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Trade Promotion Authority (TPA): Frequently Asked Questions [April 10, 2018]
"Legislation to reauthorize Trade Promotion Authority (TPA)--sometimes called 'fast track,'-- the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (TPA-2015), was signed into law by President Obama on June 29, 2015 (P.L. 114-26). If the President negotiates an international trade agreement that would reduce tariff or non-tariff barriers to trade in ways that require changes in U.S. law, the United States can implement the agreement only through the enactment of legislation. If the trade agreement and the process of negotiating it meet certain requirements, TPA allows Congress to consider the required implementing bill under expedited procedures, pursuant to which the bill may come to the floor without action by the leadership, and can receive a guaranteed up-or-down vote with no amendments."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Fergusson, Ian F.; Davis, Christopher M., 1966-
2018-04-10
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United Arab Emirates (UAE): Issues for U.S. Policy [April 10, 2018]
"The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been a significant U.S. partner in Gulf security for more than two decades, helping to address multiple regional threats. About 5,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed at UAE military facilities, hosted there under a 1994 U.S.-UAE defense cooperation agreement (DCA) that remains in effect. The UAE is a significant buyer of U.S. military equipment and it was the first Gulf state to order the most sophisticated missile defense system sold by the United States (the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense)), demonstrating support for U.S. efforts to forge a coordinated missile defense network. As the UAE has gained capability to project force, it has increasingly asserted itself in the region. The UAE is part of a Saudi-led military effort to counter the Iran-backed Zaidi Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, an effort to which the United States provides logistical support. In partnership with U.S. special operations forces, UAE forces are combatting Al Qaeda's affiliate in that country. In recent years, UAE forces have been deployed to several bases in East African countries to train allied forces and facilitate UAE operations in Yemen. The UAE is supporting a rebel military commander in Libya who is acting counter to U.N. and U.S. efforts to forge a unified political structure there."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth; Motivans, Mark
2018-04-10
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Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 and an FY2019 Budget Resolution [April 10, 2018]
"The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA 2018, P.L. 115-123), enacted February 9, 2018, amended the statutory discretionary spending limits for FY2018 and FY2019. BBA 2018 comprised several other components as well, one of which was related to a congressional budget resolution for FY2019. These BBA 2018 'budget resolution' provisions (which may be referred to as a 'deemer' or a budget resolution substitute) provide the House and Senate with enforceable levels of spending and revenue for FY2019 in ways that a 'traditional' budget resolution would. While it is not unusual for Congress to employ such budget resolution substitutes, these substitutes differ from a 'traditional' budget resolution in several ways."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lynch, Megan Suzanne
2018-04-10
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Immigration Consequences of Criminal Activity [April 5, 2018]
"Congress's power to create rules governing the admission of non-U.S. nationals (aliens) has long been viewed as plenary. In the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended, Congress has specified grounds for the exclusion or removal of aliens, including on account of criminal activity. Some criminal offenses, when committed by an alien who is present in the United States, may render that alien subject to removal from the country. And certain criminal offenses may preclude an alien outside the United States from being either admitted into the country or permitted to reenter following an initial departure. Further, criminal conduct may disqualify an alien from certain forms of relief from removal or prevent the alien from becoming a U.S. citizen. In some cases, the INA directly identifies particular offenses that carry immigration consequences; in other cases, federal immigration law provides that a general category of crimes, such as 'crimes involving moral turpitude' or an offense defined by the INA as an 'aggravated felony,' may render an alien ineligible for certain benefits and privileges under immigration law."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Peck, Sarah Herman; Smith, Hillel R.
