[net-gold] Secrecy News -- 03/30/11
- From: "David P. Dillard" <jwne@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Net-Gold -- Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, Net-Gold <Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, NetGold <netgold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Gold <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K-12ADMINLIFE <K12ADMIN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K12AdminLIFE <K12AdminLIFE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, MediaMentor <mediamentor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Digital Divide Diversity MLS <mls-digitaldivide@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, NetGold <netgold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Platinum <net-platinum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Sean Grigsby <myarchives1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Gold <NetGold_general@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Temple Gold Discussion Group <TEMPLE-GOLD@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Temple University Net-Gold Archive <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:55:14 -0400 (EDT)
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Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:59:22 -0400
From: Steven Aftergood <saftergood@xxxxxxx>
To: Steven Aftergood <saftergood@xxxxxxx>
Subject: Secrecy News -- 03/30/11
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SECRECY NEWS
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from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2011, Issue No. 30
March 30, 2011
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Secrecy News Blog:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
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** DNI DRAGS HEELS ON GAO ACCESS TO INTELLIGENCE
** PIDB ON DISCRETIONARY DECLASSIFICATION, OTHER TOPICS
** SIX DAYS OF ODYSSEY DAWN (LIBYA) COST $400 MILLION
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DNI DRAGS HEELS ON GAO ACCESS TO INTELLIGENCE
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The Director of National Intelligence has prepared a draft intelligence
directive on access by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to
intelligence information, but it is "shockingly bad," a congressional
official said.
The GAO is an investigative arm of Congress that performs audits and reviews
in support of congressional oversight and the legislative process. But GAO
access to intelligence information has often been frustrated by resistance
from the executive branch, which has sought to strictly limit the conduct of
intelligence oversight to the congressional intelligence committees.
In an attempt to clarify the role of the GAO in intelligence oversight, the
2010 intelligence authorization act directed the DNI to prepare a new
intelligence community directive to govern GAO access to intelligence
information. The first draft of the new directive is said to reserve
maximum discretion to the DNI, and to offer little practical assurance that
GAO will get access to the information it needs.
So, for example, the definition of intelligence information that may be
withheld from GAO extends broadly to law enforcement, military and
intelligence information related to national security. GAO access is to be
denied whenever it concerns information regarding "intelligence budgets or
funding, or personnel information that... may reveal intelligence strategy,
capabilities, or operations."
"In other words, GAO cannot look at anything that involves money or people,"
the congressional official told Secrecy News. "Combine that with the
sweeping, open-ended definition of intelligence and large chunks of the
federal government suddenly vanish from [GAO] oversight-- DOD, FBI, DHS,
State Department, etc."
In fact, because the pending Directive would extend to the entire
intelligence community, it could actually make things worse than they
already are by undermining current GAO oversight of military intelligence
agencies, which by all accounts has been fruitful and effective.
Intelligence officials appeared to be taken aback by the criticism of the
draft directive, which has not yet been released. They said the draft is
still in preparation and that it is not intended to undermine GAO's
oversight function.
But the Obama Administration has strongly opposed an enhanced role for GAO
oversight of intelligence. The Obama White House even threatened to veto
the 2010 intelligence authorization act over the issue.
Meanwhile, intelligence agencies are operating in an oversight vacuum
without effective supervision of their spending practices. Most of the
agencies cannot and do not produce auditable financial statements, the
Senate Intelligence Committee reported this month.
"The CIA has submitted its financial reports to an independent auditor but
has received a disclaimer of opinion due to the inability of the auditor to
gather certain relevant facts. The NSA, DIA, and NGA are still not even
prepared to submit their financial reports to independent audit," the Senate
Committee said.
PIDB ON DISCRETIONARY DECLASSIFICATION, OTHER TOPICS
In its ongoing consideration of policy options for "transforming
classification," the Public Interest Declassification Board has produced
three short new papers that are intended to prompt further discussion.
The new papers discuss Simplifying the Declassification Review Process for
Historical Records, Discretionary Declassification and Release of
Contemporary National Security Information, and Regularizing the
Declassification Review of Classified Congressional Records.
Interested members of the public are invited to comment on the PIDB blog
here:
http://blogs.archives.gov/transformingclassification/
SIX DAYS OF ODYSSEY DAWN (LIBYA) COST $400 MILLION
The first six days of Odyssey Dawn, the US war in Libya, cost an estimated
$400 million, according to a new report from the Congressional Research
Service.
"Using operational details provided by DOD and DOD cost factors, a
'bottoms-up' estimate of the cost of initial operations suggests that in the
first six days of operations, DOD has spent roughly $400 million," the
report said.
"U.S. participation in Operation Odyssey Dawn and NATO operations around
Libya raises a number of questions for Congress, including the role of
Congress in authorizing the use of force, the costs of the operation, the
desired politico-strategic end state, the role of U.S. military forces in an
operation under international command, and many others," said the CRS
report, which fleshed out many of those questions.
See "Operation Odyssey Dawn (Libya): Background and Issues for Congress,"
March 28, 2011:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R41725.pdf
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_______________________________________________
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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:
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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
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_______________________
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Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web: www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email: saftergood@xxxxxxx
voice: (202) 454-4691
twitter: @saftergood
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