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• Military Airlift: C-17 Aircraft Program [Updated January 25, 2007]

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  "The C-17 Globemaster III is a long-range cargo/transport aircraft operated by the U.S. Air Force since 1993. Congress approved development of the aircraft in the late 1970s, when it was recognized that the Air Force did not have enough airlift capability. In 1981, the McDonnell Douglas C-17 emerged as winner of competition with Boeing and Lockheed to develop a next-generation aircraft to replace C-130s and C-141s. Full-scale development of the C-17 got underway in 1986, but technical problems and funding shortfalls delayed the program, leading to slipped schedules and increased costs. Despite those difficulties, the C-17 has retained broad congressional support and enjoys strong Air Force and Army backing. Defense officials view the C-17 as essential because of its ability to fly long distances with large payloads yet still use smaller bases in remote areas. The C-17 first flew in 1991, about a year later than originally scheduled. Deliveries began in 1993, and initial operational capability (IOC) was declared in June of that year. C-17s have been successfully employed in military operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and also in support of several humanitarian/ disaster relief operations."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Bolkcom, Christopher C.

  2007-01-25
• Military Service Records and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources [December 16, 2009]

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  "This guide provides information on locating military unit histories and individual service records of discharged, retired, and deceased military personnel. It includes contact information for military history centers, websites for additional sources of research, and a bibliography of other publications. This report will be updated as needed."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Gomez, Julissa; Walker Klarman, Kim

  2009-12-16
• National Security Council: An Organizational Assessment [December 28, 2011]

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  "The National Security Council (NSC) was established by statute in 1947 to create an interdepartmental body to advise the President with respect to the integration of domestic, foreign, and military policies relating to the national security so as to enable the military services and the other departments and agencies of the government to cooperate more effectively in matters involving the national security. Currently, statutory members of the Council are the President, Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and, since 2007, the Secretary of Energy; but, at the President's request, other senior officials participate in NSC deliberations. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of National Intelligence are statutory advisers. The President clearly holds final decision-making authority in the executive branch. Over the years, however, the NSC staff has emerged as a major factor in the formulation (and at times in the implementation) of national security policy. Similarly, the head of the NSC staff, the National Security Adviser, has played important, and occasionally highly public, roles in policymaking. This report traces the evolution of the NSC from its creation to the present. The organization and influence of the NSC have varied significantly from one Administration to another, ranging from highly structured and formal systems to loose-knit teams of experts. Although it is universally acknowledged that the NSC staff should be organized to meet the particular goals and work habits of an incumbent President, the history of the NSC provides ample evidence of the advantages and disadvantages of different types of policymaking structures."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Best, Richard A.

  2011-12-28
• Monitoring and Verification in Arms Control [December 23, 2011]

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  "The United States and Russia signed a new START [Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty] Treaty on April 8, 2010, and the treaty entered into force on February 5, 2011. Many analysts, both in the United States and Russia, supported negotiations on a new treaty so that the two sides could continue to implement parts of the complex monitoring and verification regime in the 1991 START Treaty. This regime was designed to build confidence in compliance with the START and to provide transparency and cooperation during the treaty's implementation. The verification regime in the new START Treaty differs in some respects from the regime in START. These differences reflect an interest in reducing the cost and complexity of the regime, updating it to account for changes in the relationship between the United States and Russia, and tailoring it to address the monitoring and verification complexities presented by the new limits in the new treaty. The verification regime received scrutiny in both the Senate, which voted on December 22, 2010, to consent to ratification, and the public. […] This report reviews some of the monitoring and verification provisions in the new START Treaty and compares these with some of the provisions in the original START Treaty. It focuses, specifically, on differences between the treaties in the provisions governing the exchange of data, known as telemetry, generated during missile flight tests; provisions governing the monitoring of mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs); and differences in the numbers and types of on-site inspections."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Woolf, Amy F.

