Category «Defense»

Commentary by Barbara Fister – How Not To Fight Terrorism

Insider HigherEd – How Not To Fight Terrorism – Some thoughts on the role information plays in the response to recent attacks. Barbara Fister. June 5, 2017 [Snipped] “I suppose it’s inevitable, given that information-driven tech-centered global corporations dominate the list of Big Rich Companies, that information systems play a significant role in 21st century …

Subjects: Defense, Knowledge Management

NSA contractor charged in leak of classified document on Russian hacking and US election

Washington Post – “A 25-year-old government contractor has been charged with mishandling classified information, after authorities say she gave a top-secret National Security Agency document to a news organization [See article by The Intercept]. Reality Leigh Winner was accused of gathering, transmitting, or losing defense information — the first criminal charge filed in a leak …

Subjects: Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research

Iraq: US military admits failures to monitor over $1 billion worth of arms transfers

Amnesty International: “The US Army failed to keep tabs on more than $1 billion worth of arms and other military equipment in Iraq and Kuwait according to a now declassified Department of Defense (DoD) audit, obtained by Amnesty International following Freedom of Information requests. The government audit, from September 2016, reveals that the DoD “did …

Subjects: Defense, Economy, Government Documents

DHS Privacy Office, New FOIA Subscription document library released

Via Jenny Groom – New FOIA documents now available: FEMA Frequently Requested Records – https://www.dhs.gov/publication/fema-records Presidential Transition Records – https://www.dhs.gov/publication/presidential-transition-records Countering Violent Extremism – https://www.dhs.gov/publication/countering-violent-extremism# Congressional Correspondence Logs – https://www.dhs.gov/publication/congressional-correspondence-logs

Subjects: Defense, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

CRS – Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy

Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, updated May 19, 2017. [Via FAS] “The United States, partner countries, and the Afghan government are attempting to reverse recent gains made by the resilient Taliban-led insurgency since the December 2014transition to a smaller international mission consisting primarily of training and advising the Afghanistan National Defense and Security …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Defense, Government Documents

Presidential Authority to Permit Access to National Security Information

SECRECY NEWS From the FAS Project on Government Secrecy: Presidential Authority to Permit Access to National Security Information, CRS Legal Sidebar, May 17, 2017. “Don’t Be So Quick to Call Those Disclosures ‘Legal‘ by Elizabeth Goitein, Just Security, May 17, 2017 “Why Trump’s Disclosure to Russia (and Urging Comey to Drop the Flynn Investigation, and …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research

How The Intercept visualized and open-sourced a database of terrorism prosecutions since 9/11

“Last month, The Intercept published “Trial and Terror,” a database of – and series of stories about – the 796 people prosecuted for international terrorism by the United States since the attacks of September 11, 2001. To accompany the database, Moiz Syed, a data journalist and designer at The Intercept, developed a visualization to convey details of the cases, including the most …

Subjects: Defense, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Special Counsels, Independent Counsels, and Special Prosecutors: Investigations of the Executive Branch by the Executive Branch

Special Counsels, Independent Counsels, and Special Prosecutors: Investigations of the Executive Branch by the Executive Branch, CRS Legal Sidebar, May 11, 2017. “Under constitutional principles and authorities, Congress has no direct role in federal law enforcement and is limited in its ability to initiate appointments of any prosecutor for any particular matter in which there …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research

WaPo Breaks News – Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian diplomats

The Washington Post – Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian diplomats – “The president’s disclosures to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador in their Oval Office meeting last week jeopardized a critical source of intelligence on the Islamic State — an information-sharing arrangement considered so sensitive that details have been withheld from allies and …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research

FAA Publishes First Set of UAS Facility Maps

“The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today published more than 200 facility maps to streamline the commercial drone authorization process. The maps depict areas and altitudes near airports where UAS may operate safely. But drone operators still need FAA authorization to fly in those areas. This marks a key first step as the FAA and industry …

Subjects: Defense, E-Commerce, Government Documents, Legal Research, Transportation

CNN: Senate Russia investigators ask Treasury criminal division for Trump financial information

“Senate Russia investigators have sent a request to the Treasury Department’s criminal investigation division (..FinCEN is the federal agency that has been investigating allegations of foreign money-laundering through purchases of US real estate…) for any information related to President Donald Trump, his top officials and his campaign aides, the top Democrat (Sen. Mark Warner – …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

CNBC – Senate Intelligence Committee subpoenas Flynn for documents in Russia probe

Christine Wang – CNBC: “The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has issued a subpoena for former national security advisor Michael Flynn, seeking documents in its investigation into Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election, according to a joint announcement from Sens. Richard Burr and Mark Warner. Burr and Warner serve as chairman and vice …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research