SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2017, Issue No. 86
December 11, 2017

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

MILITARY OPERATIONS FACE GROWING TRANSPARENCY

Soldiers and Marines fighting in populated urban environments have to assume that their actions are being closely monitored by the public, according to new military doctrine published last week. They need to have "an expectation of observation."

Increased transparency surrounding military operations in populated areas must be anticipated and factored into operational plans, the new doctrine instructs.

"Soldiers/Marines are likely to have their activities recorded in real time and shared instantly both locally and globally. In sum, friendly forces must have an expectation of observation for many of their activities and must employ information operations to deal with this reality effectively."

This can be a matter of some urgency considering that "Under media scrutiny, the action of one Soldier/Marine has significant strategic implications."

See Urban Operations, ATP 3-06, US Army, US Marine Corps, December 7, 2017:

"Currently more than 50 percent of the world population lives in urban areas and is likely to increase to 70 percent by 2050, making military operations in cities both inevitable and the norm," the document states.

Inevitable or not, urban military combat presents a variety of challenges.

"Urban operations often reduce the relative advantage of technological superiority, weapons ranges, and firepower."

"Moreover, because there is risk of high civilian casualties, commanders are generally required to protect civilians, render aid, and minimize damage to infrastructure. These requirements can reduce resources available to defeat the enemy, often creating difficult choices for the commander."

"Military operations that devastate large amounts of infrastructure may result in more civilian casualties than directly caused by combat itself. Excessive U.S. destruction of infrastructure that causes widespread suffering amongst people may turn initially neutral or positive sentiment toward U.S. forces into hostility that can rapidly mobilize populations and change the nature of the military problem."

"Destroying an urban area to save it is not an option for commanders."

FOREIGN AGENTS REGISTRATION ACT, AND MORE FROM CRS

"In the wake of the 2016 election, concerns have been raised with respect to the legal regime governing foreign influence in domestic politics," a new report from the Congressional Research Service notes. "The central law concerning the activities of the agents of foreign entities acting in the United States is the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA)."

Significantly, that law does not prohibit "representation of foreign interests or limited distribution of foreign propaganda. Instead, the Act provides only for public disclosure of any such activities. FARA's legislative history indicates that Congress believed such disclosure would best combat foreign influence by informing the American public of the actions taken and information distributed on behalf of foreign sources."

See The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA): A Legal Overview, December 4, 2017:

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

"Extraordinary Measures" and the Debt Limit, CRS Insight, December 8, 2017:

Efforts to Address Seasonal Agricultural Import Competition in the NAFTA Renegotiation, December 7, 2017:

Retirement Benefits for Members of Congress, updated December 5, 2017:

The Child and Dependent Care Credit: Impact of Selected Policy Options, December 5, 2017:

Public Sector Union Dues: Grappling with Fixed Stars and Stare Decisis (Part I), CRS Legal Sidebar, December 4, 2017:

EPA's Clean Power Plan for Existing Power Plants: Frequently Asked Questions, updated December 4, 2017:

Changes to "Too Big To Fail?": Treasury Recommends Revisions to Dodd-Frank SIFI Designation Process for Non-Banks (Part I), CRS Legal Sidebar, December 1, 2017:

Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs): Background and Issues for Congress, December 1, 2017:

Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Remittances, updated December 4, 2017:

Haiti's Political and Economic Conditions: In Brief, December 1, 2017:

Yemen: Civil War and Regional Intervention, updated December 7, 2017:

Lebanon, updated December 7, 2017:

Oman: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy, updated December 4, 2017:

Natural Disasters of 2017: Congressional Considerations Related to FEMA Assistance, CRS Insight, December 6, 2017:

FEMA's Firefighter Assistance Grants: Reauthorization or Sunset?, CRS Insight, December 5, 2017:

What Happens If the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Lapses?, CRS Insight, December 5, 2017:

Russian Compliance with the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty: Background and Issues for Congress, updated December 6, 2017:

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

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