SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2015, Issue No. 70
October 22, 2015

Secrecy News Blog: http://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/

ARMY DETAILS ONGOING REDUCTIONS IN FORCE

Since 2010, the U.S. Army has cut 80,000 soldiers from its ranks. It plans to complete a further reduction of 40,000 more by the end of fiscal year 2017, for an overall 21 percent reduction of Army active forces down to 450,000 soldiers.

The reductions in force were described in a July 2015 report to Congress that was released last week under the Freedom of Information Act. See Department of the Army, Notification to Congress on the Permanent Reduction of Sizable Numbers of Members of the Armed Forces, 10 July 2015.

"Nearly every Army installation will experience reductions of some size," the report indicated. Six installations will be reduced by more than 1,000 Soldiers: Fort Benning (Georgia), Fort Bliss (Texas), Fort Hood (Texas), Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (Alaska), Joint Base Lewis-McChord (Washington), and Schofield Barracks (Hawaii).

The report "includes an evaluation of the local economic, strategic, and operational consequences of the reductions at these six installations."

Additional reductions in the civilian Army workforce are expected to total around 17,000 by FY 2019.

"The Army will continue to be a force that can deploy and sustain capabilities across the range of military operations anywhere in the world on short notice," the report said.

However, "force structure reductions and the resulting impacts on installation populations could be significant to both military communities and to the defense posture of our nation," it concluded.

The newly-released Army report was also discussed in "Army Bases Bleed, Then BRAC Comes" by Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., Breaking Defense, October 21.

The history, status and possible future of current Army combat vehicles were examined in a new report from the Congressional Research Service. See The Army's M-1 Abrams, M-2/M-3 Bradley, and M-1126 Stryker: Background and Issues for Congress, October 15, 2015.

A REPORTER'S PRIVILEGE WORKAROUND, AND MORE FROM CRS

New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.

Privilege Against Self-Incrimination Supplements Journalist Privilege, CRS Legal Sidebar, October 20, 2015:

Supreme Court Appointment Process: President's Selection of a Nominee, October 19, 2015:

Supreme Court Appointment Process: Consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee, October 19, 2015:

Supreme Court Appointment Process: Senate Debate and Confirmation Vote, October 19, 2015:

Points of Order in the Congressional Budget Process, updated October 20, 2015:

Creating a Federal Advisory Committee in the Executive Branch, October 19, 2015:

Legislative Branch Agency Appointments: History, Processes, and Recent Actions, updated October 19, 2015:

Federal Aid for Reconstruction of Houses of Worship: A Legal Analysis, October 19, 2015:

Sanctuary Jurisdictions and Criminal Aliens: In Brief, October 20, 2015:

Elections in Haiti, CRS Insight, October 20, 2015:

Argentina's 2015 Presidential Election, CRS Insight, October 20, 2015:

U.S.-Mexico Security Cooperation Following "El Chapo" Guzman's Escape, CRS Insights, updated October 20, 2015:

Iran's Nuclear Program: Tehran's Compliance with International Obligations, updated October 19, 2015:

U.S. Foreign Assistance to the Middle East: Historical Background, Recent Trends, and the FY2016 Request, October 19, 2015:

* * *

The ready availability of most CRS reports online in recent years has demonstrated at least a couple of things.

First, they are actually useful. And they are used -- by reporters, researchers and members of the general public. Every day, news stories and editorials cite to CRS publications as authoritative sources of non-partisan information.

Second, their broad public dissemination online has generated no adverse effects on CRS as an institution. In particular, it has not interfered with analysts' productivity or candor, or with the conduct of congressional operations.

But authorized disclosure of CRS reports would be greatly preferable to the existing practice of unauthorized disclosure. The unauthorized route involves time-consuming collection and processing activity by people whose efforts could perhaps be applied more productively in other ways. And while the public archive of current CRS reports is probably more than 80% complete, it is not 100% complete.

A new initiative to gain authorized public access to CRS reports is now getting some traction. The issue is being addressed today on Capitol Hill at a meeting of the Congressional Transparency Caucus.

Numerous former CRS experts have written to congressional leaders to express their support for public access.

And a bipartisan resolution in favor of public access has been introduced in the House by Reps. Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Leonard Lance (R-NJ).

It may yet happen.

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

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