2018-04-05
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Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy in Brief [April 3, 2018]
"The U.S. and Afghan governments, along with partner countries, remain engaged in combat with a resilient Taliban-led insurgency. U.S. military officials increasingly refer to 'momentum' against the Taliban, however, by some measures insurgents are in control of or contesting more territory today than at any point since 2001. The conflict also involves an array of other armed groups, including active affiliates of both Al Qaeda (AQ) and the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS, ISIL, or by the Arabic acronym Da'esh). Since early 2015, the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, known as 'Resolute Support Mission' (RSM), has focused on training, advising, and assisting Afghan government forces, although combat operations by U.S. counterterrorism forces, along with some partner forces, continue and have increased since 2017."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Thomas, Clayton (Analyst in Middle Eastern Affairs)
2018-04-03
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Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2019, Hearing Before the Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, Second Session, April 2, 2018
This is the April 2, 2018 hearing on the "Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2019", held before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations. Per the clerk note: "The subcommittee was unable to hold hearings on nondepartmental witnesses." The statements and letters of those submitting written testimony are as follows: 1854 Treaty Authority, Aleutian Pribiloff Islands Association, Inc., Alliance to Save Energy, American Alliance of Museums, American Bird Conservancy, American Forest Foundation, American Forests, American Geophysical Union, American Geosciences, Institute, American Indian Higher Education Consortium, American Institute of Biological Sciences, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Andean Tapir Fund/Wild Horse and Burro Fund, Animal Welfare Institute, Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation, Air Pollution Control Agencies, Association of Art Museum Directors, and many more nondepartmental witnesses.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2018-04-02?
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Illicit Opioids: While Greater Attention Given to Combating Synthetic Opioids, Agencies Need to Better Assess Their Efforts, Report to Congressional Requesters
"Increased illicit use of synthetic (man-made) opioids has contributed to drug-related overdose deaths. Synthetic opioids like fentanyl--a substance 100 times stronger than morphine--accounted for more than 19,000 of the nearly 64,000 overdose deaths in 2016, the most recent year for which federal data are available. GAO (Government Accountability Office) was asked to review U.S. agency efforts to combat illicit synthetic opioids. This report examines how U.S. agencies (1) work with international partners to limit production of illicit synthetic opioids; (2) work domestically to limit the availability of and enhance their response to these drugs and how agencies can improve their effectiveness; (3) measure performance in their documented opioid response strategies; and (4) have adapted their approaches to prevention and treatment."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2018-03-29
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Guatemala: Political and Socioeconomic Conditions and U.S. Relations [March 27, 2018]
"Guatemala, the most populous Central American country, with a population of 16.3 million, has been consolidating its transition to democracy since the 1980s. Guatemala has a long history of internal conflict, including a 36-year civil war (1960-1996) during which the Guatemalan military held power and over 200,000 people were killed or disappeared. A democratic constitution was adopted in 1985, and a democratically elected government was inaugurated in 1986. President Jimmy Morales, a political newcomer, took office in January 2016, having campaigned on an anti-corruption platform. The previous president and vice president had resigned and been arrested after being implicated in a large-scale corruption scandal. Morales is being investigated for corruption and has survived two efforts to remove his immunity from prosecution."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Taft-Morales, Maureen
2018-03-27
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USCIS Response to the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman's (CISOMB) 2016 Annual Report to Congress
From the Introduction: "USCIS [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services] appreciates the review of the agency's operations and welcomes the opportunity to respond. This response discusses the areas of concerns the CISOMB [Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman] raises as well as the agency's accomplishments in those areas and updates to USCIS programs. USCIS made great strides during 2016 and throughout 2017 to tackle many of the issues the CISOMB cited in the 2016 Annual Report. During the reporting period, the agency focused mainly on improving the experience with USCIS through better and broader online services, greater process clarity and transparency, and smaller backlogs in key areas."
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; United States. Department of Homeland Security
2018-03-27
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Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies [March 20, 2018]
"Successive Administrations have identified Iran as a key national security challenge, citing Iran's nuclear and missile programs as well as its long-standing attempts to counter many U.S. objectives in the region. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, in his February 13, 2018, annual worldwide threat assessment testimony before Congress, assessed that 'Iran will seek to expand its influence in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, where it sees conflicts generally trending in Tehran's favor...' and 'Iran will develop military capabilities that threaten U.S. forces and allies in the region...' Successive National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAAs) require an annual report on Iran's military power, which has in recent years contained assessments of Iran similar to those presented by the intelligence community."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2018-03-20
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HSIN 2017 Annual Report
From the Executive Summary: "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a vital mission--keeping Americans safe-- which means protecting our borders, our people and our nation. Information sharing is the centerpiece to this vital mission and the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) is integral to homeland security partners' ability to meet their operational needs [...] This year's report provides a detailed analysis of the integral role HSIN plays in support of the homeland security mission. In fiscal year (FY) 2017, new HSIN registered users increased by 36 percent and expanded its presence across DHS and among state, local, tribal, territorial, private sector and international users. At the end of FY 2017, 7,801 federated users had access to HSIN. In step with this growth, HSIN grew its capabilities through operational enhancements to support its users and the DHS mission."
