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Advancing CHW Engagement in COVID-19 Response Strategies: A Playbook for Local Health Department Strategies in the United States
From the Executive Summary: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Pandemic has highlighted the persistent inequities in healthcare access, quality and cost throughout American society. Local Health Departments (LHDs) must advance health equity in all facets of their response and rebuilt efforts. Community Health Workers (CHWs), as trusted members of the community and experts in community health, are critical for this advancement. CHWs should be engaged as necessary partners throughout several key activities of the local COVID-19 response strategy, including but not limited to contact tracing and healthcare coordination, community-based testing, vaccine readiness education, and the navigation of social resources. The following playbook serves to facilitate both the conceptualization and operationalization of CHW engagement. It is intended to be used by LHD decision-makers who may wish to begin or deepen engagement with CHWs in their local COVID-19 response strategy but do not have a clear vision for what that engagement should look like or how to achieve it."
National Community-Based Workforce Alliance
2020-09
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Civil Society Strengthening Platform Guidelines to Better Support Women and Girls Victims of Violence Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic
From the Document: "The current COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic represents a great social and economic disruption to all human beings, affecting disproportionally women and girls due to widespread pre-existing discrimination and inequalities. Every crisis creates inequalities and aggravates older ones, such as the inequalities existing against women and girls. It is necessary for states to step up their efforts and increase the measures to protect women and girls victims of violence. [...] The present guidelines are to support the national government and service providers in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey to better respond to the needs of women and their children, girls' victims of violence to the effects of the lockdown measures in light of the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. These guidelines are to be applicable also after the lockdown measures are lifted."
Women Against Violence Europe; Civil Society Strengthening Platform
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MHA Nation COVID-19 Task Force: Emergency Response Plan
From the Purpose: "This document provides guidance for implementing an Emergency Response Plan specifically as it pertains to the current threat of the Covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Coronavirus Pandemic facing the MHA [Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara] Nation. The plan is a guide for procedures that will need to be implemented to protect the lives and well-being of the members of the MHA Nation."
Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota
2020-03
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Persian Gulf States: Issues for U.S. Policy, 2004 [Updated October 4, 2004]
"The Bush Administration has said that the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in April 2003 would ease the security challenges facing the Persian Gulf region. The U.S.-led war has ended Iraq's ability to produce weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and virtually ended any Iraqi conventional military threat to the region. However, the Persian Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates) fear that Iraq might no longer serve as a strategic counterweight to Iran and that pro-Iranian Shiite Muslim groups might obtain a major share of power in post-war Iraq. This creates the potential for spillover from the conflict in Iraq in two ways: Gulf Shiite communities, generally in the minority in the Gulf, might be emboldened by events in Iraq to seek additional power; and Sunni Muslim militants in Iraq - both Iraqi and non-Iraqi - might infiltrate the Gulf states to cause violence and instability. Continuing instability in Iraq has caused the United States to maintain a larger military presence in the Gulf than would have been required had Iraq stabilized quickly, thereby negating some of the benefits expected to result from the ousting of Saddam Hussein."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2004-10-04
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Position of Director of National Intelligence: Issues for Congress [Updated August 12, 2004]
"Recently some Members of Congress have introduced intelligence community reform legislation that would establish the position of Director of National Intelligence (DNI), or strengthen DCI authorities. Reactions to the concept of a DNI have been mixed since its inception. Supporters argue that the DCI cannot manage the IC, the CIA and serve as the President's chief intelligence advisor, and do justice to any of the jobs. Other than the CIA, the DCI also lacks hiring, firing and budget authority. They argue that the absence of strong, centralized leadership has resulted in divided management of intelligence capabilities; lack of common standards and practices across the foreign domestic intelligence divide; structural barriers that undermine the performance of joint intelligence work; and a weak capacity to set priorities and move resources. Opponents counter that a DNI would lose day-to-day control over the CIA, a natural power base and, as a result, influence. They also contend that placing the intelligence director in the Executive Office of the President, as the 9/11 Commission has proposed, risks the politicization of intelligence, giving the White House more direct control over covert operations, blurring the line between foreign and domestic operations and possibly shifting too much influence over intelligence to the Department of Defense. With regard to DOD influence, other opponents argue that a national director will shift the balance of control away from DOD, risking intelligence support to the warfighter. The congressional role includes deciding whether to establish the position of the DNI and its authority. This report will be updated as events warrant."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Cumming, Alfred
