SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2005, Issue No. 56
June 16, 2005

A GAGGLE OF CRS REPORTS

The Congressional Research Service, at the direction of the current congressional leadership, does not make its products directly available to the public.

In an effort to counter this anachronistic policy, Secrecy News provides direct access to selected CRS reports such as the following:

"State and Local Homeland Security: Unresolved Issues for the 109th Congress," June 9, 2005:

"Defense Procurement: Full Funding Policy -- Background, Issues, and Options for Congress," updated May 25, 2005:

"Military Base Closure: Socioeconomic Impacts," May 18, 2005:

"'Fast Track' Congressional Consideration of Recommendations of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission," May 12, 2005:

"Unmanned Vehicles for U.S. Naval Forces: Background and Issues for Congress," updated May 12, 2005:

"Air Force Aerial Refueling Methods: Flying Boom versus Hose-and-Drogue," May 11, 2005:

"Navy Ship Acquisition: Options for Lower-Cost Ship Designs -- Issues for Congress," May 11, 2005:

"Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Remittances," updated May 10, 2005:

"China's Exchange Rate Peg: Economic Issues and Options for U.S. Trade Policy," updated May 10, 2005:

"High Performance Computers and Export Control Policy: Issues for Congress," updated May 5, 2005:

"International Food Aid: U.S. and Other Donor Contributions," updated May 2, 2005:

"Medal of Honor Recipients: 1979-2005," updated April 27, 2005:

"Palestinian Education and the Debate Over Textbooks," April 27, 2005:

"The Interagency Security Committee and Security Standards for Federal Buildings," April 22, 2005:

"Defense Outsourcing: The OMB Circular A-76 Policy," updated April 21, 2005:

"The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: An Overview of the Statutory Framework and Recent Judicial Decisions," updated April 21, 2005:

"Defense Budget: Long-Term Challenges for FY2006 and Beyond," April 20, 2005:

"Peacekeeping and Conflict Transitions: Background and Congressional Action on Civilian Capabilities," April 13, 2005:

"Network Centric Warfare: Background and Oversight Issues for Congress," March 18, 2005:

COUNTERINTELLIGENCE REPORTING IN THE WORKPLACE

Government and contractor employees are reluctant to report suspicious behavior exhibited by their coworkers to security personnel except when they believe it has some plausible bearing on national security, a recent counterintelligence policy study found.

Employees "said that they were very willing to report serious behaviors that clearly related to counterintelligence or security, but much less willing to report on suitability types of behaviors, such as excessive drinking and personal problems, because they were not able to see the direct link between the human problem and national security."

In response to this finding, the Department of Defense Personnel Security Research Center (PERSEREC) developed an explicit list of actions that could pose a threat to national security in order to encourage coworkers to report such behavior, as described in the new study.

Reportable behavior includes such things as displays of unexplained affluence, concealment of foreign travel, extensive use of copy or fax machines beyond what is required for work, attempts to place other personnel under obligation through favors or gifts, and more.

See "Reporting of Counterintelligence and Security Indicators by Supervisors and Coworkers," PERSEREC, May 2005:

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Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.

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