CNN: “Nearly a year into President Donald Trump’s administration, senior-level staffers — including Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Rob Porter — remained on interim clearances even as other senior advisers were granted full security access, according to information obtained by CNN from a US government official. Having interim clearance can hamper a staffer’s ability to… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Defense
President’s Budget FY19 and associated documents
Addendum to the President’s FY19 Budget to Account for the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 An American Budget – President’s Budget FY 2019 Major Savings and Reforms Mid-Session Review FY 2018 Analytical Perspectives Appendix Historical Tables Supplemental Materials Fact Sheets Supplementals, Amendments, and Releases Past President’s Budgets See also Politico – “The White House released… Continue Reading
Pentagon Nuclear Posture Review
Nuclear Posture Review – US Department of Defense, February 2, 2018. “Executive Summary – Introduction. On January 27, 2017, President Donald Trump directed Secretary of Defense James Mattis to initiate a new Nuclear Posture Review (NPR). The President made clear that his first priority is to protect the United States, allies, and partners. He also… Continue Reading
Twitter says it exposed nearly 700,000 people to Russian propaganda during US election
Twitter Public Policy News Release: “…As previously announced, we identified and suspended a number of accounts that were potentially connected to a propaganda effort by a Russian government-linked organization known as the Internet Research Agency (IRA). Consistent with our commitment to transparency, we are emailing notifications to 677,775 people in the United States who followed… Continue Reading
Revealing True Emotions Through Micro-Expressions: A Machine Learning Approach
Facial recognition applications and data mining are now moving deeper into the realm of tiny expressions we make without perhaps being aware, but nevertheless can be identified, tracked and exploited through a “Micro-Expression Recognition System” “Micro-expressions–involuntary, fleeting facial movements that reveal true emotions–hold valuable information for scenarios ranging from security interviews and interrogations to media… Continue Reading
CRS – Transatlantic Relations in 2018
Transatlantic Relations in 2018. January 10, 2018. IN10847. “As the second year of the Trump Administration begins, a degree of uncertainty lingers over transatlantic relations. The U.S.-European partnership could face challenges in 2018. Following the election of President Trump, numerous European officials and analysts expressed concern about the future trajectory of U.S.-European relations, particularly the… Continue Reading
Report to President on Enhancing Resilience of Internet and Communications Ecosystem Against Botnets and Distributed Threats
“This draft report responds to the May 11, 2017, Executive Order on Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure. That order called for “resilience against botnets and other automated, distributed threats,” directing the Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security to “lead an open and transparent process to identify and promote action by appropriate… Continue Reading
U.S. Army Concept for Cyberspace and Electronic Warfare Operations 2025-2040
The U.S. Army Concept for Cyberspace and Electronic Warfare Operations 2025-2040, CRS report via FAS. “TRADOC Pamphlet 525-8- 6, The U.S. Army Concept for Cyberspace and Electronic Warfare Operations expands on the ideas presented in TRADOC Pamphlet 525-3- 1, The U.S. Army Operating Concept: Win in a Complex World (AOC). This document describes how the… Continue Reading
Nuclear War Would Be ‘Devastating’ So C.D.C. Wants to Get People Prepared
NYT – “President Trump’s recent tweets about his big nuclear button may have been intended to deter a nuclear weapons exchange with North Korea, but the nation’s top public health agency is taking the prospect of a nuclear attack seriously. On Jan. 16, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will present a workshop titled… Continue Reading
Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Source
CRS report via FAS – Military Service Records, Awards, and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources. Nese F. DeBruyne, Senior Research Librarian; Barbara Salazar Torreon, Senior Research Librarian. January 2, 2018. “This guide provides information on locating military unit histories and individual service records of discharged, retired, and deceased military personnel. It also provides… Continue Reading
Acquisition Reform in the FY2016 – FY2018 National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAAs)
CRS report via FAS – Acquisition Reform in the FY2016-FY2018 National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAAs) Moshe Schwartz, Specialist in Defense Acquisition. January 4, 2018″Congress has long been interested in defense acquisition and generally exercises its legislative powers to affect defense acquisitions through Title VIII of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), entitled Acquisition Policy, Acquisition… Continue Reading
New resource – The Iran-U.S. Trigger List
International Crisis Group: “The risks of a direct, indirect, deliberate or inadvertent clash between Iran and the U.S. are rising to new highs. Our Iran-U.S. Trigger List is a unique interactive map and early warning tool that monitors and analyses the many flashpoints between the two countries, and shows how they are linked to the… Continue Reading