2004-08-12
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Position of Director of National Intelligence: Issues for Congress [July 29, 2004]
"The 9/11 Commission, in its recent report on the attacks of September 11, 2001, criticized the U.S. Intelligence Community's (IC) fragmented management structure and questioned whether the U.S. government, and the IC, in particular, is organized adequately to direct resources and build the intelligence capabilities that the U.S. will need to counter terrorism, and to address the broader range of national security challenges in the decades ahead. The Commission made a number of recommendations, one of which was to replace the current position of Director of Central Intelligence with a National Intelligence Director (NID) who would oversee national intelligence centers on specific subjects of interest across the U.S. government, manage the national intelligence program, oversee the agencies that contribute to it, and have hiring, firing and budgetary authority over the IC's 15 agencies. The Commission recommended that the director be located in the Executive Office of the President and that a deputy NID be established to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). This report outlines the congressional proposals concerning the new position, as well as the arguments in favor and in opposition to it. The congressional role includes deciding whether to establish the position of the DNI and its authority. This report will be updated as events warrant."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Cumming, Alfred
2004-07-29
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Peacekeeping and Conflict Transitions: Background and Congressional Action on Civilian Capabilities [April 13, 2005]
"The State Department's new Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) is intended to address longstanding concerns, both within Congress and the broader foreign policy community, over the perceived lack of the appropriate capabilities and processes to deal with transitions from conflict to sustainable stability. These capabilities and procedures include adequate planning mechanisms for stabilization and reconstruction operations, efficient inter-agency coordination structures and procedures in carrying out such tasks, and appropriate civilian personnel for many of the non-military tasks required. Effectively distributing resources among the various executive branch actors, maintaining clear lines of authority and jurisdiction, and balancing short- and long-term objectives are major challenges for designing, planning, and conducting post-conflict operations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Serafino, Nina M.; Weiss, Martin A.
2005-04-13
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Plan Colombia: A Progress Report [Updated May 9, 2005]
"Plan Colombia was developed by former President Pastrana (1998-2002) as a six-year plan to end the country's 40-year old armed conflict, eliminate drug trafficking, and promote economic and social development. President Uribe (2002- present) has continued the work of Plan Colombia, but with an increased emphasis on security concerns. It was envisioned that a significant portion of the costs of Plan Colombia would be provided by the international community, although to date, the United States has been the most significant contributor. [...] Because Plan Colombia is a six-year plan, due to expire at the end of 2005, Congress will likely assess its progress in light of the Administration request to continue ACI funding, the latter having no statutory end-date." This report provides in-depth information on Plan Columbia that could be used for such an assessment.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Veillette, Connie
2005-05-09
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Plan Colombia: A Progress Report [Updated April 12, 2005]
"Plan Colombia was developed by former President Pastrana (1998-2002) as a six-year plan to end the country's 40-year old armed conflict, eliminate drug trafficking, and promote economic and social development. President Uribe (2002- present) has continued the work of Plan Colombia, but with an increased emphasis on security concerns. It was envisioned that a significant portion of the costs of Plan Colombia would be provided by the international community, although to date, the United States has been the most significant contributor. Because Plan Colombia is a six-year plan, due to expire at the end of 2005, Congress will likely assess its progress in light of the Administration request to continue ACI funding, the latter having no statutory end-date." This report provides in-depth information on Plan Columbia that could be used for such an assessment.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Veillette, Connie
2005-04-12
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Plan Colombia: A Progress Report [February 17, 2005]
"Plan Colombia was developed by former President Pastrana (1998-2002) as a six-year plan to end the country's 40-year old armed conflict, eliminate drug trafficking, and promote economic and social development. President Uribe (2002- present) has continued the work of Plan Colombia, but with an increased emphasis on security concerns. It was envisioned that a significant portion of the costs of Plan Colombia would be provided by the international community, although to date, the United States has been the most significant contributor. Because Plan Colombia is a six-year plan, due to expire at the end of 2005, Congress will likely assess its progress in light of the Administration request to continue ACI funding, the latter having no statutory end-date." This report provides in-depth information on Plan Columbia that could be used for such an assessment.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Veillette, Connie
