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Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs [Fall 2018]
This edition of the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs covers several key defense and security issues related to the Indo-Pacific region. Articles featured in this journal include: "Opening the Aperture Advancing US Strategic Priorities in the Indo-Pacific Region" by Herbert J. "Hawk" Carlisle; "A Short History of US Involvement in the Indo-Pacific" by Christopher L. Kolakowski; "Realignment and Indian Air Power Doctrine: Challenges in an Evolving Strategic Context" by Christina Goulter and Harsh Pant; "US Military Liberty Restrictions in Okinawa-Falling on Deaf Ears?" by John C. Wright; "Evolving Dynamics in the Indo-Pacific Deliberating India's Position" by Pooja Bhatt; and "Ecuador's Leveraging of China to Pursue an Alternative Political and Development Path" by R. Evan Ellis.
Air University (U.S.)
2019-01-11?
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How the U.S. Immigration System Encourages Child Marriages
"U.S. law and U.S. Department of State policy aim to prevent and reduce the risks of child marriages occurring around the world, yet major loopholes in U.S. law have allowed thousands of minors to be subjected to child marriages. Under the 'Immigration and Nationality Act' ('INA'), a U.S. child may petition for a visa for a spouse or fiancé living in another country, and a U.S. adult may petition for a visa for a minor spouse or fiancé living abroad. [...] Over the last eleven years (FY2007 to FY2017), USCIS [U.S. Customs and Immigration Services] approved 3,595,447 petitions for spousal or fiancé entry in to the United States. Of those, 8,686 involved a minor. Two minors whose petitions were approved were 13 years old; 38 were 14 years old; 269 were 15 years old; 1,768 were 16 years old; and the remaining 6,609 were 17 years old. Girls were the younger party in 95 percent of the petitions approved by USCIS."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Johnson, Ron, 1955-
2019-01-11
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U.S. Sanctions on Russia [January 11, 2019]
"The executive branch also has used a variety of EOs [executive order]and legislation to impose sanctions on Russian individuals and entities in response to a number of other concerns. Legislation that established specifically Russia-related sanctions includes the following: [1] The Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 (P.L. 112-208, Title IV; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note); [2] Support for the Sovereignty, Integrity, Democracy, and Economic Stability of Ukraine Act of 2014, as amended (SSIDES; P.L. 113-95; 22 U.S.C. 8901 et seq.); [3] Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014, as amended (UFSA; P.L. 113-272; 22 U.S.C. 8921 et seq.); [4] Countering Russian Influence in Europe and Eurasia Act of 2017, as amended (CRIEEA; P.L. 115-44, Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act [CAATSA], Title II; 22 U.S.C. 9501 et seq.)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Welt, Cory; Archick, Kristin; Nelson, Rebecca M.; Rennack, Dianne E.
2019-01-11
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Global Refugee Resettlement: Selected Issues and Questions [Updated January 11, 2019]
"The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) anticipates that in 2019 more than 132 million people worldwide will require humanitarian assistance and protection as a result of conflict and disaster. U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR, see text box) reported in 2018 that more than 68.5 million were forcibly displaced worldwide due to armed conflict, widespread or indiscriminate violence, or human rights violations. Those displaced included 25.4 million refugees, 3.1 million asylum seekers, and 40 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Margesson, Rhoda
2019-01-11
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Judicial Rulings Ending the Obama Administration's Family Detention Policy: Implications for Illegal Immigration and Border Security
"The political debate over immigration--both legal and illegal--has become steadily more divisive over the last few decades, resulting in a policy stalemate. The complexity, inadequacy of information, and changing nature of the problem only deepen the challenge of finding solutions. [...] No one really knows how many people enter the United States illegally each year, or how many people currently reside in the country illegally. The number of apprehensions is often used as a surrogate statistic to estimate the levels of illegal immigration and residency. It is an imperfect surrogate to say the least. To illustrate one distortion, some Mexican migrants living close to the border who attempt to enter the country illegally may be apprehended multiple times. Migrants from Central America who are apprehended and returned to their countries of origin do not have the same opportunity for multiple illegal crossings. As a result, multiple apprehensions of Mexicans tend to overstate the assumed extent of illegal immigration. Even the definition of 'apprehension' itself has changed over time, further distorting the numbers. [...] The goal of any immigration reform should be to deter and reduce the number of people entering illegally, overstaying a visa, or entering without proper documentation. Immigration should be a legal and controlled process. Over the last 30 years, Congress has passed multiple bills that are either primarily designed to fix this problem or that have elements that attempt to address it. [...] [I]n spite of these attempted legislative fixes, the problem has only continued to grow."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Johnson, Ron, 1955-
2019-01-10
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Iran: Internal Politics and U.S. Policy and Options [January 10, 2019]
