U.S. Nuclear Weapon “Pit” Production Options for Congress, Jonathan E. Medalia, Specialist in Nuclear Weapons Policy. February 21, 2014. “Of all the problems facing the nuclear weapons program and nuclear weapons complex over the past several decades, few, if any, have been as vexing as pit production. A “pit” is a hollow plutonium shell that is imploded, creating… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Defense
New GAO Reports – Critical Infrastructure Protection, Defense Transportation, Electronic Health Records, Internet Pharmacies, Oil and Gas Mgmt, School Lunch
CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION: Observations on DHS Efforts to Identify, Prioritize, Assess, and Inspect Chemical Facilities, GAO-14-365T: Published: Feb 27, 2014. Publicly Released: Feb 27, 2014. DEFENSE TRANSPORTATION: DOD Can Better Ensure That Federal Agencies Fully Reimburse for Using Military Aircraft, GAO-14-189: Published: Feb 27, 2014. Publicly Released: Feb 27, 2014. ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS: VA and DOD Need to Support Cost and… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Managing Defense IT, Military Health System, Retirement Security
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Leveraging Best Practices and Reform Initiatives Can Help Defense Manage Major Investments, GAO-14-400T: Published: Feb 26, 2014. Publicly Released: Feb 26, 2014: “The federal government reportedly plans to spend at least $82 billion on IT in fiscal year 2014. Of that, Defense plans to spend over $39 billion—$5.5 billion on classified systems, $9 billion on acquisitions,… Continue Reading
Saudi Arabia: Background and U.S. Relations
CRS – Saudi Arabia: Background and U.S. Relations, Christopher M. Blanchard, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs. February 12, 2014. “In spite of apparent differences of opinion over regional developments, U.S.-Saudi security cooperation continues to anchor official bilateral relations as it has for decades, bolstered by major new arms sales, continued security training arrangements, enhanced counterterrorism cooperation, and shared concerns about Iran and… Continue Reading
A Guide to U.S. Military Casualty Statistics
A Guide to U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: Operation New Dawn, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Hannah Fischer, Information Research Specialist, February 19, 2014. “This report presents statistics regarding U.S. military casualties in the active Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF, Afghanistan), as well as operations that have ended: Operation New Dawn (OND, Iraq) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF,… Continue Reading
Joint Statement by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Attorney General Eric Holder on the Declassification of Additional Documents Section 501 of FISA
DNI News Release – February 12, 2014: ” On Jan. 3, 2014, the Director of National Intelligence declassified and disclosed publicly that the U.S. government had filed an application with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court seeking renewal of the authority to collect telephony metadata in bulk, and that, on Jan. 3, 2014, the court renewed that… Continue Reading
Preview Edition: A History of the Foreign Relations of the United States Series
Toward “Thorough, Accurate, and Reliable”: A History of the Foreign Relations of the United States Series. William B. McAllister, Joshua Botts, Peter Cozzens, Aaron W. Marrs, Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C., Preview Edition, January 23, 2014. “The Office of the Historian has generated this electronic preview edition of Toward “Thorough, Accurate, and Reliable” from the… Continue Reading
“Leahy Law” Human Rights Provisions and Security Assistance: Issue Overview
CRS – “Leahy Law” Human Rights Provisions and Security Assistance: Issue Overview. Nina M. Serafino, Coordinator, Specialist in International Security Affairs; June S. Beittel, Analyst in Latin American Affairs; Lauren Ploch Blanchard, Specialist in African Affairs; Liana Rosen, Analyst in International Crime and Narcotics. January 29, 2014. “Congressional interest in the laws and processes involved in conditioning U.S. assistance to foreign… Continue Reading
U.S.-China Relations: Toward a New Model of Major Power Relationship
U.S.-China Relations: Toward a New Model of Major Power Relationship. Edited by Rudy deLeon, Senior Vice President of the National Security and International Policy team at the Center for American Progress and Yang Jiemian, President of the Shanghai Institute for International Studies. February 2014. “In conjunction with the initiative of the two presidents [President Barak Obama and President… Continue Reading
Independent Assessment of the Afghan National Security Forces
Independent Assessment of the Afghan National Security Forces. This assessment, tasked by the United States Congress, was made by analysts in CNA’s Center for Strategic Studies. This report (DRM-2014-U-006815-Final) is approved for distribution: January 2014. “We conclude that the security environment in Afghanistan will become more challenging after the drawdown of most international forces in 2014, and that the… Continue Reading
Gulf War and Health, Volume 9
Long-Term Effects of Blast Exposures (2014): “Since the United States began combat operations in Afghanistan in October 2001 and then in Iraq in March 2003, the numbers of US soldiers killed exceed 6,700 and of US soldiers wounded 50,500. Although all wars since World War I have involved the use of explosives by the enemy, the wars… Continue Reading
Approaches to Reducing Federal Spending on Military Health Care
“In 2012, the Department of Defense (DoD) spent $52 billion on health care for service members, retirees, and their families. The department offers health care to nearly 10 million people through its TRICARE program, an integrated system of military health care providers and regional networks of civilian providers. Established in 1993, TRICARE now consists of… Continue Reading
