SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2017, Issue No. 30
April 28, 2017

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

THE ARMY RANGER HANDBOOK: UPDATED

"You can lie all you please when you tell other folks about the Rangers," advised Major Robert Rogers in 1759, "but don't never lie to a Ranger or officer."

That guidance is recalled in a newly updated Ranger Handbook published by the U.S. Army last week.

The Handbook is a compilation of doctrine, tactics, history and lore associated with the Army's elite Ranger special operations force.

One learns, for example, that "Proficiency with knots and rope is vitally important for Rangers, especially in mountaineering situations. Familiarity with the terminology associated with knots and rope is critical." Various knots are helpfully explained and illustrated, though the descriptions alone will hardly make the reader proficient.

The Army Ranger Regiment "is a lethal, agile and flexible force, capable of conducting many complex, joint special operations missions. . . . Their capabilities include conducting airborne and air assault operations, seizing key terrain such as airfields, destroying strategic facilities, and capturing or killing enemies of the nation."

MEXICO'S FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS, & MORE FROM CRS

A newly updated report from the Congressional Research Service "provides an overview of Mexico's free trade agreements, its motivations for trade liberalization and entering into free trade agreements, and trade trends with the United States and other countries in the world." See Mexico's Free Trade Agreements, updated April 25, 2017:

Other new and updated Congressional Research Service reports include the following.

Mexico: Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking Organizations, updated April 25, 2017:

Argentina: Background and U.S. Relations, updated April 25, 2017:

China's February 2017 Suspension of North Korean Coal Imports, CRS Insight, April 25, 2017:

Deferred Maintenance of Federal Land Management Agencies: FY2007-FY2016 Estimates and Issues, April 25, 2017:

The "Better Way" House Tax Plan: An Economic Analysis, April 25, 2017:

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

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