[Intelforum] Secrecy News -- 08/24/05 (IF)

Wed Aug 24 15:48:40 EDT 2005

SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2005, Issue No. 81
August 24, 2005

**	NSPD 43: DOMESTIC NUCLEAR DETECTION
**	NETHERLANDS: ANNUAL REPORT ON INTELLIGENCE
**	SELECTED CRS REPORTS

NSPD 43: DOMESTIC NUCLEAR DETECTION

In a characteristically unilateral action, the Bush Administration
last April used a National Security Presidential Directive (NSPD) to
establish the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) within the
Department of Homeland Security, the purpose of which is to
coordinate the detection of nuclear materials for illicit use.

But Congress, expressing dissatisfaction with the President's
unilateral move, sharply reduced proposed funding for the new
Office.

"On April 15, 2005, the President signed a joint presidential
directive establishing the office, NSPD-43 / HSPD-14, 'Domestic
Nuclear Detection'," said DNDO Acting Director Vayl Oxford in
testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee on June 21.

This was the first public acknowledgment that the DNDO had been
established by means of a national security presidential directive.
(Noted by Jeffrey Lewis of ArmsControlWonk.com.)

The full text of NSPD 43 has not been publicly disclosed, but a copy
of the associated fact sheet may be found here:

     http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/nspd/nspd-43fs.html

Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees criticized the
way in which the DNDO had been established and both cut $100 million
from the Office's proposed $227 million budget for 2006.

Creation of the DNDO is an example "of action being taken before
thoughtful planning despite the seriousness of the problems being
addressed," the Senate Appropriations Committee averred (Sen. Report
109-83).  "Hasty solutions are fostering an apparent false sense of
security."

"The Committee strongly agrees with the importance of improving
nuclear detection capabilities and coordination, but is troubled by
the manner in which this initiative has been handled."

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) complained about the "lack of
consultation on the proposed reorganization," and itemized his
specific concerns in a 9 page letter to the Department of Homeland
Security on June 10.  See:

     http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2005_cr/lieberman061005.pdf

The White House largely dismissed the congressional criticism and
complained in a July 11 statement that "making a large portion of
DNDO funds contingent upon further congressional review may delay
improvements in the Nation's capability to defend against
catastrophic threats."

"This initiative is a top priority of the Administration," the White
House said.

NETHERLANDS: ANNUAL REPORT ON INTELLIGENCE

The General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) of the
Netherlands has just released an English translation of its 2004
annual report, providing a Dutch perspective on national and
international security matters.

"In 2004 the Netherlands was hit by a terrorist attack: the murder of
film-director Theo van Gogh," the report begins.  "The possibility
of an attack had been anticipated for some time, in view of the
threat emanating from radical Islamist terrorism. The fact that an
attack indeed took place has underlined the vulnerability of our
society."

The report provides a parallax view on issues of international
concern and presents an interesting complement to the assessments of
U.S. intelligence agencies.

The AIVD, which appears relatively free of the indiscriminate secrecy
that has tended to erode the performance of U.S. intelligence,
reports matter-of-factly on its annual budget expenditures (p. 69).

The vestigial Central Intelligence Agency, by contrast, still argues
that even 50 year old budget figures are too sensitive to be
disclosed.

A copy of the 2004 annual report of the AIVD, published in English
translation on August 21, may be found here:

   http://www.fas.org/irp/world/netherlands/aivd2004-eng.pdf

SELECTED CRS REPORTS

New or newly acquired reports of the Congressional Research Service,
obtained by Secrecy News, include the following:

"Nuclear Arms Control: The U.S.-Russian Agenda," updated August 8,
2005:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/IB98030.pdf

"Postal Reform Bills: A Side-by-Side Comparison of H.R. 22 and S.
662," updated August 4, 2005:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL32903.pdf

"The Vietnam-U.S. Normalization Process," updated June 17, 2005:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/IB98033.pdf

"Public Safety Communications: Policy, Proposals, Legislation and
Progress," updated June 8, 2005:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL32594.pdf

"POWs and MIAs: Status and Accounting Issues," updated June 8, 2005:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/IB92101.pdf

"Tactical Aircraft Modernization: Issues for Congress," updated June
3, 2005:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/IB92115.pdf

"North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Program," updated June 3, 2005:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/IB91141.pdf

"Exemptions from Environmental Law for the Department of Defense: An
Overview of Congressional Action," June 2, 2005:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RS22149.pdf

"Cuba: Issues for the 109th Congress," updated May 25, 2005:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL32730.pdf

"Foreign Aid: Understanding Data Used to Compare Donors," updated May
23, 2005:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RS22032.pdf

"Flag Protection: A Brief History and Summary of Recent Supreme Court
Decisions and Proposed Constitutional Amendment," updated May 19,
2005:

     http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/95-709.pdf

_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the
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_______________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web:    www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email:  saftergood at fas.org
voice:  (202) 454-4691