Homeland Security Information Network (U.S.)
2018-03-16?
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Organization of American States: Background and Issues for Congress [March 14, 2018]
"The 115th Congress has continued to debate the role of the Organization of American States (OAS) in the Western Hemisphere and its utility for advancing U.S. objectives in the region. The United States helped found the OAS in 1948 to establish a multilateral forum in which the nations of the hemisphere could engage one another and address issues of mutual concern. In subsequent decades, OAS decisions often reflected U.S. policy as other member states sought to maintain close relations with the dominant economic and political power in the hemisphere. This was especially true during the early Cold War period, when the United States was able to secure OAS support for initiatives that were controversial in the region, such as a 1962 resolution to exclude Cuba from active participation as a result of its association with the communist bloc. OAS actions again aligned closely with U.S. policy in the 1990s following the end of the Cold War as a result of strong consensus among member states in support of initiatives designed to liberalize markets and strengthen democratic governance."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Meyer, Peter J.; Motivans, Mark
2018-03-14
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Latin America and the Caribbean: Issues in the 115th Congress [March 12, 2018]
"Geographic proximity has ensured strong linkages between the United States and Latin America and the Caribbean, based on diverse U.S. interests, including economic, political, and security concerns. The United States is a major trading partner and the largest source of foreign investment for many countries in the region, with free-trade agreements enhancing economic linkages with 11 countries. The region is a large source of U.S. immigration, both legal and illegal; geographic proximity and economic and security conditions are major factors driving migration trends. Curbing the flow of illicit drugs has been a key component of U.S. relations with the region for more than three decades and currently involves close security cooperation with Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. U.S. support for democracy and human rights in the region has been long-standing and currently focuses on Cuba and Venezuela."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sullivan, Mark P.; Beittel, June S.; DeBruyne, Nese F. . . .
2018-03-12
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Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (P.l. 115-123): Brief Summary of Division E--the Advancing Chronic Care, Extenders, and Social Services (ACCESS) Act [Marc h 9, 2018]
"The provisions discussed in this report are part of a larger legislative package that was enacted to address a number of issues before Congress, including the need for an extension of temporary appropriations set to expire on February 8, 2018. An early version of this package was added by the House to H.R. 1892 (an unrelated measure), in the form of an amendment to an amendment that had been previously adopted by the Senate during its consideration of H.R. 1892. The House adopted its amendment on February 6, 2018, by a vote of 245-182. The Senate subsequently took up the House proposal and adopted a further amendment to it on February 9, by a vote of 71-28. The House agreed to the Senate actions that same day by a vote of 240-186. The final version of H.R. 1892, enacted as the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-123), contained FY2018 temporary continuing appropriations, FY2018 supplemental appropriations, an increase to the debt limit, increases to the statutory spending limits for FY2018 and FY2019, tax provisions, and numerous provisions extending or making changes to mandatory spending programs, among other topics."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Morgan, Paulette C.