2005-02-17
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Polygraph Use by the Department of Energy: Issues for Congress [updated February 3, 2005]
"On January 7, 2005, the DOE proposed a new regulation that would institute a polygraph screening program, but only for individuals with regular access to the most sensitive information. The result would be to reduce from more than 20,000 to approximately 4,500 the number of DOE and contractor personnel potentially subject to mandatory polygraph tests. DOE's new proposal came after some Members of Congress urged that the Department adopt a more focused polygraph program in the wake of a 2002 study by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) that questioned the validity of polygraph testing, particularly when it is used for screening purposes."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Cumming, Alfred
2005-02-03
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Peacekeeping/Stabilization and Conflict Transitions: Background and Congressional Action on the Civilian Response/Reserve Corps and other Civilian Stabilization and Reconstruction Capabilities [July 23, 2009]
"The 111th Congress will face a number of issues regarding the development of civilian capabilities to carry out stabilization and reconstruction activities. In September 2008, Congress passed the Reconstruction and Stabilization Civilian Management Act, 2008, as Title XVI of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (S. 3001, P.L. 110-417, signed into law October 14, 2008). This legislation codified the existence and functions of the State Department Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) and authorized new operational capabilities within the State Department, a Civilian Response Corps of government employees with an active and a standby component, and a Civilian Reserve Corps. S/CRS was established in 2004 to address longstanding concerns, both within Congress and the broader foreign policy community, over the perceived lack of the appropriate capabilities and processes to deal with transitions from conflict to stability. These capabilities and procedures include adequate planning mechanisms for stabilization and reconstruction operations, efficient interagency coordination structures and procedures in carrying out such tasks, and appropriate civilian personnel for many of the non-military tasks required. Effectively distributing resources among the various executive branch actors, maintaining clear lines of authority and jurisdiction, and balancing short- and long-term objectives are major challenges for designing, planning, and conducting post-conflict operations, as is fielding the appropriate civilian personnel."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Serafino, Nina M.
2009-07-23
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Persian Gulf: Issues for U.S. Policy, 2000 [November 3, 2000]
"No major confrontations or crises have occurred in the Persian Gulf since 1998, but regional security challenges that could erupt into crises on short notice have not been eliminated. Most observers agree that Iraq is contained militarily, unable to rebuild its conventional forces and constrained in its ability to acquire technology that could be used to build prohibited weapons of mass destruction (WMD). On the other hand, the U.N. Security Council has become deeply divided on Iraq policy, and unable to obtain a restart of U.N. weapons inspections, which ended on the eve of a U.S./British bombing campaign against Iraq in December 1998. Administration officials acknowledge that, without inspections, there is substantial uncertainty about the state of Iraq's WMD capabilities and activities, if any. The Administration has moved to end twenty years of hostility with Iran since the unexpected election in May 1997 of a relative moderate, Mohammad Khatemi, as President. Administration efforts might have contributed to an apparent reduction in Iranian support for international terrorism and an accelerated effort by Iran to end its international isolation. However, Administration overtures toward Iran over the past year have not yet brought Iran into a formal dialogue with the U.S. government. Administration hopes that a moderating Iran might also slow its WMD acquisition and development programs have not materialized, although most observers attribute Iran's commitment to those programs to the security threats Iran perceives on virtually all its borders. Since the Islamic revolution in 1979, Iran is or has been at odds with several of its neighbors, including the Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman), Iraq, and the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, and it views Israel as an adversary."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2000-11-03
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President's Office of Science and Technology Policy: Issues for Congress [February 6, 2009]
"This report will provide an overview of the history of science and technology advice to the President, and provide an overview and discuss issues and options for Congress regarding OSTP's Director, OSTP management and operations, PCAST, and NSTC. Further, Congress established the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) through the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-282). The act states that 'The primary function of the OSTP Director is to provide, within the Executive Office of the President [EOP], advice on the scientific, engineering, and technological aspects of issues that require attention at the highest level of Government.' Further, 'The Office shall serve as a source of scientific and technological analysis and judgment for the President with respect to major policies, plans, and programs of the Federal Government."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Stine, Deborah D.