"Ever since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the United States and Iran have been at odds, although to varying degrees of intensity. [...] In 2010, the Obama Administration orchestrated broad international economic pressure on Iran to persuade it to agree to strict limits on the program. The pressure contributed to the June 2013 election of the relatively moderate Hassan Rouhani as president of Iran and the negotiation of a nuclear agreement--the 'Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action' (JCPOA)--which exchanged sanctions relief for limits on Iran's nuclear program. The JCPOA reduced the potential threat from Iran's nuclear program, but did not contain strict or binding limits on Iran's ballistic missile program; its regional influence; its conventional military programs; or its human rights abuses. The Trump Administration cited these deficiencies of the JCPOA in its May 8, 2018, announcement that the United States would exit the JCPOA and reimpose all U.S. secondary sanctions by November 4, 2018. [...] Some experts assert that the threat posed by Iran stems from the nature and ideology of Iran's regime, and that the underlying, if unstated, goal of Trump Administration policy is to bring about regime collapse."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2019-01-10
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How a Government Shutdown Affects Government Contracts [January 10, 2019]
"This Sidebar examines possible effects that a government shutdown could have on new and existing federal contracts. It does not address particular agencies or specific contracts. While certain agencies have issued contingency plans that provide guidance about how the funding lapse affects their contracts and procurement programs, the detail of such guidance varies by agency and contract. In some instances, agencies might have provided only general guidance applicable to all contractors that might not clearly address all relevant issues associated with individual contracts. In other instances, agency contracting officers might have provided individualized guidance or formally exercised rights under specific contracts in advance of a funding lapse. However, given the uncertainties surrounding this partial shutdown, contracting officers might not have fully addressed every individual contract in advance of the funding lapse. As a result, contracting officers may need to modify contracts or take other actions to address the impact the shutdown had on individual contracts after funding is approved."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Carpenter, David H.
2019-01-10
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Can the Department of Defense Build the Border Wall? [January 10, 2019]
"This Sidebar provides an overview of the NEA [National Emergencies Act] ; the military construction authorities available in the event of a declared emergency that the Administration may rely upon to deploy border fencing; and other statutory authorities that may provide the DOD with the authority to engage in certain construction operations. The Sidebar also discusses the availability of judicial review of a decision to invoke such authorities, along with critical questions that would arise in litigation over the lawfulness of a DOD border fencing project. Because the NEA and related military construction authorities do not appear to have been employed to construct barriers along the U.S. border, the invocation of such authorities for that purpose would raise a variety of novel legal issues, including (1) the circumstances in which conditions along the border rise to the level of a 'national emergency' that 'requires use of the armed forces,' and the circumstances in which military construction is 'necessary to support such use of the armed forces'; (2) the meaning of the term 'military construction' in the MCCA [Military Construction Codification Act] ; (3) how a court would review different segments of border wall construction; and (4) the relationship between military construction authorities and various other federal laws and constitutional considerations that shape the manner in which federal agencies carry out construction projects."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Elsea, Jennifer K.; Liu, Edward C.; Sykes, Jay B.
2019-01-10
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U.S.-Proposed Missile Technology Control Regime Changes [January 10, 2019]
"In March 2018, the United States submitted a proposal to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) partners that would relax the regime's export guidelines for certain Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). Advocates of altering the guidelines to ease such exports argue that increasing competition from foreign UAS manufacturers is undermining the competitive advantage of their U.S. counterparts. Other observers have emphasized the need to maintain the MTCR's standards, which are widely regarded as effective. [...] Congress has frequently expressed interest in issues concerning UAS development and use, as well as missile proliferation, and also conducts oversight of U.S. UAS exports."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kerr, Paul K.
2019-01-10
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Federal Grand Jury Secrecy: Legal Principles and Implications for Congressional Oversight [January 10, 2019]
"This report begins with an overview of the standards governing--and exceptions applicable to--grand jury secrecy under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e). The report also addresses whether and how the rule of grand jury secrecy and its exceptions apply to Congress, including the circumstances under which Congress may obtain grand jury information and what restrictions apply to further disclosures. Concluding this report is a discussion of past legislative efforts to amend Rule 6(e) in order to provide congressional committees with access to grand jury materials."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Foster, Michael A.