  2011-12-23
• Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: FY2012 Appropriations [December 21, 2011]

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  "The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bill provides funding for the planning, design, construction, alteration, and improvement of facilities used by active and reserve military components worldwide. It capitalizes military family housing and the U.S. share of the NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] Security Investment Program and finances the implementation of installation closures and realignments. It underwrites veterans benefit and health care programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), provides for the creation and maintenance of U.S. cemeteries and battlefield monuments within the United States and abroad, and supports the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, Armed Forces Retirement Homes, and Arlington National Cemetery. The bill also funds advance appropriations for veterans' medical services. President Barack Obama submitted his request to Congress for FY2012 appropriations on February 14, 2011. For the appropriations accounts included in this bill, his request totaled $145.2 billion in new budget authority, divided into three major categories: Title I (military construction and family housing) at $14.8 billion; Title II (veterans affairs) at $130.2 billion; and Title III (related agencies) at $246.4 million. Of the total, $75.7 billion (52.1%) would be discretionary appropriations, with the remainder considered mandatory."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Else, Daniel H.; Scott, Christine A.; Panangala, Sidath Viranga

  2011-12-21
• Military Construction: Analysis of the FY2012 Appropriation and Authorization [July 13, 2011]

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  "This report focuses on those government activities funded under the FY2012 military construction appropriation, examines trends in military construction funding, and outlines military construction issues extant in each of the major regions of U.S. military activity. President Barack Obama submitted his FY2012 appropriations request to Congress on February 14, 2011. His military construction appropriations request for $14.7 billion in new budget authority fell approximately $9.9 billion below the amount enacted for FY2010 and $3.0 billion below that enacted for FY2011. Much of that reduction came from military base closure accounts. Initiated in late 2005, the current base realignment and closure (BRAC) round is expected to conclude in September 2011. Funding needed in FY2010 and FY2011 for construction and movement of organizations will not be needed in FY2012 and subsequent years. In addition, the President requested less regular military construction for FY2012 than in earlier years. Finally, funding for construction supporting Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO, or active military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan), appropriations for which totaled $1.4 billion in FY2010 and $1.3 billion in FY2011, has been virtually eliminated, with only $217 million in the regular FY2012 appropriation requested for construction within U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). […] Both House and Senate versions of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2012 would extend that authority into FY2012. Funds for military construction had been provided through special emergency supplemental appropriations, but beginning in FY2010, these funds were folded into the base budget--though still categorized separately from normal construction requests. CENTCOM construction has fallen with the FY2012 request."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Else, Daniel H.

  2011-07-13
• National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)-Responsibilities and Potential Congressional Concerns [December 19, 2011]

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  "The attempted attack on a U.S.-bound airliner on December 25, 2009, and the earlier shootings at Fort Hood Army Base in November 2009 and various other incidents have led to increased concerns about the effectiveness of the laws, regulations, and organizational relationships created in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks to prevent future terrorist attacks. Although no system is infallible and the possibility of human errors has to be assumed, recent attacks appear to demonstrate specific failures by the Intelligence Community to 'connect the dots,' to bring together disparate pieces of information to provide clear warning of an impending attack. In regard to the December 2009 attack, President Obama stated that, 'this was not a failure to collect intelligence; it was a failure to integrate and understand the intelligence that we already had.' Within the sprawling U.S. Intelligence Community, the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) was specifically established in 2004 to bring together all available information on terrorism, analyze the information, and provide warning of potential attacks on the U.S. Some observers argue that the failed December aircraft plot as well as other incidents raise questions about the NCTC's ability to carry out its responsibilities. The challenges involved in sifting through mountains of data on a daily or even an hourly basis are acknowledged and supporters point out many unpublicized successes by NCTC working with its sister agencies. Nevertheless, questions exist about the roles and missions of NCTC and whether it is fulfilling its statutory responsibilities. Potentially, there are also concerns about the relationship between NCTC and the Counterterrorism Center of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) which, prior to the establishment of NCTC, was responsible for performing much of NCTC's current mission."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Best, Richard A.

  2011-12-19
• Military Base Closures: Socioeconomic Impacts [February 7, 2012]

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  "The most recent Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission submitted its final report to the Administration on September 8, 2005. Implementation of the BRAC round was officially completed on September 15, 2011. In the report, the commission rejected 13 of the initial Department of Defense recommendations, significantly modified the recommendations for 13 other installations, and approved 22 major closures. The loss of related jobs, and efforts to replace them and to implement a viable base reuse plan, can pose significant challenges for affected communities. However, while base closures and realignments often create socioeconomic distress in communities initially, research has shown that they generally have not had the dire effects that many communities expected. For rural areas, however, the impacts can be greater and the economic recovery slower. Early planning and decisive leadership from officials are important factors in addressing local socioeconomic impacts from base realignment and closing. Drawing from existing studies, this report assesses the potential community impacts and proposals for minimizing those impacts."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Cowan, Tadlock

