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Newer News: August 2008

July 2008 Intelligence News

• Background Briefing by Senior Administration Officials on the Revision of Executive Order 12333, July 31. "Maybe the most important thing I can say is that, of course, the President is anxious to institutionalize a number of important tools that he and his successors are going to need to fight and win the war on terrorism."
• Justice Department National Security Division: Progress Report on the Department's Comprehensive National Security Oversight Initiative, news release, July 31. "Since the launch of the initiative, the Department has dramatically broadened the scope of its national security oversight role. In the past, the Department’s oversight efforts were primarily focused on overseeing the FBI’s use of authorities under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Now, Justice Department attorneys, in conjunction with FBI attorneys, are examining all aspects of the FBI’s national security investigations for adherence to applicable laws, regulations, and guidelines. This initiative builds on prior Departmental improvements in national security oversight, including the September 2006 creation of the NSD itself."
• NSC Role In New Intelligence Order Probably* Nothing To Worry About by Spencer Ackerman, The Washington Independent, July 31. "The short answer is that NSC has some explicit new review and oversight responsibilities, but its operational authorities have not changed-- though they could in the future."
• White House Fact Sheet: Amended Executive Order on Intelligence, July 31. "The Executive Order -- which updates Executive Order 12333 originally issued by President Reagan in 1981 -- responds to the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA). The updated Executive Order directs the Intelligence Community to produce timely, accurate, and insightful intelligence with special emphasis on the threats posed by international terrorism and the spread of weapons of mass destruction."
• Can You Spot the Chinese Nuclear Sub? by Sharon Weinberger, Discover, July 21. "Today, with the advent of civilian satellites here and abroad, we have opened wide the window on places and events that, not so long ago, only spies could see."
• Outing the CIA Interrogator: Scrambled Logic at The Times by Joel Brenner, National Counterintelligence Directive, July 18. "These are substantial prices to pay for outing an identity. By publishing this interrogator’s real name, The Times put him at risk for similar treatment -- and worse."
• Statement of Administration Policy on Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2009 (pdf), July 16. "If H.R. 5959 were presented to the President, the President’s senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill, especially if the bill includes any of the following provisions."
• U.S. to Give Czechs Ballistic Missile Defense by Walter Pincus, Washington Post, July 16. "The United States also agreed to help prevent disclosure of any 'controlled unclassified information' (CUI) related to the radar site if the Czech Republic does not want it released."
• True to form, CIA keeps its spy museum hush-hush by Peter Eisler, USA Today, July 14. "With five galleries spread over 11,000 square feet, the CIA Museum holds artifacts that curators can only dream about at the nearby International Spy Museum in Washington, where about 700,000 people a year pony up for $20 tickets. But the only way for the public to see the CIA's exhibits is an online tour via the CIA's website."
• U.S.-Czech Agreement on Establishment of a Missile Defense Radar in the Czech Republic (pdf), signed July 8.
• Turns out, FBI HQ Is Secure For Classified Intel by Eric Umansky, ProPublica, July 11. "The FBI's HQ, known as the J. Edgar Hoover Building, is perfectly capable of handling sensitive intelligence."
• FBI HQ Not Secure for Classified Intel by Eric Umansky, ProPublica, July 8. "The FBI has long been criticized as a kind of technological trouble child. Its attempt to upgrade a key computer system has been a costly debacle. As of last year, about a third of FBI employees hadn't been given e-mail, while two-thirds weren't provided with computers. Add another item to the list."
• Security Concerns at FBI Headquarters by Maddy Sauer, ABC News Blotter, July 8. "Despite being one of the nation's core intelligence agencies assigned to protect the country from terror attacks and intelligence breaches, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has not done an adequate job of securing itself, according to a new Senate report."

FAS | Intelligence | News | 2008 |||| Search | Join FAS