2019-01-10
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SBA Veterans Assistance Programs: An Analysis of Contemporary Issues [January 10, 2019]
"This report examines the economic circumstances of veteran-owned businesses drawn from the Bureau of the Census's 2012 Survey of Business Owners (SBO). It also provides a brief overview of veterans' employment experiences, comparing unemployment and labor force participation rates for veterans, veterans who have left the military since September 2001, and nonveterans. The report also describes employment assistance programs offered by several federal agencies to assist veterans transitioning from the military to the civilian labor force and examines, in greater detail, the SBA's [U.S. Small Business Administration] veteran business development programs, the SBA's efforts to enhance veterans' access to capital, and the SBA's veteran contracting programs."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Dilger, Robert Jay, 1954-; Lowry, Sean
2019-01-10
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Defense Primer: FY2018 Department of Defense Audit Results [Updated January 9, 2019]
"The Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 (CFO Act, P.L. 101-576) requires annual audits of financial statements for federal agencies. Under the CFO Act, audits of federal agencies are the responsibility of the agency's inspector general (IG), but the IG may contract with one or more external auditors to perform the audit. The Department of Defense's (DOD) IG conducted the first-ever agency-wide financial audit of DOD in FY2018. A number of DOD components have previously undergone annual audits (e.g., the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Defense Contract Audit Agency, and National Reconnaissance Office). The agency-wide audit was conducted by nine Independent Public Accounting (IPA) firms contracted by DOD IG. The IPAs conducted 24 separate audits within DOD."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Schwartz, Moshe; Gnanarajah, Raj
2019-01-09
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Summary of Reports Issued Regarding Department of Defense Cybersecurity from July 1, 2017, Through June 30, 2018 [Redacted]
"Our objective was to (1) summarize unclassified and classified reports issued and testimonies made from the DoD oversight community and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018, that included DoD cybersecurity issues; (2) identify cybersecurity risk areas for DoD management to address based on the five functions of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 'Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity,' April 16, 2018 (Cybersecurity Framework); and (3) identify the open DoD cybersecurity recommendations. This summary report also addresses the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA) requirement to provide an annual independent evaluation of the agency's information security program by using the identified findings to support the responses made in our assessment."
United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Inspector General
2019-01-09
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2019 Outlook for Navy Shipbuilding
This presentation provides data and information from two 2018 United States Navy reports: "An Analysis of the Navy's Fiscal Year 2019 Shipbuilding Plan" and "Comparing a 355-Ship Fleet with Smaller Naval Forces." In particular, four topics are addressed: "[1] A Look Back: Shipbuilding Under the Budget Control Act; [2] 2016 Force Structure Assessment; [3] A Look Ahead: Shipbuilding Under the Navy's 2019 Shipbuilding Plan and Prospects for Achieving a 355-Ship Fleet [...]; [4] Role of Service Life Extensions."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
Labs, Eric Jackson
2019-01-09
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Q&A: Everything You Should Know About Government Shutdowns
"The fiscal year began on Oct. 1, 2018, and Congress has passed just five out of 12 appropriations bills setting discretionary spending levels. Lawmakers had until midnight on Dec. 21, 2018, to enact legislation to fund the programs covered by the remaining seven appropriations bills, but they allowed that funding to lapse. The federal government has now partially shut down."
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (U.S.)
2019-01-09
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Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide: Federal Assistance Programs [January 9, 2019]
"The 'digital divide' is a term used to describe a gap between 'information haves and have-nots,' or in other words, between those Americans who use or have adequate access to telecommunications and information technologies and those who do not. Whether or not individuals or communities fall into the 'information haves' category depends on a number of factors, ranging from the presence of computers in the home, to training and education, to the availability of affordable internet access. Broadband technologies are currently being deployed primarily by the private sector throughout the United States. While the numbers of new broadband subscribers continue to grow, studies and data suggest that the rate of broadband deployment in urban/suburban and high-income areas is outpacing deployment in rural and low-income areas."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kruger, Lennard G.; Gilroy, Angele A.
