SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2018, Issue No. 14
March 1, 2018

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

CROWDSOURCING THE VERIFICATION OF NUCLEAR SAFEGUARDS

The possibility of mobilizing members of the public to collect information -- "crowdsourcing" -- to enhance verification of international nuclear safeguards is explored in a new report from Sandia National Laboratories.

"Our analysis indicates that there are ways for the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] to utilize data from crowdsourcing activities to support safeguards verification," the authors conclude.

But there are a variety of hurdles to overcome.

"Some implementations of crowdsourcing for safeguards are legally or ethically uncertain, and must be carefully considered prior to adoption."

Crowdsourced information, like other information, has to be independently verified, particularly since it is susceptible to error, manipulation and deception.

The report builds on previous work cited in a bibliography. See Power of the People: A Technical, Ethical and Experimental Examination of the Use of Crowdsourcing to Support International Nuclear Safeguards Verification by Zoe N. Gastelum, et al, Sandia National Laboratories, October 2017.

THE POST-9/11 COST OF WAR, UPDATED

As of August 2017, the Department of Defense (DoD) had obligated $1.474 trillion for war-related costs since September 11, 2001. DoD updated its official cost report last month. See Cost of War Update as of August 31, 2017.

Average monthly spending in 2017 was $3.9 billion, up from an average of $3.5 billion in 2016, the report said.

The total post-9/11 spending figure includes $83 billion in classified appropriations, not including non-DoD classified expenditures (e.g. CIA spending).

The reported costs of war are highly dependent on the definition of the term. DoD's total figure, which does not include many kinds of indirect costs, is substantially lower than estimates by other analysts such as the Watson Institute at Brown University, which placed the total figure at $5.6 trillion as of November 2017.

The DoD report also understates the number of US troops deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

NUCLEAR WEAPONS SPENDING, BLOCKCHAIN, & MORE FROM CRS

The Trump Administration requested $11.02 billion for maintenance and refurbishment of nuclear weapons in the coming year. This represents a 19% increase over the amount appropriated in FY2017.

Recent and proposed nuclear weapons-related spending is detailed by Amy F. Woolf of the Congressional Research Service in Energy and Water Development Appropriations: Nuclear Weapons Activities, February 27, 2018.

Another new CRS report discusses blockchain, the technology that underlies cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Blockchain provides a way to securely record transactions of various types. "Despite public intrigue and excitement around the technology, questions still surround what it is, what it does, how it can be used, and its tradeoffs."

"This report explains the technologies which underpin blockchain, how blockchain works, potential applications for blockchain, concerns with it, and potential considerations for Congress." See Blockchain: Background and Policy Issues, February 28, 2018.

Other recent reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.

Defense Spending Under an Interim Continuing Resolution: In Brief, updated February 23, 2018:

Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response, updated February 27, 2018:

U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel, updated February 26, 2018:

Federal Civil Aviation Programs: In Brief, updated February 27, 2018:

Health Care for Dependents and Survivors of Veterans, updated February 26, 2018:

Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV): Background and Issues for Congress, updated February 27, 2018:

The European Union: Questions and Answers, updated February 23, 2018:

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

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