2009-02-06
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Polygraph Use by the Department of Energy: Issues for Congress [Updated October 1, 2003]
Department of Energy (DOE) Deputy Secretary Kyle E. McSlarrow recommended on September 4, 2003, that the DOE issue a proposed regulation by the end of the year that would sharply curtail the use of the polygraph for screening DOE employees with access to classified information. McSlarrow said that he has recommended to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham a mandatory polygraph screening program only for individuals with regular access to the most sensitive information. The result would be to reduce to approximately 4,500 the number of DOE and contractor personnel potentially subject to mandatory polygraph tests (from an estimated 20,000). In part because of continuing opposition by some DOE nuclear weapons laboratory employees, Congress in 2001 requested that NAS review the scientific evidence regarding the validity and reliability of the polygraph, particularly when used for personnel security screening. The NAS study concluded that while polygraph testing is more effective when used in connection with event-specific investigations, its accuracy is insufficient to justify reliance on its use in screening current and prospective federal agency employees-- DOE's principal purpose in using the polygraph. Congress might assess several possible approaches, including retaining the status quo, establishing a more focused polygraph program of the kind proposed by McSlarrow; researching alternatives to the polygraph; and eliminating the polygraph for screening purposes altogether.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Cumming, Alfred
2003-10-01
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Polygraph Use by the Department of Energy: Issues for Congress [July 8, 2003]
"In the aftermath of the Wen Ho Lee case and the growing concern over the Department of Energys (DOE) counterintelligence program that followed, DOE in March 1999 began developing its first-ever polygraph screening program affecting an estimated 800 DOE employees with access to sensitive and classified information. Congress in October 1999 mandated DOE polygraph testing (P.L. 106-65, Sec.3154) and expanded the program to cover 13,000 DOE employees with access to sensitive and classified information. The following year, Congress further expanded polygraph testing to cover approximately 20,000 DOE employees (P.L. 106-398, Sec.3135) with the addition of new eligibility categories. In part because of continuing opposition by some DOE nuclear weapons laboratory employees, Congress in 2001 requested that the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) review the scientific evidence regarding the validity and reliability of the polygraph, particularly when used for personnel security screening. Congress directed DOE to institute a new polygraph program based upon the NAS findings."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Cumming, Alfred
2003-07-08
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Peacekeeping/Stabilization and Conflict Transitions: Background and Congressional Action on the Civilian Response/Reserve Corps and other Civilian Stabilization and Reconstruction Capabilities [June 16, 2009]
"The 111th Congress will face a number of issues regarding the development of civilian capabilities to carry out stabilization and reconstruction activities. In September 2008, Congress passed the Reconstruction and Stabilization Civilian Management Act, 2008, as Title XVI of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (S. 3001, P.L. 110-417, signed into law October 14, 2008). This legislation codified the existence and functions of the State Department Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) and authorized new operational capabilities within the State Department, a Civilian Response Corps of government employees with an active and a standby component, and a Civilian Reserve Corps. S/CRS was established in 2004 to address longstanding concerns, both within Congress and the broader foreign policy community, over the perceived lack of the appropriate capabilities and processes to deal with transitions from conflict to stability. These capabilities and procedures include adequate planning mechanisms for stabilization and reconstruction operations, efficient interagency coordination structures and procedures in carrying out such tasks, and appropriate civilian personnel for many of the non-military tasks required. Effectively distributing resources among the various executive branch actors, maintaining clear lines of authority and jurisdiction, and balancing short- and long-term objectives are major challenges for designing, planning, and conducting post-conflict operations, as is fielding the appropriate civilian personnel."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Serafino, Nina M.
2009-06-16
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Peacekeeping/Stabilization and Conflict Transitions: Background and Congressional Action on the Civilian Response/Reserve Corps and other Civilian Stabilization and Reconstruction Capabilities [May 22, 2009]
"The 111th Congress will face a number of issues regarding the development of civilian capabilities to carry out stabilization and reconstruction activities. In September 2008, Congress passed the Reconstruction and Stabilization Civilian Management Act, 2008, as Title XVI of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (S. 3001, P.L. 110-417, signed into law October 14, 2008). This legislation codified the existence and functions of the State Department Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) and authorized new operational capabilities within the State Department, a Civilian Response Corps of government employees with an active and a standby component, and a Civilian Reserve Corps. S/CRS was established in 2004 to address longstanding concerns, both within Congress and the broader foreign policy community, over the perceived lack of the appropriate capabilities and processes to deal with transitions from conflict to stability. These capabilities and procedures include adequate planning mechanisms for stabilization and reconstruction operations, efficient interagency coordination structures and procedures in carrying out such tasks, and appropriate civilian personnel for many of the non-military tasks required. Effectively distributing resources among the various executive branch actors, maintaining clear lines of authority and jurisdiction, and balancing short- and long-term objectives are major challenges for designing, planning, and conducting post-conflict operations, as is fielding the appropriate civilian personnel."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Serafino, Nina M.
