“Country Reports on Terrorism 2014 is submitted in compliance with Title 22 of the United States Code, Section 2656f (the “Act”), which requires the Department of State to provide to Congress a full and complete annual report on terrorism for those countries and groups meeting the criteria of the Act. The report was published April… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Defense
DOJ Prevailed Over Google on Email Privacy Case
Ryan Gallagher – The Intercept: “The Obama administration fought a legal battle against Google to secretly obtain the email records of a security researcher and journalist associated with WikiLeaks. Newly unsealed court documents obtained by The Intercept reveal the Justice Department won an order forcing Google to turn over more than one year’s worth of data from the Gmail… Continue Reading
GAO Reports – Capitol Preservation Fund, Energy Savings Performance Contracts, Immigration Benefits System, Military Training, Nonproliferation, Senate Preservation Fund
Capitol Preservation Fund: Audit of Fiscal Years 2013 and 2014 Transactions, GAO-15-586R: Published: Jun 17, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 17, 2015. Energy Savings Performance Contracts: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Federal Oversight, GAO-15-432: Published: Jun 17, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 17, 2015. Immigration Benefits System: Better Informed Decision Making Needed on Transformation Program, GAO-15-415: Published:… Continue Reading
GAO Reports – Army Combat Vehicles, Aviation Security, Defense Civilian Compensation, Disability Insurance, Federal Real Property, Prepositioned Stocks
Army Combat Vehicles: Industrial Base Study’s Approach Met Research Standards, GAO-15-548: Published: Jun 16, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 16, 2015. Aviation Security: TSA Has Taken Steps to Improve Vetting of Airport Workers, GAO-15-704T: Published: Jun 16, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 16, 2015. Defense Civilian Compensation: DOD and OPM Could Improve the Consistency of DOD’s Eligibility… Continue Reading
Confidence in U.S. Institutions Still Below Historical Norms
Gallup: “Americans’ confidence in most major U.S. institutions remains below the historical average for each one. Only the military (72%) and small business (67%) — the highest-rated institutions in this year’s poll — are currently rated higher than their historical norms, based on the percentage expressing “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence… Continue Reading
GAO Reports – Indian Energy Development, 401(K) Plans, Military Personnel, Nuclear Command, Older Americans Act
Indian Energy Development: Poor Management by BIA Has Hindered Energy Development on Indian Lands – GAO-15-502: Published: Jun 8, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 15, 2015. 401(K) Plans: Frequent and Collective Trading Are Uncommon and Not a Significant Concern for Plan Participants, Sponsors, or Mutual Funds, GAO-15-427R: Published: May 14, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 15, 2015.… Continue Reading
Massive hack of federal personnel files included security-clearance database
Washington Post, Ellen Nakashima: ” The Chinese breach of the Office of Personnel Management network was wider than first acknowledged, and officials said Friday that a database holding sensitive security clearance information on millions of federal employees and contractors also was compromised. In an announcement, OPM said that investigators concluded this week with “a high… Continue Reading
CIA Releases Declassified Documents Related to 9/11 Attacks
“Today, CIA has released to the public declassified versions of five internal documents related to the Agency’s performance in the lead-up to the attacks of September 11, 2001. The documents can be found at CIA’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) online reading room at http://www.foia.cia.gov/collection/declassified-documents-related-911-attacks. The first of these documents is a redacted version of… Continue Reading
GAO Reports – Defense Acquisition Process, Federal Home Loan Banks, Mental Health
Defense Acquisition Process: Military Service Chiefs’ Concerns Reflect Need to Better Define Requirements before Programs Start, GAO-15-469: Published: Jun 11, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 11, 2015: “Most current and former military service chiefs and vice chiefs GAO interviewed from the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps collectively expressed dissatisfaction with acquisition program outcomes and… Continue Reading
How U.S. Surveillance Still Subverts U.S. Competitiveness
Beyond the USA Freedom Act: How U.S. Surveillance Still Subverts U.S. Competitiveness, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, June 2015, Daniel Catrol and Alan McQuinn | JUNE 2015: “Almost two years ago, ITIF described how revelations about pervasive digital surveillance by the U.S. intelligence community could severely harm the competitiveness of the United States if foreign customers… Continue Reading
UK Government Report – A Question of Trust
Via lawfareblog – “Entitled “A Question of Trust,” the report was presented to Parliament and the Prime Minister today and was authored by David Anderson QC, the UK’s Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation. As required under the 2014 Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act, Anderson therein undertakes a broad review of law and policy regarding “investigatory powers” in the UK—essentially government surveillance and… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – DOD, InfoTech Acquisitions, National Nuclear Security, TSA Performance, VA Health Care
Civil Support: DOD Is Taking Action to Strengthen Support of Civil Authorities, GAO-15-686T: Published: Jun 10, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 10, 2015. Information Technology: Additional Actions and Oversight Urgently Needed to Reduce Waste and Improve Performance in Acquisitions and Operations, GAO-15-675T: Published: Jun 10, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 10, 2015. National Nuclear Security Administration: Actions… Continue Reading
