Category «Defense»

Trends in Spending by the Department of Defense for Operation and Maintenance

“The Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) budget consists of appropriations for the following purposes: compensating military personnel; developing and purchasing weapons; building bases, facilities, and housing; and supporting day-to-day operations. The largest single appropriation category in DoD’s base budget is the operation and maintenance (O&M) account, which funds day-to-day operations ranging from health care to equipment maintenance. …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Statutory Restrictions on the Position of Secretary of Defense: Issues for Congress

CRS report via FAS – Statutory Restrictions on the Position of Secretary of Defense: Issues for Congress. Kathleen J. McInnis, Analyst in International Security. January 5, 2017. “The proposed nomination of General (Ret.) James Mattis, United States Marine Corps (hereafter referred to as “General Mattis”), who retired from the military in 2013, to be Secretary …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

WaPo reports US intel documents Russian geopol jubilation at Trump win

Follow up to previous posting today – President-elect plans to restructure US intelligence agencies – via Washington Post – U.S. intercepts capture senior Russian officials celebrating Trump win – “Senior officials in the Russian government celebrated Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton as a geopolitical win for Moscow, according to U.S. officials who said that …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Defense, E-Government, E-Mail, E-Records, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Social Media

Newsweek – Why President Obama Can’t Pardon Edward Snowden

Newsweek – Edward Jay Epstein, January 7, 2017: “A president can pardon anyone from any crime for any reason, or no reason at all, but, as the hours tick away on his presidency, it is unimaginable that Obama, a former law lecturer, will ignore all he knows about what Snowden did and absolve him of …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Defense, E-Records, Government Documents, Legal Research

COIN: A Study of Strategic Illusion

Etzioni, Amitai, COIN: A Study of Strategic Illusion (March 12, 2015). Small Wars & Insurgencies, 26:3, 345-376, 2015.. Available for download at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2577457 “Has the United States military become a learning institution, one able to transition from relying on a conventional war model to fighting against irregular adversaries such as insurgents and terrorists? This …

Subjects: Defense, Education, Government Documents, Knowledge Management

CRS – Nuclear Cooperation with Other Countries: A Primer

Nuclear Cooperation with Other Countries: A Primer. Paul K. Kerr, Analyst in Nonproliferation; Mary Beth D. Nikitin, Specialist in Nonproliferation. December 6, 2016. “In order for the United States to engage in significant civilian nuclear cooperation with other states, it must conclude a framework agreement that meets specific requirements under Section 123 of the Atomic …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

DHS/FBI issue joint report on Russian hacking of US election and subsequent govt sanctions

ABC News – Obama Issues Sanctions for Alleged Russian Hacking – “President Obama has expelled 35 Russian nationals and sanctioned five Russian entities and four individuals for an alleged cyber assault on Democratic political organizations during the 2016 presidential campaign, the White House announced today. “I have ordered a number of actions in response to …

Subjects: Defense, E-Government, E-Mail, E-Records, Economy, Education, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy

Video – How 60 ambiguous words gave the United States’ president unprecedented war power

‘The President is authorised to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organisations, or persons he determines planned, authorised, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harboured such organisations or persons, in order to prevent any future act of international terrorism against the United States by such …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research

Intel agencies sued for records on Russian election interference

Follow-up to previous posting – Unreleased CIA assessment concludes Russia aided Trump – via The Hill – Lydia Wheeler, December 27, 2016: “A lawsuit has been filed against the CIA, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence seeking records pertaining to Russia’s interference in the presidential …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Defense, E-Mail, E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

House Intel Committee Releases Declassified Snowden Report

News release: “The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence today released a declassified version of its investigative report on Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who fled to China and then Russia after stealing an estimated 1.5 million classified documents. The report, including redactions for classified information, was the result of a two-year …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, E-Government, E-Mail, E-Records, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Patriot Act, Privacy, Social Media

CRS report – U.S. Foreign Aid to the Palestinians

Via FAS – U.S. Foreign Aid to the Palestinians, Jim Zanotti, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs. December 16, 2016. “Since the establishment of limited Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the mid-1990s, the U.S. government has committed more than $5 billion in bilateral economic and non-lethal security assistance to the Palestinians, …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research

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