“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) [on October 19, 2017] proposed new cyber security management controls to further enhance the reliability and resilience of the nation’s bulk electric system. These include mandatory controls to address the risks posed by malware from transient electronic devices like laptop computers, thumb drives and other devices used at low-impact… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Defense
CRS – U.S. Periods of War and Dates of Recent Conflicts
CRS report via FAS – U.S. Periods of War and Dates of Recent Conflicts, Barbara Salazar Torreon, Senior Research Librarian. October 11, 2017. “Many wars or conflicts in U.S. history have federally designated “periods of war,” dates marking their beginning and ending. These dates are important for qualification for certain veterans’ pension or disability benefits.… Continue Reading
Arms Sales in the Middle East: Trends and Analytical Perspectives for U.S. Policy
CRS report via FAS – Arms Sales in the Middle East: Trends and Analytical Perspectives for U.S. Policy, Clayton Thomas, Analyst in Middle Eastern Affairs. October 11, 2017. “This report analyzes state-to-state arms sales in the Middle East with a particular focus on U.S.transfers, as authorized and reviewed by Congress.The information in this report, including… Continue Reading
Cybersecurity, Encryption and United States National Security Matters
Cybersecurity, Encryption and United States National Security Matters, Senate Armed Services Committee, September 13, 2016 (published September 2017), via FAS. Steven Aftergood, Secrecy News: “What constitutes an act of war in the cyber domain? It’s a question that officials have wrestled with for some time without being able to provide a clear-cut answer. But in… Continue Reading
UN Office for Disarmament Affairs Launches Disarmament Digital Documents Library
“The Disarmament Digital Documents Library is a specialised archive that provides quick and easy access to an extensive collection of United Nations disarmament-related documents in one convenient location. It includes historical documents of the first General Assembly session and reports from the Special Sessions on Disarmament (SSOD-I, SSOD-II and SSOD-III), disarmament-related meetings and conferences, and… Continue Reading
Visualizing the Threat of North Korean Missiles
Center for Data Innovation – Visualizing the Threat of North Korean Missiles – “Data scientist Akihiko Kusanagi has developed an interactive data visualization illustrating all of the missile test flights carried out by North Korea from 1984 to 2017. The visualization uses data from the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies’ North Korea Missile Test… Continue Reading
2017 Index of US Military Strength
2017 Index of US Military Strength – Assessing America’s Ability to Provide for the Common Defense Heritage Foundation – “The Index of U.S. Military Strength assesses the ease or difficulty of operating in key regions based on existing alliances, regional political stability, the presence of U. S. military forces, and the condition of key infrastructure.… Continue Reading
Paper – The effects of a single terrorist nuclear bomb
The effects of a single terrorist nuclear bomb, Matthew Bunn, Nickolas Roth. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, September 29, 2017. “The escalating threats between North Korea and the United States make it easy to forget the “nuclear nightmare,” as former US Secretary of Defense William J. Perry put it, that could result even from the… Continue Reading
Google – Updating our Transparency Report and electronic privacy laws
“Today, we are releasing the latest version of our Transparency Report concerning government requests for user data. This includes government requests for user data in criminal cases, as well as national security matters under U.S. law. Google fought for the right to publish this information in court and before Congress, and we continue to believe… Continue Reading
U.S. Role in the World: Background and Issues for Congress
Via FAS – CRS report – U.S. Role in the World: Background and Issues for Congress, September 19, 2017. “The overall U.S. role in the world since the end of World War II in 1945 (i.e., over the past 70 years) is generally described as one of global leadership and significant engagement in international affairs.… Continue Reading
Rand – U.S.-Russia-China Cooperation Could Hinder Proliferation of Hypersonic Missiles, Reduce Risk of Strategic Wars
“A new RAND report, Hypersonic Missile Nonproliferation: Hindering the Spread of a New Class of Weapons, is available at www.rand.org. Other authors of the report are George Nacouzi, Carrie Lee and Richard M. Moore.proposes that despite their differences, Russia, China and the United States should act jointly to head off a little-recognized security threat—the proliferation… Continue Reading
FTC Launches Website Dedicated to New Military Task Force
“The Federal Trade Commission launched a web page highlighting the work of the agency’s new Military Task Force, which is aimed at identifying the needs of military consumers and developing initiatives to empower servicemembers, veterans, and their families, including through law enforcement actions. The Military Task Force, comprised of a cross-section of agency representatives, is… Continue Reading