2018-03-09
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Oman: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy [March 8, 2018]
"The United States has had relations with Oman from the early days since American independence. The U.S. merchant ship Ramber made a port visit to Muscat in September 1790. The United States signed a Treaty of Amity and Commerce with Oman in 1833, one of the first of its kind with an Arab state. This treaty was replaced by the Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights signed at Salalah on December 20, 1958. Oman sent an official envoy to the United States in 1840. A U.S. consulate was maintained in Muscat during 1880-1915, a U.S. embassy was opened in 1972, and the first resident U.S. Ambassador arrived in July 1974. Oman opened its embassy in Washington in 1973. Sultan Qaboos was accorded formal state visits in 1974, by President Gerald Ford, and in 1983, by President Ronald Reagan. President Bill Clinton visited Oman in March 2000. Career diplomat Marc Sievers has been Ambassador to Oman since late 2015."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2018-03-08
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Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy in Brief [March 5, 2018]
"Afghanistan has been a central U.S. foreign policy concern since 2001, when the United States, in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led a military campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban government that harbored and supported Al Qaeda. In the intervening 16 years, the United States has suffered more than 2,000 casualties in Afghanistan (including 14 in 2017) and has spent more than $120 billion for reconstruction there. In that time, an elected Afghan government has replaced the Taliban, and nearly every measure of human development has improved, although future prospects of those measures remain mixed. U.S. policymakers routinely describe the war against the insurgency (which controls or contests nearly half of the country's territory, by Pentagon estimates) as a 'stalemate' and the Afghan government faces broad public criticism for its ongoing inability to combat corruption, deliver security, alleviate rising ethnic tensions, and develop the economy. The total number of U.S. troops in the country is reported as around 15,000, with the deployment of another 1,000 troops reportedly under consideration. This report provides an overview of current political and military dynamics, with a focus on the Trump Administration's new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia, the U.S.-led coalition and Afghan military operations, and recent political developments, including prospects for peace talks and elections."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Thomas, Clayton (Analyst in Middle Eastern Affairs)
2018-03-05
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Application of Big Data Analytics to Support Homeland Security Investigations Targeting Human Smuggling Networks
From the thesis abstract: "Human smuggling organizations facilitating the smuggling of aliens into the United States have an unlawful network supporting their illicit transnational activities. Identifying those networks and the key facilitators is challenging due to high volumes of disparate data. This research focuses on how big data analytics can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) targeting human smuggling networks. The purpose of this thesis is to determine whether applying big data analytics to data associated with human smuggling will make network identification of illegal aliens more efficient while producing the necessary articulable facts to substantiate enough probable cause for subsequent investigative actions. An experimental data analytics application called Citrus is used to examine the efficiency and effectiveness of data analytics supporting criminal investigations. Citrus revealed that big data analytics can effectively produce knowledge, including probable cause, more efficiently for HSI in targeting criminal networks. The implications are significant, as the application of data analytics may reshape analytical tradecraft, and compel HSI to revamp data systems. Increases in efficiencies through data analytics may be limited without changes in judicial processes. Upgrading processing capacities for obtaining warrants will become vital as analytics becomes more prevalent."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Hodge, Thomas A.
2018-03
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Hacking the Silos: Eliminating Information Barriers Between Public Health and Law Enforcement
From the thesis abstract: "This thesis aims to define the current level of information sharing and integration between public health and law enforcement by examining fusion centers and Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs). The data collection instruments for this thesis were three separate but closely related surveys sent to fusion centers, JTTFs, and public health departments. Only one of the 23 surveyed fusion centers truly includes public health considerations in its functions, a decrease from research conducted by Naval Postgraduate School master's student James Morrissey in 2007. None of the JTTF respondents have a public health representative on their task force and, although the public health sector is interested in integration, its representatives rarely contact JTTFs and fusion centers to initiate collaboration. The data from the literature and surveys indicate that fusion centers and JTTFs want to collaborate with the public health sector, as well, but face integration obstacles such as funding, manpower, and resources. This thesis proposes recommendations to improve collaboration between law enforcement and public health agencies across the United States, including removing certain requirements to serve, expanding the role of regional public health planners, and re-expanding federal grant programs to reflect originally established funding opportunities."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Minks, Cody L.
2018-03
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Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General: Semiannual Report to the Congress, October 1, 2017 - March 31, 2018
"During this reporting period, the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) completed audits, inspections, and investigations to promote economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity in the Department's programs and operations."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-03
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Fusion Center Challenges: Why Fusion Centers Have Failed to Meet Intelligence Sharing Expectations
From the thesis abstract: "This thesis intends to uncover why critics have cited fusion centers at the national, regional, and state levels of the Intelligence Community (IC) for the inability to share intelligence. The research method examines three case studies: the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), and state and local fusion centers now combined into a National Network. All three case studies reveal how fusion centers at these various levels of the IC have been inhibited from sharing information because of three primary challenges: (1) the absence of a standardized model, (2) an insufficient concentration on counterterrorism (CT) as a mission, and (3) underdeveloped or missing external agency partnerships, although each challenge often affects each particular case study in different ways. For NCTC, external partnerships exhibit the most prevalent challenge at the national level; for EPIC, the diffusion of its mission creates the most difficult obstacle for it to overcome; and for the National Network, standardization precludes state and local fusion centers from sharing information while barring them from a more refined mission-set and better, more reciprocal partnerships."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Salvatore, Shane A.
