Category «Defense»

Confidence in U.S. Institutions Still Below Historical Norms

Gallup: “Americans’ confidence in most major U.S. institutions remains below the historical average for each one. Only the military (72%) and small business (67%) — the highest-rated institutions in this year’s poll — are currently rated higher than their historical norms, based on the percentage expressing “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence …

Subjects: Congress, Courts, Defense, Economy, Financial System

GAO Reports – Indian Energy Development, 401(K) Plans, Military Personnel, Nuclear Command, Older Americans Act

Indian Energy Development: Poor Management by BIA Has Hindered Energy Development on Indian Lands – GAO-15-502: Published: Jun 8, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 15, 2015. 401(K) Plans: Frequent and Collective Trading Are Uncommon and Not a Significant Concern for Plan Participants, Sponsors, or Mutual Funds, GAO-15-427R: Published: May 14, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 15, 2015. …

Subjects: Defense, Energy, Financial System, Government Documents

Massive hack of federal personnel files included security-clearance database

Washington Post, Ellen Nakashima: ” The Chinese breach of the Office of Personnel Management network was wider than first acknowledged, and officials said Friday that a database holding sensitive security clearance information on millions of federal employees and contractors also was compromised. In an announcement, OPM said that investigators concluded this week with “a high …

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

CIA Releases Declassified Documents Related to 9/11 Attacks

“Today, CIA has released to the public declassified versions of five internal documents related to the Agency’s performance in the lead-up to the attacks of September 11, 2001. The documents can be found at CIA’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) online reading room at http://www.foia.cia.gov/collection/declassified-documents-related-911-attacks. The first of these documents is a redacted version of …

Subjects: Defense, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

GAO Reports – Defense Acquisition Process, Federal Home Loan Banks, Mental Health

Defense Acquisition Process: Military Service Chiefs’ Concerns Reflect Need to Better Define Requirements before Programs Start, GAO-15-469: Published: Jun 11, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 11, 2015: “Most current and former military service chiefs and vice chiefs GAO interviewed from the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps collectively expressed dissatisfaction with acquisition program outcomes and …

Subjects: Defense, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Health Care, Medicine

How U.S. Surveillance Still Subverts U.S. Competitiveness

Beyond the USA Freedom Act: How U.S. Surveillance Still Subverts U.S. Competitiveness, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, June 2015, Daniel Catrol and Alan McQuinn | JUNE 2015: “Almost two years ago, ITIF described how revelations about pervasive digital surveillance by the U.S. intelligence community could severely harm the competitiveness of the United States if foreign customers …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Defense, Economy, Government Documents, Internet, Legislation, Privacy

UK Government Report – A Question of Trust

Via lawfareblog – “Entitled “A Question of Trust,” the report was presented to Parliament and the Prime Minister today and was authored by David Anderson QC, the UK’s Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation.  As required under the 2014 Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act, Anderson therein undertakes a broad review of law and policy regarding “investigatory powers” in the UK—essentially government surveillance and …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Defense, E-Government, EU Data Protection, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation, Privacy

New GAO Reports – DOD, InfoTech Acquisitions, National Nuclear Security, TSA Performance, VA Health Care

Civil Support: DOD Is Taking Action to Strengthen Support of Civil Authorities, GAO-15-686T: Published: Jun 10, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 10, 2015. Information Technology: Additional Actions and Oversight Urgently Needed to Reduce Waste and Improve Performance in Acquisitions and Operations, GAO-15-675T: Published: Jun 10, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 10, 2015. National Nuclear Security Administration: Actions …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Defense, Government Documents, Health Care, Medicine

DHS IG – TSA Can Improve Aviation Worker Vetting

TSA Can Improve Aviation Worker Vetting (Redacted), DHS OIG-15-98, June 4, 2015 “TSA’s multi-layered process to vet aviation workers for potential links to terrorism was generally effective. In addition to initially vetting every application for new credentials, TSA recurrently vetted aviation workers with access to secured areas of commercial airports every time the Consolidated Terrorist …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy

H.R. 2685 – FY2016 Department of Defense Appropriations

H.R. 2685 – FY2016 Department of Defense Appropriations 114th Congress Report – House of Representatives – 1st Session 114-139. June 5 2015. “BILL TOTALS – Appropriations for most military functions of the Department of Defense are provided for in the accompanying bill for fiscal year 2016. This bill does not provide appropriations for military con- …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Legislation

New GAO Reports – Aviation Security, Missouri River Basin

Aviation Security: TSA Has Taken Steps to Improve Oversight of Key Programs, but Additional Actions Are Needed, GAO-15-678T: Published: Jun 9, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 9, 2015: “The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has taken steps to improve oversight of Secure Flight—a passenger prescreening program that matches passenger information against watch lists and assigns each passenger …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Defense, Energy, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Transportation

CRS – Israel: Background and U.S. Relations

Israel: Background and U.S. Relations, Jim Zanotti, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs. June 1, 2015. “Since Israel’s founding in 1948, successive U.S. Presidents and many Members of Congress have demonstrated a commitment to Israel’s security and to maintaining close U.S.-Israel cooperation. Common perceptions of shared democratic values and religious affinities have contributed to the strong …

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