2009-05-22
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Peacekeeping/Stabilization and Conflict Transitions: Background and Congressional Action on the Civilian Response/Reserve Corps and other Civilian Stabilization and Reconstruction Capabilities [February 5, 2009]
"The 111th Congress will face a number of issues regarding the development of civilian capabilities to carry out stabilization and reconstruction activities. In September 2008, Congress passed the Reconstruction and Stabilization Civilian Management Act, 2008, as Title XVI of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (S. 3001, P.L. 110-417, signed into law October 14, 2008). This legislation codified the existence and functions of the State Department Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) and authorized new operational capabilities within the State Department, a Civilian Response Corps of government employees with an active and a standby component, and a Civilian Reserve Corps. [...]. Since July 2004, S/CRS has worked to establish the basic concepts, mechanisms, and capabilities necessary to carry out such operations. [...]. In June 2008, Congress specifically provided $75 million for S/CRS and USAID S&R activities, including the establishment and implementation of the civilian response capabilities, in the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (H.R. 4642, P.L. 110-252). Among the issues that the Congress will face regarding the development of civilian capabilities are the level of staffing and funding for S/CRS, and the means to develop, support, maintain, and deploy the civilian response and reserve corps. These initiatives were intended to enhance the United States' ability to function effectively on the world scene in the environment created by the terrorist attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001 (9/11)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Serafino, Nina M.
2009-02-05
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Pesticide Use and Water Quality: Are the Laws Complementary or in Conflict? [October 13, 2010]
"This report provides background on the emerging conflict over interpretation and implementation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Clean Water Act (CWA). For the more than 30 years since they were enacted, there had been little apparent conflict between them. But their relationship has recently been challenged in several arenas, including the federal courts and regulatory proceedings of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In this report, a brief discussion of the two laws is followed by a review of the major litigation of interest. EPA's efforts to clarify its policy in this area are discussed, including a regulation issued in 2006 that was subsequently vacated by a federal court, as well as possible options for EPA and Congress to address the issues further. FIFRA governs the labeling, distribution, sale, and use of pesticides, including insecticides and herbicides. Its objective is to protect human health and the environment from unreasonable adverse effects of pesticides. It establishes a nationally uniform labeling system requiring the registration of all pesticides sold in the United States, and requiring users to comply with the national label. The CWA creates a comprehensive regulatory scheme to control the discharge of pollutants into the nation's waters; the discharge of pollutants without a permit violates the act. [...] Some believe that the controversy will only be resolved by congressional action to clarify the intersecting scope of the Clean Water Act and FIFRA. Legislation intended to nullify the 2009 federal court ruling has been introduced in the 111th Congress (H.R. 6087/S. 3735 and a third bill, H.R. 6273)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Copeland, Claudia
2010-10-13
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Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) Status for Russia and U.S.-Russian Economic Ties [December 22, 2010]
"The change in Russia's trade status will require legislation to lift the restrictions currently applied to Russia under Title IV of the Trade Act of 1974, which includes the 'freedom-of-emigration' requirements of the Jackson-Vanik amendment. The process for Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) is proceeding and may be completed soon. As a result, members may confront the issue of whether to grant Russia permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status during the 112th Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Cooper, William H., 1949-
2010-12-22
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Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians [September 14, 2010]
"This report collects statistics from a variety of sources on casualties sustained during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), which began on October 7, 2001, and is ongoing. OEF actions take place primarily in Afghanistan; however, OEF casualties also includes American casualties in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Yemen. Casualty data of U.S. military forces are compiled by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), as tallied from the agency's press releases. Also included are statistics on those wounded but not killed. Statistics may be revised as circumstances are investigated and as records are processed through the U.S. military's casualty system. More frequent updates are available at DOD's website at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/ under 'Casualty Update.' A detailed casualty summary of U.S. military forces that includes data on deaths by cause, as well as statistics on soldiers wounded in action, is available at the following DOD website: http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/castop.htm. NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) does not post casualty statistics of the military forces of partner countries on the ISAF website at http://www.isaf.nato.int/. ISAF press releases state that it is ISAF policy to defer to the relevant national authorities to provide notice of any fatality. For this reason, this report uses fatality data of coalition forces as compiled by CNN.com and posted online at http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2004/oef.casualties/index.html ."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Chesser, Susan G.
