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Secrecy and Security News

Newer News: August 2018

July 2018

• Intelligence Community Releases Newly Declassified Tet Offensive Documents, ODNI news release, July 31. "Declassified documents are the first in a series of new releases to share historical information of current relevance."
• SASC asks DoD to do more to protect CUI held by industry, letter to SecDef Mattis, July 27. "We write to express our concern over the cybersecurity risks posed to Department of Defense (DoD) information held by defense contractors." (Bloomberg)
• National Intel Office Restructures to Improve Operations by Charles S. Clark, Government Executive, July 27. "Also this week, ODNI teamed up with the Pentagon to win a policy dispute over whether to release more of the national security agency's classified 'black budget'."
• FY2019 NDAA: Conferees reject provision to move "pass through" funds out of Air Force budget, conference report on the FY19 national defense authorization act, section 1632, July 25.
• FY2019 NDAA: Active Defense Against the Russian Federation, China, North Korea, Iran, conference report on the FY19 national defense authorization act, section 1642, July 25.
• FY2019 NDAA: Policy of the United States on Cyberspace, Cybersecurity, Cyber Warfare, and Cyber Deterrence, conference report on the FY19 national defense authorization act, section 1636, July 25.
• FY2019 NDAA: Affirming the authority of the Secretary of Defense to conduct military activities and operations in cyberspace, conference report on the FY19 national defense authorization act, section 1632, July 25.
• FY2019 NDAA: Requiring an unclassified schedule for ballistic missile defense flight tests, conference report on the FY19 national defense authorization act, section 1681, July 25.
• For Spies Emerging From the Shadows, a War With Trump Carries Risks by Julian E. Barnes and Mark Mazzetti, New York Times, July 24. "Mr. Trump's focus on the clearances of a handful of top officials belies a larger, longstanding issue for the national security apparatus -- the vast number of people who have access to government secrets."
• Security clearances: What exactly can Trump do? by Mark Morales and Laura Jarrett, CNN, July 23. "President Trump's willingness to consider revoking the security clearances of past officials is unprecedented and security analysts say it could carry dire consequences -- even if they agree he holds the power to do it."
• Trump considers yanking security clearances of his critics by Jill Colvin, Associated Press, July 23. "Legalities aside, it seems like a terrible mistake to use the security clearance system as an instrument of political vendettas," said Steven Aftergood at the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy.
• Ethics in the Intelligence Community -- Is There Room for Improvement? by Peter Suciu, ClearanceJobs, July 16. "A recent report from the Congressional Research Service highlights ethics within the CIA. When your job requires duplicity, understanding the ethical rules becomes even more important."
• FASAB Issues Exposure Draft: Interpretation of Federal Financial Accounting Standards 56: Classified Activities, Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board news release, July 12. "This proposed Interpretation permits specific modifications to prevent the disclosure of classified information within unclassified general purpose federal financial reports." (SFFAS 56 Exposure Draft for Comment, December 2017) (Comments Received) (Revised draft SFFAS 56 for sponsor review, July 2018)
• Library of Congress is spending $1.5M on a public Congressional Research Service reports website. Is it worth it? by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier, FedScoop, July 12. "On Sept. 18, if all goes according to plan, the CRS's non-confidential 'R' series reports will be officially available to more than just lawmakers and aides.""
• The Pentagon Wants to Automate Some Classification Decisions by Joseph Marks, NextGov, July 9. "The proposed software would help defense officials make classification decisions and automatically enforce them." (DOD Request for Information on automated classification options, DISA Solicitation Number 841812437, May 29.) (RFI questions and government responses, June 21.)

Older News: June 2018

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Updated August 24, 2018