2019-01-09
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Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions (ESRP) [January 9, 2019]
"The employer shared responsibility provisions (ESRP) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148, as amended) generally incentivize large employers to offer adequate and affordable health insurance coverage to their full-time employees and their full-time employees' dependents. If an applicable large employer fails to offer health insurance or offers substandard coverage to its employees, that employer may be subject to a penalty. [...] This report begins with an overview of how employers determine whether they are considered an ALE [applicable large employer] before outlining the ESRP. It then discusses the two types of ESRP penalties and introduces administrative aspects of the ESRP. This report also includes two appendixes that contain definitions of terms as used in the report and a summary of how various worker classifications are considered for ALE determinations and under the ESRP."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Rosso, Ryan J.
2019-01-09
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History, Evolution, and Practices of the President's State of the Union Address: Frequently Asked Questions [January 9, 2019]
"This report takes the format of answers to frequently asked questions about the State of the Union address."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kreiser, Maria; Greene, Michael
2019-01-09
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State Innovation Waivers: Frequently Asked Questions [January 9, 2019]
"This report answers frequently asked questions about how states can use and apply for state innovation waivers. It also addresses recent changes to the Section 1332 waiver process, as made by the 2018 CMS [Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services] guidance."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Rosso, Ryan J.
2019-01-09
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Failed Coup Attempt in Gabon [January 9, 2019]
"On January 7, a small group of Gabonese soldiers seized the state broadcasting building in Gabon's capital, Libreville, and declared their intention to overthrow the government of President Ali Bongo Ondimba. Within hours, security forces retook the building and put down the coup attempt. The attempt followed months of political uncertainty after the president (aged 59) suffered a stroke in Saudi Arabia in October 2018; he has since remained outside the country and is currently convalescing in Morocco."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Husted, Tomas F.; Arieff, Alexis
2019-01-09
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Conventional Prompt Global Strike and Long-Range Ballistic Missiles: Background and Issues [January 8, 2019]
"Members of Congress and Pentagon officials have placed a growing emphasis on U.S. programs to develop hypersonic weapons as a part of an effort to acquire the capability for the United States to launch attacks against targets around the world in under an hour. Hypersonic weapons can travel faster than Mach 5, or about 1 mile to 5 miles per second. This interest is driven by both the perceived mission need for conventional prompt strike systems and concerns about falling behind Russia and China in the development of these technologies. The United States is pursuing two key technologies for this purpose: boost-glide systems that place a hypersonic glider atop a ballistic missile booster or shorter-range rocket systems, and hypersonic cruise missiles that would use scramjet technologies. This report focuses, primarily, on the Pentagon's ongoing program to develop ballistic missilebased conventional prompt strike systems. This effort has been underway for about 15 years. The George W. Bush Administration demonstrated an interest in the use of conventional weapons for precision, long-range strike missions in the 2001 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR). This study called for the integration of precision conventional weapons with strategic nuclear forces in a new category of 'offensive strike' weapons. Several other Pentagon studies published during the Bush Administration also called on the United States to develop the capability to attack targets around the world, in under an hour, with conventional warheads."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Woolf, Amy F.
2019-01-08
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Members' Representational Allowance: History and Usage [January 8, 2019]
"Congressional office spending has been a regular topic of interest to academics, interest groups, newspapers, and constituents for many years. It is a topic frequently mentioned in newspaper articles that address individual Member spending or generally discuss financial accountability among elected officials, and it has been examined by watchdog organizations and interest groups covering congressional spending on internal operations generally. A few scholars have also examined how Members typically spend their office allowances, analyzing spending within broader theories of representation. Individual office spending may be as varied as the districts Members represent. Factors affecting spending include the tenure or interests of the Member, levels of casework, geography, unexpected events, and even the congressional calendar."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Brudnick, Ida A.
2019-01-08
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Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Overview and Issues for Congress
"The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) provides nonreciprocal, duty-free tariff treatment to certain products imported into the United States from designated beneficiary developing countries (BDCs). The United States, the European Union (EU), and other developed countries have implemented similar programs since the 1970s in order to promote economic growth in developing nations. [...] This report briefly summarizes recent GSP developments. It provides a brief history, economic rationale, legal background, and comparison of preferential trade programs worldwide and describes the U.S. implementation of the GSP program."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Jones, Vivian Catherine
2019-01-08
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U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America: Policy Issues for Congress [January 8, 2019]
"Central America has received renewed attention from U.S. policymakers over the past few years as the region has become a major transit corridor for illicit drugs and has surpassed Mexico as the largest source of irregular migration to the United States. These narcotics and migrant flows are the latest symptoms of deep-rooted challenges in several countries in the region, including widespread insecurity, fragile political and judicial systems, and high levels of poverty and unemployment. The U.S. government and partners in the region have begun to implement new initiatives intended to address those challenges, but living conditions in Central America have yet to improve significantly."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Meyer, Peter J.
