Secrecy and Security News
Newer News: August 2020
July 2020
- Berkeley Nuke Prof's Side Gig: Far-Right Serbian Activist by Ali Winston, Daily Beast, July 25. "A prominent nuclear engineering professor in California with influence over millions of dollars in federal research funds is also a prominent player in Dveri, a far right-wing party in Serbia that publicly supports a convicted war criminal, among other extremist stances."
- An Air Force Special Operations Surveillance Plane is Lurking Near Portland During Federal Crackdown by Sam Biddle, The Intercept, July 23. "While anonymous federal agents have thrown protesters into unmarked vans and fired tear gas at Portland's mayor in recent days, an Air Force surveillance plane designed to carry state-of-the-art sensors typically reserved for war zones has circled the Oregon city's outskirts from above."
- Six months later, Democrats keep working to unearth a big national security secret by Greg Sargent, The Washington Post, July 21. "For months, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) has been working to pry loose the legal justification for Trump's order of the assassination of Iran's Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in January."
- Esper Turns Emphasis at Pentagon to Stopping 'Countless' Leaks by Anthony Capaccio, Bloomberg News, July 21. "Defense Secretary Mark Esper is pressing officials at the Pentagon to crack down more on the 'countless examples of unauthorized disclosures' officials say are threatening the safety of personnel and undermining national security."
- Reinforcing Operations Security and the Importance of Preventing Unauthorized Disclosures, memorandum from Secretary of Defense Esper, July 20. "It is important to emphasize that unclassified information is not publicly releasable until it is approved for release by an appropriate authorizing official.
- Public Engagement Coordination, memorandum from Secretary of Defense Esper, July 20
- When Physics Faced the Darkest Part of Reality by Peter Gwynne, Inside Science, July 15. "The potentially world-destroying power of the atomic bomb moved many scientists to engage more directly with the public, an effort that continues to this day."
Older News: June 2020