  2012-02-17
• Military Survivor Benefit Plan: A Description of Its Provisions [Updated December 9, 2004]

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  "The military Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) was created in 1972. Since its creation, it has been subjected to a number of substantial legislative changes. This report describes the basic provisions of the military Survivor Benefit Plan and all relevant changes or modifications that have occurred. Specifically, the military Survivor Benefit Plan is described and explained in terms of its eligibility provisions, costs, benefits, and its integration with other federal programs (including social security and Veterans' Administration Dependency and Indemnity Compensation) for members and retirees of active duty military service and the Reserve Components (both the reserves and National Guard). In addition, tables and work sheets are provided to assist the reader in computing the costs and benefits available under this program. Nearly every Congress since 1972 has, in some way, modified the provisions of the military Survivor Benefit Plan. These modifications have had a significant effect on current and prospective participants and beneficiaries. In nearly every instance, these changes have made the SBP more generous. Furthermore, these modifications involve complex issues and processes, and are, therefore, a source of numerous requests for information from constituents to their congressional representatives."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Burrelli, David F., 1958-

  2004-12-09
• Millennium Challenge Account: Congressional Consideration of a New Foreign Aid Initiative [January 3, 2003]

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  "In a speech on March 14, 2002, at the Inter-American Development Bank, President Bush outlined a proposal for the United States to increase foreign economic assistance beginning in FY2004 so that by FY2006 American aid would be $5 billion higher than three years earlier. The new funds, which would supplement the current estimated $12.87 billion economic aid budget, would be placed in a Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) and be available on a competitive basis to a few countries that have demonstrated a commitment to sound development policies and where U.S. support is believed to have the best opportunities for achieving the intended results. These "best-performers" will be selected based on their records in three areas - ruling justly, investing in people, and pursuing sound economic policies. Development of a new foreign aid initiative by the Bush Administration has been influenced by a number of factors, including the widely perceived poor track record of past aid programs, recent evidence that the existence of certain policies by aid recipients may be more important for success than the amount of resources invested, the war on terrorism, and the March 2002 U.N.-sponsored International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico. A number of issues are likely to be addressed in the congressional debate, including country eligibility criteria, performance indicators used to select participants, creation of a new agency to manage the MCA, and budget considerations. Congress will also maintain continuing oversight of the program during its lifetime."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Nowels, Larry Q.

  2003-01-03
• National Security Strategy: Legislative Mandates, Execution to Date, and Considerations for Congress [Updated July 28, 2008]

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  This updated CRS report "reviews current legislative mandates for security strategic documents, assesses the recent history of execution, describes strategic documents in related fields for comparison, presents considerations that may be useful in assessing current requirements and execution, and notes several current proposals for changes to legislative requirements. This report will be updated as events warrant. [...] There is a growing, still highly inchoate debate among practitioners and scholars, including participants from across the political spectrum, concerning the need to reform the U.S. government's national security system. Reform proponents argue that much of the current architecture was designed to meet the global security challenges of the post-World War II context, and may not be appropriate for addressing 21st-century challenges. That architecture includes the organizations, structures, and processes that govern decision making, budgeting, planning and execution, and congressional oversight of national security activities. National security strategic guidance documents, including formal strategies and other forms of guidance, are a key element of that system."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Dale, Catherine

  2008-07-28
• National Security Strategy: Legislative Mandates, Execution to Date, and Considerations for Congress [May 28, 2008]

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  This CRS report "reviews current legislative mandates for security strategic documents, assesses the recent history of execution, describes strategic documents in related fields for comparison, presents considerations that may be useful in assessing current requirements and execution, and notes several current proposals for changes to legislative requirements. This report will be updated as events warrant. [...] There is a growing, still highly inchoate debate among practitioners and scholars, including participants from across the political spectrum, concerning the need to reform the U.S. government's national security system. Reform proponents argue that much of the current architecture was designed to meet the global security challenges of the post-World War II context, and may not be appropriate for addressing 21st-century challenges. That architecture includes the organizations, structures, and processes that govern decision making, budgeting, planning and execution, and congressional oversight of national security activities. National security strategic guidance documents, including formal strategies and other forms of guidance, are a key element of that system."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Dale, Catherine

  2008-05-28
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Overview, FY2005 Budget in Brief [Updated May 10, 2004]

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  "The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducts U.S. civilian space activities. Its FY2005 budget request is $16.2 billion, a 5.6% increase over its FY2004 appropriation of $15.4 billion. The increase is primarily for fulfilling new exploration goals that were announced by President Bush on January 14, 2004. During consideration of the FY2005 request, Congress is focusing on NASA's plans to return the space shuttle to flight status following the February 1, 2003 space shuttle Columbia accident, the President's exploration initiative, and the health of NASA's aeronautics research program. This report is updated regularly."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Smith, Marcia S.; Morgan, Daniel (Daniel L.)