2018-03
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Fifty Feet Above the Wall: Cartel Drones in the U.S.- Mexico Border Zone Airspace, and What to Do About Them
From the thesis abstract: "Over the last decade, the U.S. military and homeland security research groups have contemplated the issue of how to counter unmanned drones. Recently, border security agencies responsible for securing the U.S.-Mexico border are having to contend with the emerging threat of Mexico's drug cartel narcotics-smuggling drones, also known as narco-drones. Narco-drones are an example of cartel innovation for smuggling, among other deviant purposes, that U.S. border security will need a strategy to counter. This study aimed to build on the conceptual framework related to hostile drones in the airspace and specifically to find a strategy that the Department of Homeland Security could pursue to manage the narco-drone problem in the border-zone airspace. The author argues that the Mexican drug cartels adopt innovative drone tactics in response to border security measures or lack thereof, as well as through organizational learning. This thesis concludes that leveraging U.S. military experience, anti-drone doctrine, and detection assets developed for countering terrorist drones in the war zones of Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan is an effective strategy for countering narco-drones at the U.S.-Mexico border."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Schmersahl, Aaron R.
2018-03
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FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin: March 2018
This issue of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin contains the articles: "Storytelling Through Blogs" by Mike Masterson; "Leadership Spotlight: Rapport and Empathy" and highlights the introduction of new patches honoring the response of Las Vegas law enforcement during the mass shooting on October 1, 2017. The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin is an official publication of the FBI, and is published monthly in an online format.
United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation
2018-03
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Civil Rights and Policing Practices in Minnesota
"The Minnesota Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights submits this report detailing civil rights concerns associated with police practices in Minnesota. The Committee submits this report as part of its responsibility to study and report on civil rights issues in the state of Minnesota. The contents of this report are primarily based on testimony the Committee heard during hearings on March 21, 2017 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This report documents civil rights concerns raised by panelists with respect to police practices throughout the state of Minnesota and discusses possible strategies for implementing the recommendations put forth by The Task Force on 21st Century Policing (Task Force). Based on the findings of this report, the Committee offers to the Commission recommendations for addressing this issue of national importance. The Committee recognizes that the Commission has previously issued important studies about policing and civil rights nationwide and hopes that the information presented here aids the Commission in its continued work on this topic."
United States Commission on Civil Rights
2018-03
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Rapid Evolution of the MS 13 in El Salvador and Honduras from Gang to Tier-One Threat to Central America and U.S. Security Interests
"This study focuses on the MS 13 [Mara Salvatrucha] in Honduras and El Salvador, where it represents an existential threat to the viability of the state. In both countries, the gang has achieved new levels of power and sophistication, via increased revenues from its control of multiple steps in the cocaine supply chain. Now, the MS 13 is not solely involved in transporting cocaine; it also unloads shipments arriving by air from Venezuela and in Honduras runs laboratories that transform coca paste - mostly from Colombia - to hydrochloric acid (HCl). [...] In order to successfully meet this challenge from the next generation MS 13, the United States and its limited number of reliable allies in the region must adopt a new and different strategy that treats the organization as a fully functional transnational organized crime (TOC) group with increasingly strong political components."
William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies
Farah, Douglas; Babineau, Kathryn
2018-03
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International Narcotics Control Strategy Report: Volume I: Drug and Chemical Control [March 2018]
"The Department of State's International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) has been prepared in accordance with section 489 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (the 'FAA,' 22 U.S.C. § 2291). The 2018 INCSR, published in March 2018, covers the year January 1 to December 31, 2017 and is published in two volumes, the second of which covers money laundering. In addition to addressing the reporting requirements of section 489 of the FAA (as well as sections 481(d)(2) and 484(c) of the FAA and section 804 of the Narcotics Control Trade Act of 1974, as amended), the INCSR provides the factual basis for the designations contained in the President's report to Congress on the major drug-transit or major illicit drug producing countries initially set forth in section 591 of the Kenneth M. Ludden Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2002 (P.L. 107-115) (the 'FOAA'), and now made permanent pursuant to section 706 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003 (P.L. 107-228) (the 'FRAA')."
