commission Challenges -- Al Bahlul and Al-Nashiri, CRS Legal Sidebar, December 12, 2017:

A Shift in the International Security Environment: Potential Implications for Defense--Issues for Congress, updated December 12, 2017:

Venezuela: Background and U.S. Policy, updated December 11, 2017:

Jerusalem: U.S. Recognition as Israel's Capital and Planned Embassy Move, CRS Insight, December 8, 2017:

Taylor Force Act: Palestinian Terrorism-Related Payments and U.S. Aid, CRS Insight, updated December 12, 2017:

Suing Subway: When Does a Class Action Settlement Benefit Only the Lawyers?, CRS Legal Sidebar, December 12, 2017:

Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress, updated December 8, 2017:

PENTAGON REAFFIRMS POLICY ON SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY

"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 in the DoD's mission, providing one of several critical inputs to policy and systems acquisition decision making. The DoD recognizes the importance of scientific and engineering information, and science and engineering as methods for maintaining and enhancing its effectiveness and its credibility with the public. The DoD is dedicated to preserving the integrity of the scientific and engineering activities it conducts."

Several practical consequences flow from this policy that are spelled out in the directive, including:

The policy further states that:

The reaffirmation of such principles, which were originally adopted in 2012, does not guarantee their consistent application in practice. But it does provide a point of reference and a foothold for defending scientific integrity in the Department.

See Scientific and Engineering Integrity, DoD Instruction 3200.20, July 26, 2012, Incorporating Change 1, December 5, 2017.

******************************

Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.

The Secrecy News blog is at:
      https://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/

To SUBSCRIBE to Secrecy News, go to:
     https://fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/subscribe.html

To UNSUBSCRIBE, go to:
      https://fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/unsubscribe.html

OR email your request to saftergood@fas.org

Secrecy News is archived at:
      https://fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/index.html

SUPPORT the FAS Project on Government Secrecy with a donation here:
      https://fas.org/donate/