  2004-05-10
• Military Base Closures: Implementing the 2005 Round [Updated June 1, 2005]

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  "On November 15, 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld issued a memorandum to senior staff regarding the implementation of the new base realignment and closure (BRAC) round authorized by Congress in 2001. He emphasized that, as part of the Department of Defense's transformation initiative, 'new force structures must be accompanied by a new base structure,' and added that 'BRAC 2005 should be the means by which we reconfigure our current infrastructure [bases] into one in which operational capacity maximizes both war fighting capability and efficiency.' He, then, directed that the process begin immediately. It was, in effect, the formal launching of DOD's 2005 base closure implementation process."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Lockwood, David E.

  2005-06-01
• Military Base Closures: Implementing the 2005 Round [Updated May 9, 2005]

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  "On November 15, 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced the first steps in implementing the new 2005 base realignment and closure (BRAC) law. These included development of a force structure plan, comprehensive inventory of military installations, and establishment of criteria for selecting bases for closure and realignment. Most recently, the President has appointed nine members to serve on the 2005 BRAC Commission. In doing so, he has consulted with leading Members of Congress. He completed selection of the commissioners on March 15, 2005, the last day required by law. In addition, the President has chosen Anthony A. Principi to serve as the chairman of the BRAC Commission."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Lockwood, David E.

  2005-05-09
• Military Base Closures: Implementing the 2005 Round [Updated February 23, 2005]

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  On November 15, 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced the first steps in implementing the new 2005 base realignment and closure (BRAC) law. These included development of a force structure plan, comprehensive inventory of military installations, and establishment of criteria for selecting bases for closure and realignment.

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Lockwood, David E.

  2005-02-23
• Middle East Free Trade Area: Progress Report [Updated February 8, 2005]

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  "On May 9, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed the establishment of a U.S. Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA) within a decade (by about 2013). This proposal came a year and a half after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The MEFTA was billed as part of a plan to fight terrorism -- in this case, by supporting the growth of Middle East prosperity and democracy -- through trade. The MEFTA would cover 20 entities in what many refer to as the Middle East/North Africa -- 16 in the Middle East: Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, the Gaza Strip/West Bank, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen; and four in North Africa: Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. Since the Bush Administration first announced its trade initiative, it has made substantial progress in working with MEFTA entities to develop TIFAs, BITs, and FTAs and progress along the steps outlined above. Since the beginning of 2003: TIFAS have been completed with five countries: Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, bringing the total to 11. Other TIFA partners are Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. BITs have been completed with one country, Jordan, bringing the total to five. Other BIT partners are Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. Finally, bilateral free trade agreements have been implemented with Jordan, Israel, and Morocco. A signed FTA with Bahrain awaits consideration by Congress, which would raise the FTA total to four. In addition, on November 15, 2004, U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick announced the Administration's intent to negotiate FTAs with the United Arab Emirates and Oman, as the 5th and 6th countries to have FTAs with the United States out of the 20 in MEFTA. This report will be updated."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Bolle, Mary Jane

  2005-02-08
• Millennium Challenge Account [Updated November 14, 2006]

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  "In a speech on March 14, 2002, President Bush outlined a proposal for a major new U.S. foreign aid initiative. The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) is managed by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and provides assistance, through a competitive selection process, to developing nations that are pursing political and economic reforms in three areas: ruling justly, investing in people, and fostering economic freedom. If fully implemented, the initiative would represent one of the largest increases in foreign aid spending in half a century, outpaced only by the Marshall Plan following World War II and the Latin America-focused Alliance for Progress in the early 1960s...A growing question raised by some Members of Congress concerns the level of funding to support MCC programs. Some, noting that proposals received by the Corporation in 2004 totaled more than $4.2 billion, fear that insufficient funds might force the MCC to reduce the number of recipients or the size of the grants. Others, however, believe that the slower-than-anticipated pace of Compact agreements means that the Corporation has or will have enough resources, and have supported reductions in MCC budget requests."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Tarnoff, Curt

