[net-gold] Secrecy News -- 04/29/10
- From: "David P. Dillard" <jwne@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Net-Gold <Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Temple University Net-Gold Archive <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Temple Gold Discussion Group <TEMPLE-GOLD@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Gold <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Sean Grigsby <myarchives1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K12AdminLIFE <K12AdminLIFE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Platinum <net-platinum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Net-Gold @ Nabble" <ml-node+3172864-337556105@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, MediaMentor <mediamentor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Digital Divide Diversity MLS <mls-digitaldivide@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, NetGold <netgold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:40:14 -0400 (EDT)
.
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:09:26 -0400
From: Steven Aftergood <saftergood@xxxxxxx>
To: saftergood@xxxxxxx
Subject: Secrecy News -- 04/29/10 (alt list)
SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2010, Issue No. 34
April 29, 2010
Secrecy News Blog:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
** RISE IN FRATRICIDE SEEN IN THE WAR ON TERROR
** THE WAR POWERS RESOLUTION, AND MORE FROM CRS
** SECURITY CLEARANCE MODERNIZATION, AND MORE HEARINGS
** GERMAN SUBS OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST (1920)
RISE IN FRATRICIDE SEEN IN THE WAR ON TERROR
Incidents of fratricide in the U.S. war on terrorism increased in recent
years, according to a new report from the U.S. Army.
"Fratricide" -- the unintended killing or injury of friendly forces -- "is a
harsh reality during combat operations," the study states. "Over the course
of 2004-2007, the number of fratricide incidents increased, and experts
speculate this is due to the high operational tempo and the reliance on
technology during the current war."
According to official data, "there were 55 U.S. Army fratricide incidents
from 11 September 2001 to 30 March 2008. Forty of these were Class A
accidents" -- involving damage costs of $2 million or more and/or
destruction of an Army aircraft, missile or spacecraft and/or fatality or
permanent total disability -- "resulting in the deaths of 30 U.S. Army
personnel."
Human error is a primary causal factor in many fratricide incidents, the
study indicated, and "therefore, human error must be considered in the
design and development of fratricide countermeasures, including both
technical and human-centric solutions... Improved supervision and leadership
may have the greatest potential to reduce U.S. fratricide incidents."
See "An Analysis of U.S. Army Fratricide Incidents during the Global War on
Terror (11 September 2001 to 31 March 2008)" by Catherine M. Webb and Kate
J. Hewett, U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, March 2010:
http://www.fas.org/man/eprint/fratricide.pdf
THE WAR POWERS RESOLUTION, AND MORE FROM CRS
Although the U.S. Constitution assigned the power to declare war to
Congress, the use of armed forces has often been initiated by the President
without congressional authorization. The enactment of the War Powers
Resolution in 1973 was an attempt by Congress to reassert its constitutional
role and to regulate military action by the executive branch. For the most
part, it failed to accomplish those goals.
"The main purpose of the Resolution was to establish procedures for both
branches to share in decisions that might get the United States involved in
war," a new report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) observes.
"The drafters sought to circumscribe the President's authority to use armed
forces abroad in hostilities or potential hostilities without a declaration
of war or other congressional authorization, yet provide enough flexibility
to permit him to respond to attack or other emergencies."
"But the record of the War Powers Resolution since its enactment has been
mixed, and after 30 years it remains controversial," the CRS report said.
The new report documents that mixed record, listing all of the instances
from 1973 to December 2009 in which Presidents submitted reports to Congress
under the Resolution, as well as instances of the use of U.S. armed forces
that were not reported. See "The War Powers Resolution: After Thirty-Six
Years," April 22, 2010:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R41199.pdf
For reasons that defy easy comprehension, Congress does not believe that CRS
reports should be made readily available to members of the public, so
identifying and acquiring reports of interest takes a bit of extra effort.
Noteworthy new CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News include the following.
"Monitoring and Verification in Arms Control," April 21, 2010:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/R41201.pdf
"Emergency Communications: Broadband and the Future of 911," April 27, 2010:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/R41208.pdf
"Unauthorized Aliens in the United States," April 27, 2010:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/R41207.pdf
"Bangladesh: Political and Strategic Developments and U.S. Interests," April
1, 2010:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41194.pdf
"Guinea's New Transitional Government: Emerging Issues for U.S. Policy,"
April 23, 2010:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41200.pdf
SECURITY CLEARANCE MODERNIZATION, AND MORE HEARINGS
The Department of Defense denied security clearances to 8,065 individuals in
2008, according to a recent congressional hearing volume. "These numbers
represent a small percentage of the total number of security clearance
investigations. The vast majority of investigations are adjudicated
favorably."
See "Security Clearance Reform: Moving Forward on Modernization," Senate
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, September 15, 2009
(published April 2010):
http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2009_hr/clear.html
Among other recently published congressional hearing volumes on national
security topics are these:
"An Uneasy Relationship: U.S. Reliance on Private Security Firms in Overseas
Operations," Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee,
February 27, 2008 (published March 2010):
http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2008_hr/psc.pdf
"Reauthorizing the USA PATRIOT Act: Ensuring Liberty," Senate Judiciary
Committee, September 23, 2009 (published April 2010):
http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2009_hr/patriot2.html
"A Strategic and Economic Review of Aerospace Exports," House Foreign
Affairs Committee, December 9, 2009 (published April 2010):
http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2009_hr/aero-export.pdf
GERMAN SUBS OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST (1920)
The threat of German submarines laying explosive mines off the east coast of
the United States was a source of alarm during World War I, but the residual
hazards had diminished within a few years of the war's end, according to a
comprehensive survey published by the U.S. Navy in 1920.
"The reports of the sightings of submarines have been without number," the
Navy said, "and great care has been exercised to try to corroborate or
validate the reports, and all have been rejected which do not answer such
conditions as to accuracy."
"The information received as to the number of mines in each area and the
reports of their destruction leave little or no doubt that the Atlantic
coast is free from any danger as to mines," according to the 1920 Navy
report, which was digitized by the Combined Arms Research Library at Fort
Leavenworth.
See "German Submarine Activities on the Atlantic Coast of the United States
and Canada," Department of the Navy, 1920 (very large pdf file):
http://www.fas.org/man/eprint/german-subs.pdf
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation
of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
To SUBSCRIBE to Secrecy News, go to:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/subscribe.html
To UNSUBSCRIBE, go to
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/unsubscribe.html
OR email your request to saftergood@xxxxxxx
Secrecy News is archived at:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/index.html
Support the FAS Project on Government Secrecy with a donation:
http://www.fas.org/member/donate_today.html
_______________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web: www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email: saftergood@xxxxxxx
voice: (202) 454-4691
.
Other related posts:
- » [net-gold] Secrecy News -- 04/29/10 - David P. Dillard
