Secrecy News -- 04/18/12

Steven Aftergood saftergood at fas.org
Wed Apr 18 08:28:10 PDT 2012


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SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2012, Issue No. 36
April 18, 2012

Secrecy News Blog:  http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/


**     GAO COMPLETES AN "INTELLIGENCE-RELATED" REVIEW
**     SECRET SYSTEMS CLUTTER THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM
**     THE EVOLVING MISSIONS OF THE SECRET SERVICE, AND MORE FROM CRS


GAO COMPLETES AN "INTELLIGENCE-RELATED" REVIEW

Following years of controversy, the Government Accountability Office this
week released an unclassified version of its long-awaited report on FBI
Counterterrorism.

The report itself comes as an anti-climax, but it is the first GAO report
involving intelligence-related matters to be completed since the issuance
of an intelligence community directive last summer which authorized GAO to
gain access to certain intelligence agency information.  As such, it may
herald a growing role for GAO in intelligence oversight.

Given the FBI's and the Justice Department's stubborn resistance to this
GAO review, which was suspended for two years as a result, one might have
expected the resulting report to address matters of the greatest
significance and sensitivity -- perhaps dealing with infiltration of
mosques, allegations of entrapment, unauthorized domestic surveillance, or
something along those lines.

Instead, however, the new report is about as mundane as it could be.  It
examines the FBI's progress in filling vacancies in its counterterrorism
division -- which is part of the intelligence community -- and concludes
that the Bureau has indeed made reasonable progress in doing so.  Fine.  
(The classified version of the report contains specific personnel numbers
which have been withheld in the unclassified version because the FBI
considered them sensitive.)  See "FBI Counterterrorism: Vacancies Have
Declined, but FBI Has Not Assessed the Long-Term Sustainability of Its
Strategy for Addressing Vacancies," Report No. GAO-12-533, April 2012:

	http://www.fas.org/irp/gao/fbi-ct.pdf

Even within the narrow context of human capital, the GAO report does not
inquire whether the FBI's mission performance has been adversely affected
by the number of vacancies in its ranks, or whether in fact those vacant
positions might be superfluous.

That might be an interesting line of inquiry, but GAO can only pursue the
questions that Congress asks it to pursue, said David C. Maurer of GAO, and
Congress didn't ask that question.

While the substance of the new GAO report is of ephemeral interest, the
report may nevertheless have long-term significance as a catalyst for, and
a portent of, greater GAO involvement in intelligence oversight.  If
nothing else, the multi-year controversy over this report prompted the
issuance last year of Intelligence Community Directive 114 that made its
completion possible.

"I hope it's an indication that the door is open to a continuing role for
GAO on intelligence matters," said Mr. Maurer said of the new report, while
acknowledging that it is still only "a data point of one."


SECRET SYSTEMS CLUTTER THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM

The difficulty that the military has in allocating the efficient use of
the electromagnetic spectrum for military operations is aggravated by the
fact that some of those uses -- involving intelligence platforms and
sensors -- are secret even from military planners themselves, a new
Pentagon doctrinal publication notes.

"Coordination with intelligence units and agencies can be challenging for
many reasons, to include classification issues, disparate data formats, and
separate technical control or reporting channels," the publication states.

"In many cases, the JSME [joint spectrum management element] does not have
adequate visibility or knowledge of intelligence sensors, platforms, or
systems in order to accomplish accurate deconfliction."

"In order to capture all aspects of intelligence spectrum use, the JSME
must understand that intelligence platforms such as UAS/unmanned ground
system will have spectrum requirements for both a payload (e.g., imagery or
data) and control frequencies to operate the platform."

"Intelligence is a heavy user of sensors that employ both active and
passive techniques. Active sensors are usually accounted for, but the
passive sensors will also require spectrum consideration so they perform
properly."

See "Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Management Operations," Joint
Publication 6-01, Joint Chiefs of Staff, March 20, 2012 (at page V-12):

	http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/dod/jp6_01.pdf


THE EVOLVING MISSIONS OF THE SECRET SERVICE, AND MORE FROM CRS

Though it does not mention anything about Secret Service agents hiring
prostitutes in Colombia last week, a newly updated report from the
Congressional Research Service provides a timely discussion of "The U.S.
Secret Service: An Examination and Analysis of Its Evolving Missions,"
April 16, 2012:

	http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL34603.pdf

Some other new or newly updated CRS reports obtained by Secrecy News
include the following.

An Overview of Tax Provisions Expiring in 2012, April 17, 2012:

	http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42485.pdf

Private Health Insurance Market Reforms in the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act (ACA), April 16, 2012:

	http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42069.pdf

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC): A Fact Sheet, April 16, 2012:

	http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/95-118.pdf

Nanotechnology: A Policy Primer, April 13, 2012:

	http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34511.pdf


_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the
Federation of American Scientists.

The Secrecy News Blog is at:
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_______________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web:    www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email:  saftergood at fas.org
voice:  (202) 454-4691
twitter: @saftergood


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