Prosecution of accused CIA leaker, new CRS reports, life-sciences research and much more.

From the Blogs

• Navy Submarine Procurement and More from CRS: Secrecy News has obtained recently released CRS reports on topics such as the effects of Fukushima on U.S. marine environment, policy issues related to China’s proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, U.S. infant mortality rate and women in combat.

• Prosecution of Accused CIA Leaker Will Face Legal Hurdles: Former CIA officer John C. Kiriakou was indicted on charges of leaking classified information to the press. Kiriakou is accused of violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act for allegedly disclosing the identity of a covert CIA officer, and of violating the Espionage Act for allegedly disclosing national defense information to persons not authorized to receive it.

• Harmonize the Oversight of Life-Sciences Research: The Virtual Biosecurity Center, a project spear-headed by FAS, published an editorial by Susan A. Ehrlich who argues that the United States needs to establish a presidential commission charged with collecting, reviewing and synthesizing information into a single, comprehensive framework for the oversight of life-sciences research.

Mitigating risks of bio research, implications of Israeli strike on Iran, fissile materials and much more.

From the Blogs

• Military Intelligence and the Human Terrain System: Secrecy News has obtained the latest issue of the Army’s Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin which is devoted to the Human Terrain System (HTS),  a U.S. Army program to conduct social and cultural studies in support of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Bulletin provides theoretical and practical accounts from HTS personnel in the field.

• New Policy on Mitigating Risks of Bio Research: In a new U.S. government policy released by the National Institutes of Health, certain types of life science research involving “high consequence pathogens and toxins” would be subject to new review and risk mitigation procedures which might include classification of the research or termination of the funding.

• Back to the Basics- Producing Fissile Materials: Fissile materials have been in the news recently in regards to Iran’s uranium enrichment program, North Korea’s continuing nuclear weapons program and the recent Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul. Dr. Y discusses what fissile materials are, how they are produced and why they are a security problem on the ScienceWonk blog.

• “Power and Constraint” and Mutual Frustration: Steven Aftergood writes about a new book by Jack Goldsmith, Power and Constraint, which concludes that constitutional government is alive and well in the United States. Goldsmith, a former head of the Bush Administration’s Office of Legal Counsel, disputes the widely accepted view that traditional checks and balances have been diminished by the war on terrorism.

• Implications of an Israeli Strike on Iran and More from CRS: Secrecy News has obtained recently released CRS reports on topics such as the implications of Israel attacking Iranian nuclear targets, foreign assistance to North Korea and the growing emphasis on Asia as a focus for U.S. national security planning.

2012 Nuclear Security Summit,secret drone technology, nuclear limbo and much more.

2012 Nuclear Security Summit

• Listen to the new edition of the FAS podcast series, “A Conversation With An Expert,”  featuring FAS President Dr. Charles Ferguson. In this podcast, Dr. Ferguson discusses the goals of the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, securing fissile materials, and nuclear terrorism.

• Visit our 2012 Nuclear Security Summit policy page on our website which highlights FAS work and resources on nuclear security, fissile materials and much more.

• FAS President Dr. Charles Ferguson examines the national and international efforts to control and secure radioactive materials, and offers suggestions on how to reduce the risk of radiological terrorism in a new paper published by the US-Korea Institute at SAIS. 

Preparing for the aftermath of a nuclear terrorist attack, uncertain future of nuclear power, examination of efforts to secure radioactive materials and much more.

From the Blogs

• Admin May Appeal Order to Release Classified Document: Two weeks ago, Judge Richard W. Roberts issued an extraordinary ruling that a secret government document was not properly classified and must therefore be released under the Freedom of Information Act. Steven Aftergood writes that question is whether the government will accept the ruling and abide by it, or challenge it.

• In 1976, NSA was Tasked to Help Secure Private Communications: Going back as far as the Ford Administration, the National Security Agency was directed to help secure non-governmental communications networks against intrusion and interception by foreign — or domestic — entities, according to a recently declassified presidential directive released in September 2011. The directive prefigures an ongoing controversy over the proper role, and the actual extent, of National Security Agency involvement in securing public communications.

• Income Inequality and Economic Mobility, and More from CRS: Secrecy News has obtained recently released CRS reports on topics such as U.S. foreign aid to Israel, Europe’s energy security and income inequality in the United States.

• Solar Flares: Last week, Earth was hit by one of the biggest solar storms in decades. Dr. Y investigates what exactly happens during a solar storm, and the effects it can have on the Earth and its inhabitants on the ScienceWonk blog.

Lessons learned from Fukushima, future of nuclear power, Russia’s nuclear forces and much more.

Fukushima: One Year Later

• Listen to the new edition of the FAS podcast series, “A Conversation With An Expert,”  featuring FAS President Dr. Charles Ferguson. In this podcast, Dr. Ferguson discusses the lessons learned from Fukushima, safety of U.S. nuclear plants, future of nuclear power use, and Japan’s new energy policy post- Fukushima.
• FAS President Dr. Charles Ferguson is the executive producer and featured in the Council on Foreign Relations nuclear energy multimedia guide, which explores the past, present and future of nuclear power.

• Fukushima- A Year Later: March 11 marks the one year anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan, setting into motion the events that culminated in multiple reactor meltdowns. Dr. Y reflects on a few lessons we have learned as a result of this accident on the ScienceWonk blog.

• FAS President Dr. Charles Ferguson presented at a conference hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to examine the impact of the Fukushima accident. Dr. Ferguson spoke about the potential implications for the use of nuclear power post Fukushima and implications for safety, education, economics and waste disposal. You can view the slides from his presentation here.

• Japan’s Nuclear Dilemma:  In a new interview with Toni Johnson of the Council on Foreign Relations, FAS President Charles Ferguson spoke about Japan’s future energy program and states that Japan’s economy is taking a huge hit due to loss of significant power generation and high imported energy costs. Yet, Japan is not open to renewable energy as an alternative. Post-Fukushima, should Japan use nuclear power?

Yesterday, I presented at a conference hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to examine the impact of the Fukushima accident.

I spoke about the potential implications for the use of nuclear power post Fukushima and implications for safety, education, economics and waste disposal. You can view my presentation slides here.

FAS Roundup: March 5, 2012

Syria and WMD, Chinese ICBMs spotted, DoD responds to nuclear targeting questions, why sanctions on Iran won’t work and much more.

From the Blogs

• DoD Responds to Questions on Nuclear Targeting: Are U.S. nuclear forces on hair trigger alert? Not exactly, a Department of Defense official told Congress. “Although it is true that portions of the U.S. nuclear triad are capable of rapid execution upon authorization from the President, a robust system of safeguards and procedures are in place to prevent the accidental or unauthorized launch of a U.S. nuclear weapon,” said James N. Miller, Jr., Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.

• Chinese Mobile ICBMs Seen in Central China: Hans Kristensen writes that recent satellite images show that China is setting up launch units for its newest road-mobile Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) in central China. Several launchers of the new DF-31/31A appeared at two sites in the eastern part of the Qinghai province in June 2011; which is part of China’s slow modernization of its small (compared with Russia and the United States) nuclear arsenal.

• Court Says Agency Classification Decision is Not “Logical”: DC District Judge Richard W. Roberts did an astonishing thing that federal courts almost never do: He probed into the decision to classify a government document and concluded that it was not well-founded, in an opinion that was published this week. He ordered the agency to release the document under the Freedom of Information Act.