SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2015, Issue No. 84
December 15, 2015

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

ARMY TERMINOLOGY AND MILITARY SYMBOLS

Military terms and symbols that are used by the U.S. Army have been compiled in an updated reference manual, along with acronyms and abbreviations. See ADRP 1-02, Terms and Military Symbols, December 2015:

Intended to foster a common vocabulary, the manual can also help outsiders to interpret distinctive Army expressions and patterns of speech.

The manual devotes several chapters to "military symbology."

"A military symbol is a graphic representation of a unit, equipment, installation, activity, control measure, or tactical task relevant to military operations that is used for planning or to represent the common operational picture on a map, display, or overlay."

"The symbology chapters (chapters 3 through 10) provide detailed requirements for composing and constructing symbols. The rules for building a set of military symbols allow enough flexibility for users to create any symbol to meet their operational needs," the manual said.

AIR FORCE AVIATION INVESTMENT, AND MORE FROM CRS

The U.S. Air Force is attempting to develop and procure multiple major aircraft systems at the same time, generating programmatic and budgetary uncertainty.

"The United States Air Force is in the midst of an ambitious aviation modernization program, driven primarily by the age of its current aircraft fleets," a new report from the Congressional Research Service observes. "Four major programs are in procurement, with five more in research and development (R&D)."

"The need to replace several types of aircraft simultaneously poses challenges to future budgets, as the new programs compete with existing program commitments and normal program growth under a restricted service topline." The CRS report examined the options for addressing these challenges. See The Air Force Aviation Investment Challenge, December 11, 2015:

Other new and updated CRS reports that have been issued in the past few days include these:

Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress, updated December 14, 2015:

Coast Guard Cutter Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress, updated December 14, 2015:

Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress, updated December 11, 2015:

Effect of Corinthian Colleges' Closure on Student Financial Aid: Frequently Asked Questions, updated December 14, 2015:

Medicaid Financing and Expenditures, updated December 14, 2015:

Is the Penalty for Failing to Report Overseas Accounts (FBAR) Unconstitutional?, CRS Legal Sidebar, December 14, 2015:

FDA Naturally Requests Public Comments on the Use of "Natural" on Food Labels, CRS Legal Sidebar, December 11, 2015:

Cybersecurity: Legislation, Hearings, and Executive Branch Documents, updated December 10, 2015:

Kuwait: Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, updated December 11, 2015:

The H-2B Visa and the Statutory Cap: In Brief, December 11, 2015:

China-U.S. Trade Issues, updated December 13, 2015:

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

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