  2006-11-14
• Millennium Challenge Account [Updated August 1, 2006]

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  "In a speech on March 14, 2002, President Bush outlined a proposal for a major new U.S. foreign aid initiative. The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) is managed by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and provides assistance, through a competitive selection process, to developing nations that are pursing political and economic reforms in three areas: ruling justly, investing in people, and fostering economic freedom. If fully implemented, the initiative would represent one of the largest increases in foreign aid spending in half a century, outpaced only by the Marshall Plan following World War II and the Latin America-focused Alliance for Progress in the early 1960s...A growing question raised by some Members of Congress concerns the level of funding to support MCC programs. Some, noting that proposals received by the Corporation in 2004 totaled more than $4.2 billion, fear that insufficient funds might force the MCC to reduce the number of recipients or the size of the grants. Others, however, believe that the slower-than-anticipated pace of Compact agreements means that the Corporation has or will have enough resources, and have supported reductions in MCC budget requests."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Tarnoff, Curt

  2006-08-01
• Middle East Free Trade Area: Progress Report [Updated June 22, 2006]

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  "Since the Bush Administration first announced its trade initiative, it has made substantial progress in working with MEFTA [Middle East Free Trade Area] entities to support WTO [World Trade Organization] membership, and to develop TIFAs [trade investment framework agreements], BITs [bilateral investment treaties], and FTAs [free trade agreements] and progress along the steps outlined above. Since the beginning of 2003: Saudi Arabia has joined the WTO, and Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, and Algeria are negotiating accession. In addition, TIFAS have been completed with seven countries: Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Qatar, and Iraq, bringing the total to 12. Other TIFA partners are Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. BITs have been completed with one country, Jordan, bringing the total to five. Other BIT partners are Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. Finally, a bilateral free trade agreement has been implemented with Jordan, Israel, Morocco, and Bahrain; signed with Oman (January 19, 2006); and is under negotiation with the United Arab Emirates. This brings the number of MEFTA FTAs to four implemented, one awaiting congressional action, and one under negotiation. FTA negotiations underway with Egypt have been suspended over human rights issues."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Bolle, Mary Jane

  2006-06-22
• Morocco: Current Issues [December 20, 2011]

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  "The United States government views Morocco as an important ally against terrorism and a free trade partner. Congress appropriates foreign assistance funding for Morocco for counterterrorism and socioeconomic development, including funding in support of a five-year, $697.5 million Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) aid program agreed to in 2007. Congress also reviews and authorizes Moroccan purchases of U.S. defense articles. U.S. officials have expressed support for Morocco's political reform efforts while reiterating strong support for the monarchy. Morocco's comprehensive approach to countering terrorism involves security measures, economic reforms, control of religious outlets, education, and international cooperation. Morocco experienced devastating terrorist attacks in 2003, and Moroccan nationals have been implicated in attacks and plots overseas. In April 2011, after years without a major domestic attack, a bomb exploded at a tourist café in Marrakesh, killing 17 people, mostly Europeans. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), considered the greatest regional threat, has not mounted a successful attack in Morocco and denied responsibility for the April bombing. However, individual Moroccans have joined AQIM outside of the country and the group has reportedly attempted to use Moroccan territory as a transit point for regional smuggling operations. Morocco's human rights record is uneven. A number of abuses have been documented along with constraints on freedom of expression. At the same time, the 2004 Family Code is a significant initiative that could improve the socioeconomic rights of women if fully implemented. The king has also sought to provide a public record of abuses perpetrated before he ascended the throne in 1999 and to enhance the rights of ethnic Berbers (Amazigh/Imazighen), the original inhabitants of the region."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Arieff, Alexis

  2011-12-20
• Military Construction: Analysis of the FY2012 Appropriation and Authorization [June 29, 2011]

