SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2018, Issue No. 29
April 20, 2018

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

HOMELAND DEFENSE: AN UPDATE The Joint Chiefs of Staff last week issued updated doctrine on homeland defense, including new guidance on cyberspace operations, unmanned aerial systems, defense support of civil authorities, and even a bit of national security classification policy.

See Joint Publication 3-27, Homeland Defense, April 10, 2018:

Homeland defense (HD) is related to homeland security, but it is a military mission that emphasizes protection of the country from external threats and aggression.

"The purpose of HD is to protect against incursions or attacks on sovereign US territory, the domestic population, and critical infrastructure and key resources as directed," according to JP 3-27.

Homeland defense may also function domestically, subject to relevant law and policy. "Threats planned, prompted, promoted, caused, or executed by external actors may develop or take place inside the homeland. The reference to external threats does not limit where or how attacks may be planned and executed."

Effective homeland defense, whether abroad or at home, requires sharing of information with civilian authorities, international partners, and others.

In an odd editorial remark, the new DoD doctrine says that DoD itself keeps too much information behind a classified firewall to the detriment of information sharing.

"DOD's over-reliance on the classified information system for both classified and unclassified information is a frequent impediment...," the Joint Chiefs said.

"DOD information should be appropriately secured, shared, and made available throughout the information life cycle to appropriate mission partners to the maximum extent allowed by US laws and DOD policy. Critical to transparency of information sharing is the proper classification of intelligence and information," the document said, implying that such proper classification cannot be taken for granted.

USE OF ARMED FORCES TO SECURE THE BORDER

The legal framework governing the deployment and use of armed forces to guard the US border with Mexico is surveyed in a new publication from the Congressional Research Service.

See The President's Authority to Use the National Guard or the Armed Forces to Secure the Border, CRS Legal Sidebar, April 19, 2018.

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

Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response, updated April 18, 2018:

Spain and Its Relations with the United States: In Brief, updated April 19, 2018:

France and U.S.-French Relations: In Brief, April 19, 2018:

Energy and Water Development Appropriations: Nuclear Weapons Activities, updated April 18, 2018:

Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress, updated April 18, 2018:

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

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