SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2016, Issue No. 23
March 10, 2016

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

A BUREAUCRATIC HISTORY OF CYBER WAR

When Gen. Keith Alexander became the new director of the National Security Agency in 2005, "his predecessor, Mike Hayden, stepped down, seething with suspicion"-- towards Alexander.

As told by Fred Kaplan in his new book Dark Territory, Gen. Hayden and Gen. Alexander had clashed years before in a struggle "for turf and power, leaving Hayden with a bitter taste, a shudder of distrust, about every aspect and activity of the new man in charge." The feeling was mutual.

The subject (and subtitle) of Kaplan's book is "the secret history of cyber war." But the most interesting secrets disclosed here have less to do with any classified missions or technologies than with the internal bureaucratic evolution of the military's interest in cyber space. Who met with whom, who was appointed to what position, or even (as in the case of Hayden and Alexander) who may have hated whom all turn out to be quite important in the ongoing development of this contested domain.

Kaplan seems to have interviewed almost all of the major players and participants in this history, and he has an engaging story to tell. (Two contrasting reviews of Dark Territory in the New York Times are here and here.)

Meanwhile, the history of cyber war is becoming gradually less secret.

This week, the Department of Defense openly published an updated instruction on "Cybersecurity Activities Support to DoD Information Network Operations" (DoD Instruction 8530.01, March 7).

It replaces, incorporates and cancels previous directives from 2001 that were for restricted distribution only.

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME, AND MORE FROM CRS

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

Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau's State Visit, March 2016, CRS Insight, March 7, 2016:

Overview of FY2017 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS), March 7, 2016:

First-Term Members of the House of Representatives and Senate, 64th-114th Congresses, March 7, 2016:

The Precision Medicine Initiative, CRS Insight, March 8, 2016:

Cybersecurity: Critical Infrastructure Authoritative Reports and Resources, March 8, 2016:

The Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Leak: State and Federal Response and Oversight, CRS Insight, March 9, 2016:

EPA's Clean Power Plan for Existing Power Plants: Frequently Asked Questions, updated March 9, 2016:

Poland and Its Relations with the United States: In Brief, updated March 7, 2016:

Iraq: Politics and Governance, updated March 9, 2016:

Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress, updated March 8, 2016:

Navy Ohio Replacement (SSBN[X]) Ballistic Missile Submarine Program: Background and Issues for Congress, updated March 8, 2016:

Daylight Saving Time, March 9, 2016:

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

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