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Secrecy and Security News

Newer News: May 2015

April 2015

• Obama Administration Releases New Nuclear Warhead Numbers by Hans Kristensen, FAS Strategic Security blog, April 28. "In a speech to the Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty in New York earlier today, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry disclosed new information about the size of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile."
• Leaks in the Department of State, 1963: Antecedents by David Langbart, The Text Message (NARA blog), April 28. "[W]e have to give more thought to what can be done to protect the main objective, namely the pursuit of the national interest, from harm or mischief that can be done by ill-considered reporting or ill-considered talk and gossip by government officials."
• FAS Comments on CIA Decennial Review of Operational Files Exemption, submitted to CIA on April 27. "The operational files exemption allows the CIA to exclude exempted files not only from release, but even from search and review under the Freedom of Information Act."
• Number of Security Clearance Holders Drops 12 Percent by Eric Katz, Government Executive, April 27. "The number of individuals holding government-issued security clearances at the end of fiscal 2014 was 12 percent lower than the previous year, according to a new report, marking a successful effort by federal agencies to cut the number of employees and contractors with access to classified information."
• Thanks for speaking at the 4th Semiannual IC FOIA Officer's Information Day, letter from Jennifer Hudson, ODNI, April 23. "It was a pleasure having you as our keynote speaker."
• Book Discussion on Democracy in the Dark, C-SPAN Book TV, April 8. "Frederick A.O. Schwarz talked about his book, Democracy in the Dark: The Seduction of Government Secrecy, about the debate over secrecy and transparency in the U.S. government."
• Killing of Hostages Calls US Drone Policy Into Question by Mike Eckel, Jeff Seldin, Voice of America, April 23. "The news Thursday that an American aid worker, along with an Italian, was inadvertently killed in a U.S. drone strike will deepen criticism about a pillar of U.S. counterterrorism efforts, experts and advocates said."
• Petraeus gets probation for leaking secrets to mistress by Rad Berky, USA Today, April 23. "David Petraeus, the retired four-star general leader who once commanded military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to leaking classified information to his mistress and biographer, Paula Broadwell, and was sentenced to two years probation and fined $100,000."
• David Petraeus pleads guilty, says he's ready to 'move on' by Michael Gordon, Miami Herald, April 23. "In a humbling chapter of an exemplary career, David Petraeus -- a dynamic West Point grad who led U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan before becoming the nation's top spy -- pleaded guilty Thursday to sharing classified information with his biographer."
• CIA Notice of Decennial Review of Operational Files Designations, Federal Register, April 20. "The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA or Agency) is soliciting comments regarding the historical value of, or other public interest in, the CIA files designated by the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (DCIA) pursuant to the CIA Information Act of 1984."
• Adopter and adapter: The White House approach to technology, Washington Post Brand Connect, April 20. "The residents of the White House have been both technology adopters and adapters, experimenting with early technologies they believe can help shape and distribute their messages directly to Americans."
• Remarks by DoD General Counsel Stephen Preston on the Legal Framework for the United States' Use of Military Force Since 9/11, April 10. "Transparency to the extent possible in matters of law and national security is sound policy and just plain good government."
• Space Forum Bans Press from Cybersecurity Panels by Brendan McGarry, DoD Buzz, April 7. "Organizers of the nation's biggest space conference have banned reporters and other members of the press from attending any of the event's panels on cybersecurity."
• Two new judges added to spy court by Julian Hattem, The Hill, April 6. "In recent years, the Court has also secretly interpreted intelligence surveillance law in ways that were unexpected and counterintuitive, authorizing the collection of all domestic telephone metadata records," Steven Aftergood, the head of the Federation of American Scientists' project on government secrecy, wrote in a blog post on Monday.
• Department of Justice Amends Freedom of Information Act Regulations, Federal Register, April 3. "The Department's regulations under the Freedom of Information Act have been revised to update and streamline the language of several procedural provisions and to incorporate changes brought about by the amendments to the FOIA under the OPEN Government Act of 2007."
• NARA Announces Open Meeting on General Records Schedule (GRS) 6.1, Email Managed Under a Capstone Approach, Federal Register, April 1. "The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) announces an open meeting to solicit comments on General Records Schedule (GRS) 6.1, Email Managed Under a Capstone Approach. The meeting is open to the public."

Older News: March 2015

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Updated May 2, 2015