Background Explanation and prediction of military R&D in the USSR requires consideration of the system as a whole. Only in context can one make sense of the array of specific strengths and weaknesses found in any undertaking as complex as the way a country acquires its weapons. Although it may approach being a cliche to note the existence of national assymetries and the problems they introduce into analysis, nevertheless they are only infrequently taken into account. In this paper the author is concerned explicitly with how Soviet institutions, constraints, incentives, and values influence the process of Soviet weapons design. The…
Author: John Greenewald
Background This document was requested in August of 2017 by The Black Vault. It was then released on January 18, 2018. The document’s introduction states: “The Records Management User Manual (RM User Manual) provides a detailed explanation of records management procedures. It is a reference tool designed to supplement the Records Management Policy Implementation Guide (RM PG). Many policies and procedures which were introduced in the RM PG are more fully explained here. The RM User Manual provides practical guidance for personnel responsible for applying and maintaining proper records management practices to ali records, regardless of medium or format. While the RM…
Background According to the document: This publication updates the 1978 Glossary of Intelligence Terms and Definitions that provided a baseline understanding of intelligence terms in a single document. The revision was developed by the Planning and Policy Office, Intelligence Community Staff, and reflects comments from the National Foreign Intelligence Council and the organizations that constitute the Intelligence Community. The definitions in this revision of the Glossary have been devised by intelligence officers, not by philologists or semanticists. Thus, the terms and explanations contained herein are those that are commonly used and accepted by the Intelligence Community. Where some words may…
Background According to the Department of Justice (DOJ): “Consensual monitoring is the interception by an electronic device of any wire, oral, or electronic communication where one of the parties to the communication has given prior consent to the monitoring or recording. A warrant is not required to conduct consensual monitoring, and the party providing consent may be a government agent. See 18 U.S.C. § 2511, (2) (c) – (e) (2002).” In June of 2014, I requested from the NSA, records on their policy regarding “Consensual Monitoring.” It took until September 12, 2017, to get a response, which can be found…
Background According to the White House press release on May 9, 2017: Today, President Donald J. Trump informed FBI Director James Comey that he has been terminated and removed from office. President Trump acted based on the clear recommendations of both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “The FBI is one of our Nation’s most cherished and respected institutions and today will mark a new beginning for our crown jewel of law enforcement,” said President Trump. A search for a new permanent FBI Director will begin immediately. Donald Trump fired Mr. James Comey via letter, which…