FAS Roundup: December 19, 2011

Military intel budget classified, new ScienceWonk blog, CIA to process Open Source Works FOIA request, 7th Session of BWC and much more. 

From the Blogs

• DoD Says Military Intel Budget Request is Classified: Steven Aftergood writes that a Freedom of Information Act request for the amount of money that the Pentagon requested for the Military Intelligence Program (MIP) in FY2012 has been denied. The amount- around $25 billion- is classified and will not be disclosed.

• Congress Authorizes Offensive Military Action in Cyberspace: Congress has given the U.S. military a green light to conduct offensive military activities in cyberspace. The blanket authorization for offensive cyber operations is conditional on compliance with the law of armed conflict, and the War Powers Resolution, which mandated congressional consultation in decisions to go to war.

• CIA Will Process Request on Open Source Works: Steven Aftergood writes that in an abrupt reversal, the Central Intelligence Agency said that it will process a Freedom of Information Act request for documents pertaining to the establishment of Open Source Works, the CIA’s in-house open source intelligence organization.

• Congress Enacts Insider Threat Detection Program: Congress ordered the Secretary of Defense to establish an information security program for detecting “unauthorized access to, use of, or transmission of classified or controlled unclassified information.”  The provision was included by the FY2012 defense authorization act that was approved in conference this week.

• A Survey of Federal Laws Related to Cybersecurity: There are more than 50 federal statutes that pertain to some aspect of cybersecurity, according to a new CRS report obtained by Secrecy News.

ScienceWonk Blog

• Check out the new FAS blog, ScienceWonk, in which experts in the science community contribute thoughts on security issues. If you are interested in contributing to the blog, please contact Katie Colten at kcolten@fas.org.

  Events

• Charles P. Blair, Director of the Terrorism Analysis Project, presented at the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) Nuclear Security D.C. Policy Series on December 15 regarding nuclear terrorism; view the presentation here.

• Kelsey Gregg, Project Manager of the Biosecurity Program, and Dr. Sudha Siva, Outreach Coordinator of the Biosecurity Program, traveled to the 7th Session of the Biological Weapons Convention in Geneva, Switzerland; Gregg presented on the Virtual Biosecurity Center (VBC) and how it can be used as a resource and communications tool for members of the biosecurity community.

FAS in the News

• Dec 16: National Journal, “WikiLeaks’ Collateral Damage”
• Dec 15: Associated Press, “U.S. Set to Try Soldier Over Leaks, Targets Assange”
• Dec 14: National Public Radio, “Mysterious Events Leave Tehran Feeling Under Siege”
• Dec 12: Discovery News, “Is Newt Gingrich’s EMP Doomsday a Reality?”
• Dec 12: New York Times, “Among Gingrich’s Passions, A Doomsday Vision”
• Dec 10: The Sydney Morning Herald, “U.S. Students Dig Up Beijing’s Secret Nuclear Stockpile”
• Dec 6: Washington Post, “Paul M. Doty, Harvard Scientist Who Warned Against Nuclear Arms, Dies at 91″
• Dec 6: Foreign Policy, “Paul Doty, 1920 – 2011″

Give the Gift of Security in 2012

•  This Holiday Season, give the gift of a safer, more secure world. Introduce your friend or loved one to the Federation of American Scientists with our special gift membership of $35. Your friend or loved one will be connected to one of the oldest and most respected science policy think tanks in America.