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Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response. Christopher M. Blanchard, Coordinator Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs; Carla E. Humud, Analyst in Middle Eastern and African Affairs; Mary Beth D. Nikitin, Specialist in Nonproliferation. October 9, 2015. “The rise of the insurgent terrorist group known as the Islamic State (IS, aka the Islamic State of …
CRS – Using Data to Improve Defense Acquisitions: Background, Analysis, and Questions for Congress. Moshe Schwartz, Specialist in Defense Acquisition. January 5, 2016. “Many analysts believe that data analysis is a critical element in making smart, informed, policy decisions and in managing government programs. Without data, there may not be an appropriate basis for making …
Federal Acquisitions: Use of ‘Other Transaction’ Agreements Limited and Mostly for Research and Development Activities, GAO-16-209: Published: Jan 7, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 7, 2016: “Federal agencies use a variety of acquisition and financial assistance mechanisms, such as contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements, to help meet their missions. Some federal agencies have received authorization to …
Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 2007-2014, Catherine A. Theohary, Specialist in National Security Policy and Information Operations. December 21, 2015. “This report provides Congress with official, unclassified, quantitative data on conventional arms transfers to developing nations by the United States and foreign countries for the preceding eight calendar years for use in its policy …
Mary K. Cunningham, Jennifer Biess, Dina Emam, Martha R. Burt. December 10, 2015. Veterans Homelessness Prevention Demonstration Evaluation: “This report documents the outcomes of veterans served by the Veterans Homelessness Prevention Demonstration program (VHPD), one element of the Obama administration’s signature initiative to end veteran homelessness. It describes the housing, employment, and health of veterans …
SIPRI news release, December 15, 2015: “Sales of arms and military services by the largest arms-producing companies—the SIPRI Top 100—totalled $401 billion in 2014 according to new international arms industry data launched today by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Download the Fact Sheet, The SIPRI Top 100 arms-producing and military services companies, 2014 …
Arms Sales: Congressional Review Process. Paul K. Kerr, Analyst in Nonproliferation. December 17, 2015. “This report reviews the process and procedures that currently apply to congressional consideration of foreign arms sales proposed by the President. This includes consideration of proposals to sell major defense equipment, defense articles and services, or the re-transfer to third party …
CBO Cost Estimate – “H.R. 2843 would require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to undertake efforts to expand enrollment in the PreCheck program. Through that program, air travelers voluntarily apply to be prescreened using biographic and biometric information to determine whether they qualify for expedited screening at airport security checkpoints. The act would direct TSA …
Civilian and Contractor Workforces: Complete Information Needed to Assess DOD’s Progress for Reductions and Associated Savings, GAO-16-172: Published: Dec 23, 2015. Publicly Released: Dec 23, 2015. “The Department of Defense’s (DOD) September 2014 and February 2015 reports did not fully address most statutory requirements identified in section 955 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) …
Joshua Baron, Angela O’Mahony, David Manheim, Cynthia Dion-Schwarz: “This report examines the feasibility for non-state actors, including terrorist and insurgent groups, to increase their political and/or economic power by deploying a virtual currency (VC) for use in regular economic transactions. A VC, such as Bitcoin, is a digital representation of value that can be transferred, …
Arms Sales: Congressional Review Process, Paul K. Kerr, Analyst in Nonproliferation, December 17, 2015: “This report reviews the process and procedures that currently apply to congressional consideration of foreign arms sales proposed by the President. This includes consideration of proposals to sell major defense equipment, defense articles and services, or the re-transfer to third party …
What Is “Building Partner Capacity?” Issues for Congress. Kathleen J. McInnis, Coordinator, Analyst in International Security; Nathan J. Lucas, Section Research Manager. December 18, 2015. “Since 2001, successive U.S. administrations have increasingly prioritized efforts to build foreign security forces—particularly in weak and failing states—arguing that doing so advances U.S. national security objectives. In turn, the …
