Presentation by Michael Bennett, an analyst in CBO’s National Security Division, at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. November 20, 2017. “The Obama Administration’s 2017 plans for nuclear forces would cost about $1.2 trillion (in 2017 dollars) over the 2017–2046 period, CBO estimates. About $400 billion of that total would pay for modernization, according to… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Defense
Trends in Technology and Digital Security
“Foreword – On September 14, 2017, the George Washington University Center for Cyber & Homeland Security (CCHS) convened a Symposium on Trends in Technology and Digital Security. Four panels addressed emerging threats and their implications for security policy, with a focus on digital infrastructure protection and anticipatory analysis. In addition, a featured speaker from abroad… Continue Reading
Can Congress Limit the President’s Power to Launch Nuclear Weapons?
Do you ever think…I sure am grateful for the experts at CRS who are regularly providing top notch, comprehensive, accurate, timely subject matter specific research on demand to Congress (that is still not available directly to the public). Every week as we are reading (and/or listening to) news pertaining to critical issues that impact our… Continue Reading
Department of Defense Casualty Releases – 2017
The men and women of our armed forces who have died in “three wars” – Iraq, Afghanistan and in other lands where they were deployed to “fight terrorism.” See News Releases are official statements of the Department of Defense. Go to DoD News for more information and for links to other news items. In related… Continue Reading
Department of Homeland Security 2017 Privacy Office Annual Report to Congress
“The work of the DHS Privacy Office supports all five core DHS missions articulated in the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review: (1) prevent terrorism and enhance security; (2) secure our borders; (3) enforce our immigration laws; (4) safeguard cyberspace; and (5) strengthen national preparedness, as well as the important cross-cutting goal to mature and strengthen homeland… Continue Reading
Partisans Have Starkly Different Opinions About How the World Views the U.S.
Pew – North Korea, cyberattacks widely viewed as ‘major threats’ to U.S. “The public has long held the view that the United States is “less respected” by other countries than in the past. Majorities said this when Barack Obama was president, as well as when George W. Bush was in office. And today, 68% say… Continue Reading
Reports – Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction
SIGAR released its thirty-seventh Quarterly Report to Congress, highlighting lessons from America’s 15-year experience in Afghanistan, at a time of a new U.S. security commitment requiring the Afghan government take strong action against corruption. SIGAR released its second lessons learned report examining how the U.S. government developed and executed programs to build, train, advise, and… Continue Reading
Approaches for Managing the Costs of U.S. Nuclear Forces, 2017 to 2046
“To continue to field a nuclear force roughly the same size as it is today, the United States plans to modernize virtually every element of that force over the coming decades. CBO estimates that the most recent detailed plans for nuclear forces, which were incorporated in the Obama Administration’s 2017 budget request, would cost $1.2… Continue Reading
The North Korean Nuclear Challenge: Military Options and Issues for Congress
CRS report via FAS – The North Korean Nuclear Challenge: Military Options and Issues for Congress, October 27, 2017. “North Korea’s apparently successful July 2017 tests of its intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities, along with the possibility that North Korea (DPRK) may have successfully miniaturized a nuclear warhead, have led analysts and policymakers to conclude that… Continue Reading
Facebook, Google and Twitter Executives Testified on Russian Disinformation
The Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism hearing entitled: “Extremist Content and Russian Disinformation Online: Working with Tech to Find Solutions” October 31, 2017. This link includes video of the testimony as well as transcripts of prepared testimony by Facebook, Twitter, Google as well as two subject matter experts. View the… Continue Reading
The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection – NARA
“The National Archives today released 2,891 records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy that are subject to the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (JFK Act). These records are available for download online. The President has also ordered that all remaining records governed by section 5 of the… Continue Reading
FERC Proposes New Security Management Controls for Grid Cyber Systems
“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
