SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2015, Issue No. 15
February 27, 2015Secrecy News Blog: http://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/
ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE, AND MORE FROM CRS
A new report from the Congressional Research Service describes government agency plans to anticipate and adapt to the effects of climate change, as required by a 2013 executive order.
The first step is a vulnerability assessment. For the Department of Defense, climate change may have "potential impacts on geopolitics and national security interests that could result in [new] military operations, risks to existing military infrastructure, and hindrances to readiness and the ability to execute missions."
"Climate change could affect the type, scope, frequency, tactics, and location of military operations worldwide," the CRS report said. Already, "The Air Force has found that the combination of thawing permafrost, decreasing sea ice, and rising sea levels on the Alaskan coast has increased coastal erosion at several Air Force radar early-warning and communication installations."
The new CRS report surveys the range of agency responses to date. See Climate Change Adaptation by Federal Agencies: An Analysis of Plans and Issues for Congress, February 23, 2015.
Other new and updated CRS reports that Congress has withheld from online public distribution include the following.
The Obama Administration's Proposed AUMF Against the Islamic State: Some Immediate Takeaways, CRS Legal Sidebar, February 19, 2015
Common Questions About Federal Records and Related Agency Requirements, February 2, 2015
China's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), January 30, 2015
International Law and Agreements: Their Effect Upon U.S. Law, February 18, 2015
Veto Override Procedure in the House and Senate, February 25, 2015
Anthem Data Breach: How Safe is Health Information Under HIPAA?, CRS Insights, February 24, 2015
Number of African American Judges Reaches All-Time High: Do Issues Remain? CRS Insights, February 23, 2015
USCIS Funding and Accountability to Congress, CRS Insights, February 19, 2015
U.S. Citizens Kidnapped by the Islamic State, CRS Insights, February 13, 2015
and see, relatedly, How Much Are Americans Worth? By Aaron Gluck, International Affairs Review
BATTLE OF THE BANDS: ARMY MUSIC DOCTRINE
The U.S. Army issued new doctrine this month on the role of music in military operations.
"The mission of Army music is to provide music supporting unified land operations and instill in our forces the will to fight and win, foster the support of our citizens, and promote America's interests at home and abroad," the Army doctrine states.
"Army music stands ready to provide flexible, relevant, and targeted music support where civilian entertainers cannot go."
"Music instruments in the form of horns, trumpets or drums were a part of military strategy dating to ancient times. Archeology gives us stone reliefs from 3,000 years before Christ depicting Assyrians and Babylonians parading brass instruments in military victory. Bands of musical instruments were included in formations throughout the centuries."
The new Army doctrinal publication "provides key guidance pertaining to the mission, organization, and operation of music performance units (MPUs)" -- otherwise known as Army bands. "This manual should serve as a guide for training and operations based on the tenets of music supporting unified land operations."
See Army Music, ATP 1-19, February 2015.
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Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.
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