2019-01-08
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Purple Heart: Background and Issues for Congress [January 8, 2019]
"While medal requirements are often left to the military and executive branch to decide, Congress is showing increased interest and involvement in Purple Heart eligibility, utilizing its constitutional power 'To Make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces' (U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, clause 14). The Carl Levin and Howard P. 'Buck' McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (P.L. 113-291) included language that expands eligibility for the Purple Heart. Previous debates have raised several questions about the Purple Heart. In some respects, how an event is defined can determine eligibility: Is a servicemember the victim of a crime or a terrorist attack? Conversely, arguing that killed or wounded servicemembers 'should' be eligible for the Purple Heart can redefine an event: Is the servicemember an advisor to a foreign military or a combatant? Are PTSD[post-traumatic stress disorder] and other mental health conditions adequate injuries to warrant the Purple Heart? These are questions that Congress might consider if it chooses to act on this issue."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Torreon, Barbara Salazar
2019-01-08
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Global Compact on Migration (GCM) and U.S. Policy Congress Has Demonstrated Interest in the Global Migration [Updated January 8, 2019]
"Congress has demonstrated interest in the global migration crisis, particularly as a result of the recent flows of migrants and refugees to the United States from Central America and Mexico. In 2017, an estimated 232 million international migrants formed roughly 3% of the world's population. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) defines a migrant as 'any individual who has temporarily or permanently crossed an international border and is no longer residing in his/her country of origin/habitual residence.' The decision to move is usually made out of a choice related to livelihood, improved economic circumstances, or family ties. However, as discussed below, certain factors may force individuals to leave involuntarily."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Margesson, Rhoda
2019-01-08
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U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions in the Electricity Sector: Factors, Trends, and Projections [January 7, 2019]
"This report examines recent trends in CO2 emissions from electricity generation and the factors that impact emission levels in that sector. The first section provides an overview of various sources of GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions in the United States. The second section discusses CO2 emissions from the electricity sector. The third section examines projections of CO2 emissions in the electric power sector, with a particular focus on the role of the 2015 CPP [Clean Power Plan] final rule and other factors. The final section provides some concluding observations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Ramseur, Jonathan L.
2019-01-07
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Cluster Munitions: Background and Issues for Congress [January 7, 2019]
"Cluster munitions are air-dropped or ground-launched weapons that release a number of smaller submunitions intended to kill enemy personnel or destroy vehicles. [...] The Department of Defense (DOD) continues to view cluster munitions as a military necessity but in 2008 instituted a policy to reduce the failure rate of cluster munitions to 1% or less after 2018. In November 2017, a new DOD policy was issued that essentially reversed the 2008 policy. Under the new policy, combatant commanders can use cluster munitions that do not meet the 1% or less unexploded submunitions standard in extreme situations to meet immediate warfighting demands. In addition, the new policy does not establish a deadline to replace cluster munitions exceeding the 1% rate and states that DOD 'will retain cluster munitions currently in active inventories until the capabilities they provide are replaced with enhanced and more reliable munitions.' Potential issues for Congress include cluster munitions in an era of precision weapons, other weapons in lieu of cluster munitions, and the potential impact of DOD's 2017 revised cluster munitions policy."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Feickert, Andrew; Kerr, Paul K.
2019-01-07
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Human Trafficking and Foreign Policy: An Introduction [Updated January 7, 2019]
"Human trafficking (also known as trafficking in persons) refers to the subjection of men, women, or children to exploitative conditions that may be tantamount to modernday slavery. From a foreign policy perspective, human trafficking can be viewed as a human rights problem, a manifestation of transnational organized crime, and a violation of core international labor standards. Human trafficking also raises economic development, international migration, and global governance and security issues, and disproportionately victimizes vulnerable populations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Rosen, Liana; Weber, Michael A.
2019-01-07
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FEMA Daily Operations Briefings, January 6 - 12, 2019
This document is a compilation of all the FEMA Daily Operations Briefings from January 6 - 12, 2019. The FEMA Daily Operations Briefing provides an overview of the current emergency management situation nationwide and includes a summary of current significant events, weather activity, recent emergency declarations and projections for the coming week.
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2019-01-06?