2010-09-14
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Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians [August 11, 2010]
"This report collects statistics from a variety of sources on casualties sustained during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), which began on October 7, 2001, and is ongoing. OEF actions take place primarily in Afghanistan; however, OEF casualties also includes American casualties in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Yemen. Casualty data of U.S. military forces are compiled by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), as tallied from the agency's press releases. Also included are statistics on those wounded but not killed. Statistics may be revised as circumstances are investigated and as records are processed through the U.S. military's casualty system. More frequent updates are available at DOD's website at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/ under 'Casualty Update.'"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Chesser, Susan G.
2010-08-11
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Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians [October 28, 2010]
"This report collects statistics from a variety of sources on casualties sustained during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), which began on October 7, 2001, and is ongoing. OEF actions take place primarily in Afghanistan; however, OEF casualties also includes American casualties in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Yemen. Casualty data of U.S. military forces are compiled by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), as tallied from the agency's press releases. Also included are statistics on those wounded but not killed. Statistics may be revised as circumstances are investigated and as records are processed through the U.S. military's casualty system. More frequent updates are available at DOD's website at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/ under 'Casualty Update.'"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Chesser, Susan G.
2010-10-28
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Navy Lasers, Railgun, and Gun-Launched Guided Projectile: Background and Issues for Congress [Updated January 12, 2021]
From the Summary: "Three new ship-based weapons being developed by the Navy--solid state lasers (SSLs), the electromagnetic railgun (EMRG), and the gun-launched guided projectile (GLGP), also known as the hypervelocity projectile (HVP)--could substantially improve the ability of Navy surface ships to defend themselves against surface craft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and eventually anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs). The Navy has been developing SSLs for several years, and in 2014 installed on a Navy ship its first prototype SSL capable of countering surface craft and UAVs. The Navy since then has been developing and installing additional SSL prototypes with improved capability for countering surface craft and UAVs. Higher-power SSLs being developed by the Navy are to have a capability for countering ASCMs. [...] In addition to the question of whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's FY2021 funding requests for SSLs, EMRG, and HVP/GLGP, issues for Congress include the following: [1] whether the Navy is moving too quickly, too slowly, or at about the right speed in its efforts to develop these weapons; [2] the Navy's plans for transitioning these weapons from development to procurement and fielding of production models aboard Navy ships; and [3] whether Navy the Navy's shipbuilding plans include ships with appropriate amounts of space, weight, electrical power, and cooling capacity to accommodate these weapons."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2021-01-12
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Overview of the Federal Procurement Process and Resources [Updated January 12, 2021]
From the Summary: "In the basic federal procurement process, acquisition personnel, after determining their agencies' requirements (that is, the goods and services the agencies need), post solicitations on the federal government's beta.SAM.gov website. Interested companies prepare their offers in response to the solicitations, and, in accordance with applicable provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), agency personnel evaluate the offers. Another type of procurement opportunity for a company is to serve as a subcontractor for a government contractor. To be eligible to compete for government contracts, a company must obtain a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and register with the federal government's System for Award Management (SAM). Several agencies, such as the General Services Administration (GSA), provide assistance and services to existing and potential government contractors. Research and development (R&D) procurement opportunities may involve traditional contracting methods, such as solicitations and contracts, as well as nontraditional methods, which include agency-sponsored contests and venture capital funds."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Halchin, L. Elaine
2021-01-12
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Oil Markets and Prices in 2021: Demand, Supply, and Policy Uncertainties [January 13, 2021]