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  "This report focuses on those government activities funded under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 military construction appropriation, examines trends in military construction funding, and outlines military construction issues extant in each of the major regions of U.S. military activity. […] Troops are also moving within Europe and redeploying to the United States. Active duty military personnel stationed in Europe now number only one-quarter of the force present in 1980, and garrisons in Germany are being concentrated into two large military communities near Landstuhl and Vilseck. At least one major combat formation scheduled to move to the United States during the past few years has been retained at its garrison in Germany pending a military basing review. Military responsibility for much of Africa is now exercised by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM). Though headquartered in Germany, AFRICOM has one enduring military garrison site on the continent, at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti. Press accounts have indicated that a new permanent home for AFRICOM headquarters might be located in southeastern Virginia. Southwest Asia, the area of responsibility for CENTCOM, has seen ongoing military operations for almost a decade. Since FY2004, Congress has given DOD special authority to use some operations and maintenance funds for military construction outside of the normal appropriations process. H.R. 1540, the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act for 2012, would extend that authority into FY2012. Funds for military construction had been provided through special emergency supplemental appropriations, but beginning in FY2010, these funds were folded into the base budget--though still categorized separately from normal construction requests. CENTCOM construction has fallen with the FY2012 request."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Else, Daniel H.

  2011-06-29
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration's FY2006 Budget Request: Description, Analysis, and Issues for Congress [Updated November 17, 2005]

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  "For FY2006, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) requested $16.456 billion. That amount was a 2.4% increase over the $16.070 billion (adjusted for the rescission) appropriated in the FY2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 108-447). NASA also received a $126 million supplemental for damages caused by the 2004 Florida hurricanes, yielding a total of $16.196 billion for FY2005. The FY2006 request was 1.6% above that amount. By comparison, last year the White House projected that Nasa's budget would increase by 4.7%. NASA submitted a FY2006 budget amendment on July 15; total funding for the agency did not change. The Administration included $324.8 million for NASA in the October 28, 2005 reallocation package that includes funds for hurricane relief. The House and Senate have passed the final version of the FY2006 Science, State, Justice, Commerce appropriations bill (H.R. 2862), which includes NASA. It approves $16,456.8 million ($500,000 above the request), and is subject to a 0.28% across-the-board rescission. Congress also is debating a NASA authorization bill. The House-passed version (H.R. 3070) includes $510 million more than the request; the Senate-passed version (S. 1281) approves $100 million above the request. NASA is currently funded under a Continuing Resolution (P.L. 109-77)."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Smith, Marcia S.; Morgan, Daniel (Daniel L.)

  2005-11-17
• Middle East Free Trade Area: Progress Report [Updated January 27, 2006]

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  "On May 9, 2003, the Bush Administration proposed the establishment of a U.S. Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA) within a decade (by about 2013). This proposal came a year and a half after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The MEFTA was billed as part of a plan to fight terrorism - in this case, by supporting the growth of Middle East prosperity and democracy - through trade. On June 23, 2003 the Bush Administration described a six-step process for Middle East entities to become part of that MEFTA: (1) joining the World Trade Organization (WTO); (2) possibly participating in the Generalized System of Preferences; successively entering into (3) trade investment framework agreements (TIFAs), (4) bilateral investment treaties (BITs), and (5) free trade agreements (FTA) with the United States; and (6) participating in trade capacity building."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Bolle, Mary Jane

  2006-01-27
• Military Forces: What is the Appropriate Size for the United States? [Updated January 31, 2008]

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  "For several years, some Members of Congress and many military analysts have argued that the U.S. Armed Forces are too small to adequately meet all the requirements arising after the Cold War, particularly with the advent of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). In January 2004, the Department of Defense acknowledged a problem temporarily adding 30,000 troops to the authorized active duty end strength of the Army. Congress addressed the issue by raising ground force statutory end strengths in the FY2005 defense authorization bill (P.L. 108-375), the FY2006 bill (P.L. 109-163), and again in FY2007 (P.L. 109-364). This report describes the background of these actions, current Administration planning, and assesses significant issues for the 110th Congress. This report will be updated."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Feickert, Andrew

  2008-01-31
• National Security Council: An Organizational Assessment [Updated April 21, 2008]

