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From the Blogs
Obama Issues Directive on Intelligence Community Whistleblowers:
On October 10, President Obama issued Presidential Policy Directive 19
on “Protecting Whistleblowers with Access to Classified Information.”
The directive generally prohibits official reprisals against an
intelligence community employee who makes a “protected disclosure”
concerning unlawful activity or “waste, fraud, and abuse.” It does not
authorize disclosure of classified information outside of official
channels to the press or the public. The directive was occasioned by the
ongoing
failure of Congress to extend the protections of the Whistleblower
Protection Act to intelligence community employees.
DoD- Strategic Security Not Even Threatened by Greater Russian Forces:
A recent DoD report on Russian nuclear forces, conducted in
coordination with the Director of National Intelligence and sent to
Congress in May 2012, concludes that even the most worst-case scenario
of a Russian surprise disarming first strike against the United States
would have “little to no effect” on the U.S. ability to retaliate with a
devastating strike against Russia.
Kiriakou Defense Seeks to Depose Reporters:
Steven Aftergood writes that in a new challenge to press independence,
attorneys for John Kiriakou, the former CIA officer who is charged with
leaking classified information, have asked a court for permission to
depose three journalists in support of his defense. The Kiriakou defense
said the reporters’ testimony was needed because it could be
exculpatory for their client, and that the reporters could affirm that
Kiriakou lacked any intent to harm the United States or to benefit a
foreign power.
U.S. Army Doctrine on Religious Support to Soldiers:
Military chaplains in the U.S. Army must have at least a Secret
clearance. “This allow them access to the unit operations center and
ensures that the chaplain is involved in the unit’s operational planning
process.” A newly updated Army doctrinal publication on Religious
Support, which describes the functions of chaplains, explains that
“Religion plays an increasingly critical role… across the range of
military operations.” Essentially, chaplains are expected to fulfill
“three basic core
competencies: nurture the living, care for the wounded, and honor the
dead.”
NATO- Nuclear Transparency Begins at Home:
Less than six months after NATO’s Deterrence and Defense Posture Review
(DDPR) adopted at the Chicago Summit called for greater transparency of
non-strategic nuclear force postures in Europe, the agenda for the NATO
defense minister get-together in Brussels this week listed the Nuclear
Planning Group (NPG) meeting with the usual constraint: “no media
opportunity.” In a new post on the Strategic Security Blog, Hans
Kristensen writes that whatever the reason, the “no media opportunity”
is symbolic of the old-fashioned
secrecy that continues to constrain NATO nuclear policy discussions. The
nuclear planners are insulated deep within the alliance with little or
no public scrutiny.
Violent Behavior Cannot Be Reliably Predicted, Panel Says:
A new report to the Secretary of Defense from the Defense Science Board
states that the outbreak of violence by individuals who seek to harm
other persons or institutions cannot be reliably predicted today.
Instead, efforts to counter violence should focus on prevention and
mitigation of the threat. The new DSB study on “Predicting Violent
Behavior” was initiated in response to the 2009 Fort Hood shooting in
which thirteen people were killed and dozens wounded allegedly by Army
Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who had not
previously been identified as a threat.
Testing?:
Since 1945, there have been over 2,000 tests of nuclear weapons- over
1,000 by the United States and the rest by the Soviet Union. In the
early years, the testing was simply to see what these weapons would do.
Today, there is computer software which can run detailed simulations to
try help scientists understand how our nuclear weapons will behave
under a variety of conditions. In a new post on the ScienceWonk Blog,
Dr. Y asks that with this technology, if we need to continue to test our
nukes.
U.S. Foreign Assistance to Pakistan and More from CRS:
Secrecy News has obtained recently released CRS reports on topics such
as U.S. relations with Jordan and foreign assistance to Pakistan, 2012-2013 presidential election and national security options and U.S. unemployment issues.
Parties Tangle Over Discovery in Kiriakou Leak Case:
The trial of former CIA officer John Kiriakou, who is accused of making
unauthorized disclosures of classified information, has yet to begin.
But prosecutors and defense attorneys are now locked in a dispute over
what classified information must be provided to the defense and can be
cleared for disclosure at trial. Steven Aftergood writes that the
resolution of the current pre-trial arguments may have a decisive effect
not only on the outcome of Mr. Kiriakou’s proceeding but on the future
use of the Espionage Act to
penalize leaks of classified information. That’s because the pending
disagreements involving the nature of the charge will determine the
standard by which the defendant will be judged.
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