From the Document: "Oil markets began 2021 following one of the most disruptive years on record. In the first half of 2020, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic-related demand suppression for oil-derived products (e.g., gasoline, diesel fuel, and aviation fuel) created historically large market imbalances. Petroleum inventories held in commercial storage increased quickly as product prices declined, refining profitability decreased, and crude oil demand collapsed. Oil prices fell rapidly and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures settled negative for the first time. Federal policy makers evaluated options to provide financial relief for U.S. oil producers, including exercise of Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) authorities and royalty relief. Nevertheless, companies filed for bankruptcy protection, decreased asset values, and some U.S. refineries announced plans to either close or convert operations to produce renewable fuels. Oil prices began to recover following implementation of a production restraint agreement among the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and certain non-OPEC countries (collectively OPEC+), combined with economically motivated production declines in the United States, Canada, and other nations. Relative market stability generally describes the second half of 2020. Petroleum product consumption increased. OPEC+ group-level compliance was near 100%. Implied demand/supply balances indicated an undersupplied market. Commercial inventories declined. WTI oil prices were mostly at or near $40 per barrel, but closed out 2020 at $48.52. Indicators suggest a recovering oil market with potential for higher, yet moderate, prices in the short term."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Brown, Phillip (Specialist in Energy Policy)
2021-01-13
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Open Skies Treaty: Background and Issues [Updated January 15, 2021]
From the Document: "The United States announced its intention to withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies on May 22, 2020; this withdrawal took effect on November 22, 2020. Russia has also announced its plans to withdraw, noting that it would begin the domestic procedures for withdrawal on January 15, 2021, and would then send the official notification to the other treaty parties. The United States, Canada, and 22 European nations signed this treaty on March 24, 1992. It entered into force on January 1, 2002, and had 34 members before the U.S. withdrawal. The parties permit unarmed observation aircraft to fly over their entire territories to observe military forces and activities. The treaty is designed to increase transparency, build confidence, and encourage cooperation among European nations. [...] With the United States withdrawal from the Treaty, it will no longer participate in flights or share data collected by others. Russian officials insisted that the remaining participants not share data collected on Open Skies flights with the United States. They also indicated that they expected to continue to fly over U.S. bases and facilities located on the territories of other treaty parties. After the other parties rejected these conditions, Russia announced its plans to withdraw from the treaty."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Woolf, Amy F.
2021-01-15
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New START Treaty: Central Limits and Key Provisions [Updated April 5, 2019]
From the Document: "The United States and Russia signed the New START Treaty on April 8, 2010. After more than 20 hearings, the U.S. Senate gave its advice and consent to ratification on December 22, 2010, by a vote of 71-26. Both houses of the Russian parliament--the Duma and Federation Council-- approved the treaty in late January 2011 and it entered into force on February 5, 2011. Both parties met the treaty's requirement to complete the reductions by February 5, 2018. The treaty is due to expire in February 2021, unless both parties agree to extend it for no more than five years. New START provides the parties with 7 years to reduce their forces, and will remain in force for a total of 10 years. It limits each side to no more than 800 deployed and nondeployed land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launchers and deployed and nondeployed heavy bombers equipped to carry nuclear armaments. Within that total, each side can retain no more than 700 deployed ICBMs, deployed SLBMs, and deployed heavy bombers equipped to carry nuclear armaments. The treaty also limits each side to no more than 1,550 deployed warheads; those are the actual number of warheads on deployed ICBMs and SLBMs, and one warhead for each deployed heavy bomber."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Woolf, Amy F.
2019-04-05
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New START Treaty: Central Limits and Key Provisions [Updated September 27, 2018]
From the Document, "The United States and Russia signed the New START Treaty [Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty] on April 8, 2010. After more than 20 hearings, the U.S. Senate gave its advice and consent to ratification on December 22, 2010, by a vote of 71-26. Both houses of the Russian parliament--the Duma and Federation Council-- approved the treaty in late January 2011, and it entered into force on February 5, 2011, after Secretary of State Clinton and Foreign Minister Lavrov exchanged the instruments of ratification. Reductions were to be implemented by February 5, 2018, a goal met by both parties. The Treaty is due to expire in February 2021, unless both parties agree to extend it for up to five years."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Woolf, Amy F.
2018-09-27