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  "The National Security Council (NSC) was established by statute in 1947 to create an inter-departmental body to offer confidential advice to the President on all aspects of national security policy. Currently, statutory members of the Council are the President, Vice President, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense; but, at the President's request, other senior officials participate in NSC deliberations. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of National Intelligence are statutory advisers. In 2007, the Secretary of Energy was added to the NSC membership. The President clearly holds final decision-making authority in the executive branch. Over the years, however, the NSC staff has emerged as a major factor in the formulation […] of national security policy. Similarly, the head of the NSC staff, the National Security Adviser, has played important, and occasionally highly public, roles in policymaking. This report traces the evolution of the NSC from its creation to the present. […]. The post-Cold War world has posed new challenges to NSC policymaking. Some argue that the NSC should be broadened to reflect an expanding role of economic, environmental, and demographic issues in national security policymaking. The Clinton Administration created a National Economic Council tasked with cooperating closely with the NSC on international economic matters. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the George W. Bush Administration established a Homeland Security Council. Both of these entities overlap and coordinate with the NSC, but some observers have advocated more seamless organizational arrangements."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Best, Richard A.

  2008-04-21
• National Security Letters in Foreign Intelligence Investigations: Legal Background and Recent Amendments [Updated March 28,2008]

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  "Five federal statutes authorize intelligence officials to request certain business record information in connection with national security investigations. The authority to issue these national security letters (NSLs) is comparable to the authority to issue administrative subpoenas. The USA PATRIOT Act expanded the authority under four of the NSL statutes and created the fifth. Thereafter, the authority has been reported to have been widely used. Prospects of its continued use dimmed, however, after two lower federal courts held the lack of judicial review and the absolute confidentiality requirements in one of the statutes rendered it constitutionally suspect. The USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3199), P.L. 109-177, and its companion P.L. 109-178, amended the five NSL sections to expressly provide for judicial review of both the NSLs and the confidentiality requirements that attend them. The sections have also been made explicitly judicially enforceable and sanctions recognized for failure to comply with an NSL request or to breach NSL confidentiality requirements with the intent to obstruct justice. The use of the authority has been made subject to greater Congressional oversight."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Doyle, Charles

  2008-03-28
• National Institute of Standards and Technology: An Appropriations Overview [Updated February 7, 2008]

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  "The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has a mandate to increase the competitiveness of U.S. firms and provide the measurement, calibration, and quality assurance techniques that underpin U.S. commerce. Congressional debate has focused on the merits of NIST's external R&D programs directed toward increased private sector commercialization, including the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). The level of funding for internal research efforts has also been scrutinized by Congress. FY2007 appropriations legislation provides NIST with $676.9 million. P.L. 110-161, the FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, funds NIST at $755.8 million. The law also finances a new initiative, the Technology Innovation Program, to replace ATP. The President's FY2009 budget proposal requests $638 million for NIST."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Schacht, Wendy H.

  2008-02-07
• National Security Letters in Foreign Intelligence Investigations: Legal Background and Recent Amendments [September 8, 2009]

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  "Five federal statutes authorize intelligence officials to request certain business record information in connection with national security investigations. The authority to issue these national security letters (NSLs) is comparable to the authority to issue administrative subpoenas. The USA PATRIOT Act expanded the authority under four of the NSL statutes and created the fifth. Thereafter, the authority has been reported to have been widely used. Prospects of its continued use dimmed, however, after two lower federal courts held the lack of judicial review and the absolute confidentiality requirements in one of the statutes rendered it constitutionally suspect."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Doyle, Charles

  2009-09-08
• National Flood Insurance Program: Background, Challenges, and Financial Status [June 22, 2009]

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  "In 1968, the U.S. Congress established the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to address the nation's flood exposure and challenges inherent in financing and managing flood risks in the private sector. Private insurance companies at the time claimed that the flood peril was uninsurable and, therefore, could not be underwritten in the private insurance market. A three-prong floodplain management and insurance program was created to: (1) identify areas across the nation that were most at risk of flooding; (2) minimize the economic impact of flooding events through the establishment of minimum floodplain management ordinances; and (3) make flood insurance available to help individuals and businesses recover following a flood. Major changes were made to the program in 1973, 1994, and 2004. Despite investing significant resources to identify flood risk and shape floodplain and coastal development, the U.S arguably failed over the recent decade to curb the skyrocketing costs of flood damage. [...] The 111th Congress may choose to consider legislative options to reauthorize and reform the NFIP to make the program actuarially sound, ensure its long-term financial solvency, and adequately identify areas at risk of flood losses. Several flood insurance-related bills are currently before the 111th Congress. [...] On March 11, 2009, the Congress passed the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-8) that included a provision to extend the NFIP's authority through September 30, 2009."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  King, Rawle O.

  2009-06-22