United States. Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
2018-03
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International Narcotics Control Strategy Report: Volume II: Money Laundering [March 2018]
"As political stability, democracy, and free markets depend on solvent, stable, and honest financial, commercial, and trade systems, the continued development of effective AML regimes consistent with international standards and able to meet evolving challenges is vital. Money laundering facilitates drug trafficking and fuels criminal activity around the world. It is a key tool of drug traffickers, transnational criminal organizations, and terrorist groups, and it contributes to the breakdown of the rule of law, the corruption of public officials, and destabilization of economies. This threat is recognized as a national security priority of the United States in the 2018 National Security Strategy and the 2017 Executive Order 13773, Enforcing Federal Law with Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations and Preventing International Trafficking. This report is one response to the threat."
United States. Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
2018-03
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Comparative Analysis of International Encryption Policies en Route to a Domestic Solution
From the thesis abstract: "This thesis examines the encryption policies of Israel and China in an effort to determine whether their respective approaches effectively and reasonably address the issue of law enforcement access to encrypted devices in the United States. The proliferation of encrypted devices poses a growing challenge to law enforcement agencies in their efforts to gather evidence. Meanwhile, an ongoing debate, decades in the making, persists between those arguing for and against easing the means by which the government accesses these encrypted devices. Using qualitative analysis, the thesis assesses the encryption policies of Israel and China in terms of legality, cost, political acceptance, and potential for success in their application within the United States. Based on this analysis, this thesis recommends policymakers give consideration to a solution that resembles Israel's approach. The characteristics of this model include creating, under existing laws, a centralized forensic laboratory supported by a network of examiners located across the country working to gain access to encrypted devices through vulnerabilities. These efforts would be bolstered by relationships with the private sector and academia. Tailoring the U.S. device encryption approach to be more consistent in structure with that of Israel has the potential to bring the United States closer to a viable domestic solution."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Donahue, James L.
2018-03
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GAO 2018-2023 Strategic Plan: Goals and Objectives for Serving Congress and the Nation
"As the nation confronts a series of both new and long-standing challenges, this plan describes our goals and strategies to support the Congress to identify cost savings and other financial opportunities; to make government more accountable, efficient and effective; and ultimately to improve the safety, security, and well-being of the American people. GAO's [Government Accountability Office] efforts during this planning period will include work that identifies cost-savings, revenue enhancements, and other opportunities through improved government operations and legislative action; draws much-needed attention to long-term fiscal exposures and large and growing areas of federal spending, such as health care and interest costs; monitors and evaluates efforts to protect the government and the nation's critical infrastructure from cyberattacks and other global threats; helps the Congress anticipate and respond to rapid developments in science and technology that will transform a range of activities across government and society; and identifies ways to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of government programs and policies."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2018-02-22?
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Teaching Mass Casualty Triage: Implementing the New MUCC Instructional Guidelines [video]
From the Website: "Mass casualty incidents usually don't obey jurisdictional boundaries, with responses often involving multiple agencies, regions and even states. Several years ago, to help ensure consistency when responding to these incidents, a group of experts created the Model Uniform Core Criteria for Mass Casualty Incident Triage, or MUCC. Three speakers share their experience developing MUCC and the instructional guidelines, and lessons learned from piloting their use."
United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
2018-02-16
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Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy [February 15, 2018]
"An uprising against Bahrain's Al Khalifa ruling family that began on February 14, 2011, has diminished in intensity, but incarceration of dissident leaders, opposition boycotts of elections, and periodic small demonstrations continue. The mostly Shiite opposition to the Sunni-minority led regime has not achieved its goal of establishing a constitutional monarchy, but the unrest has compelled the ruling family to undertake modest reforms. The mainstream opposition uses peaceful forms of dissent, but small factions, possibly backed by Iran, reportedly are stockpiling increasingly sophisticated weaponry and have claimed responsibility for bombings and other attacks primarily against security officials."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2018-02-15
