Update from FAS: FAS Roundup: January 30, 2012

FAS Roundup: January 30, 2012

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New developments in radiation treatment and diagnosis, no cuts in nuclear forces in defense budget, domestic use of drones, new leak case against CIA officer and much more.

From the Blogs 

• Domestic Use of Drones is Well Underway: The use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) within the United States is certain to increase in the years to come, as a new Army policy has recently made clear. But, the use of unmanned aircraft or drones within U.S. airspace has already advanced to a degree that is not widely recognized.

• Budget Blunder: "No Cuts" in Nuclear Forces: “There are no cuts made in the nuclear force in this budget.” That clear statement was made on January 26, 2012 by deputy defense secretary Ashton Carter during the Pentagon’s briefing on the defense budget request for Fiscal Year 2013. Hans Kristensen writes that this statement is disappointing for anyone who had hopes that the administration’s promises about “concrete steps” to reduce the number and role of nuclear weapons and to “put an end to Cold War thinking” would actually be reflected in the new defense budget.

• Presidential Signing Statements and More from CRS:  Secrecy News has obtained new CRS reports on topics such as veterans benefits, Iran sanctions and the FBI and terrorism investigations.

• A Small Death in Tehran: The recent death of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, the 32 year-old deputy director of one of Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities, brings the total of assassinations to five among what was a small group of people to begin with. There are two aspects to this act – the morality of such assassinations and their efficacy, which Dr. Y examines on the ScienceWonk blog.

• New Leak Case Relies on 1982 Law on Intelligence Identities: Former CIA officer John Kiriakou became the latest person to be charged under the Espionage Act with unauthorized disclosures of classified information. But unlike the previous defendants, Mr. Kiriakou was also charged with violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act for allegedly disclosing the identity of a covert intelligence officer to a journalist. Steven Aftergood analyzes the history of this Act and the case against Mr. Kiriakou.

• New Doctrine on Intelligence Support to Military Operations:  Secrecy News has obtained an updated doctrine produced by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on intelligence support to military operations.  The new doctrine reflects changes in intelligence organizations, roles and missions.

• New Developments in Radiation Diagnosis and Treatment: For the last several years the threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism has given us all a good scare and one of our responses has been to throw a lot of money into improving our ability to respond medically to such an attack. Dr. Y writes about a few strategies for diagnosis and treatment.

• DoD Support to Foreign Disaster Relief:  Secrecy News has obtained a new guide prepared by the Department of Defense for military personnel who are engaged in foreign disaster relief operations, an endeavor which arises with some frequency.

• Court Says Review of Security Clearance Dispute is "Prohibited": A government agency’s decision to revoke an employee’s security clearance cannot be reviewed by a federal court even if the decision is based on ethnic discrimination or religious prejudice or other unconstitutional grounds, a court said last week.

Event Transcript

• Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project, spoke on a panel hosted by the Arms Control Association regarding the future of the U.S. Nuclear Arsenal in Washington, DC on January 20, 2012. The transcript from the event is available online here.

Volunteer Opportunity for DC Members

• FAS will have a booth at the 2nd Annual USA Science and Engineering Festival which will be held on April 28-29 in Washington, DC. We are looking for volunteers to staff our booth-come share your knowledge and career experiences with festival attendees! If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Melanie Stegman at mstegman@fas.org.For more information on our booth and the festival, click here.      
  

FAS in the News 

 

• Jan 26: Reuters, "IAEA Talks in Tehran to Test Iran's Nuclear Defiance"
• Jan 24: TIME - Battleland, "The Afghan War: Cause and Effect"
• Jan 24: DailyKos.com, "Another Whistleblower Indicted Under the Espionage Act"
• Jan 24: Council on Foreign Relations, "Can Sanctions Bring Iran to the Table?"
• Jan 23: Washington Post, "Former CIA Officer Charged in Leaks Case"
• Jan 23: Chicago Tribune, "Former CIA Officer Charged With Leaking Classified Information"
• Jan 23: Washington Times, "Ex-CIA Officer Charged in Leak Case"
• Jan 23: National Public Radio, "Foreign Policy: Stop the Madness"