Process Makes Perfect Best Practices in the Art of National Security Policymaking
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The Position of Secretary of Defense: Statutory Restrictions and Civilian-Military Relations
The Position of Secretary of Defense: Statutory Restrictions and Civilian-Military Relations Updated January 6, 2021 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R44725 Position of Secretary of Defense: Statutory Restrictions and Civilian-Military Relations Summary The position of Secretary of Defense is unique within the United States government; it is one of two civilian positions within the military chain of command, although unlike the President, the Secretary of Defense is not elected. Section 113 of the United States Code states that the Secretary of Defense is to be “appointed from civilian life by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.” The section goes on to elaborate a key mechanism by which civilian control of the armed forces is maintained: A person may not be appointed as Secretary of Defense within seven years after relief from active duty as a commissioned officer of a regular component of an armed force. The proposed nomination of General (Ret.) Lloyd Austin, United States Army, who retired from the military in 2016, to be Secretary of Defense may lead both houses of Congress to consider whether and how to suspend, change, or remove that provision. This provision was originally contained in the 1947 National Security Act (P.L. 80-253), which mandated that 10 years pass between the time an officer is relieved from active duty and when he or she could be appointed to the office of the Secretary of Defense. In 2007, Section 903 of the FY2008 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 110-181), Congress changed the period of time that must elapse between relief from active duty and appointment to the position of Secretary of Defense to seven years. -
Trump “Rethinks”, Abruptly Calls
Trump “Rethinks”, Abruptly Calls Off Military Strike: US Credibility Dented in Iran Standoff. The Danger of Escalation Remains By M. K. Bhadrakumar Region: Middle East & North Africa, USA Global Research, June 24, 2019 Theme: Media Disinformation, US NATO Indian Punchline 21 June 2019 War Agenda In-depth Report: IRAN: THE NEXT WAR? The US President Donald Trump’s reported decision abruptly to call off military strike against Iran which he’d previously ordered, highlights the growing complexity of the US-Iranian entanglement. Indeed, it takes political courage to rationalise amidst such a dangerous situation that discretion is the better part of valour. Trump has been smart enough. But, having said that, there’s going to be downstream consequences. The Trump administration appears paralysed. And Tehran has seized the diplomatic initiative. What prompted Trump’s rethink? Surely, the rethink somewhatlegitimises the Iranian assertion that it shot down the American drone which intruded into its air space. (In fact, Iran has since claimed that it recovered the debris of the downed US drone in the country’s southern waters.) The US has a history of lying in such situations. Remember the downing of a scheduled Iranian passenger Airbus A300 flight in 1988 by an SM-2MR surface-to-air missile fired from USS Vincennes killing all 290 people including 66 children on board? The US, at the level of Vice-President George HW Bush lied over US culpability, saying, “I will never apologise for the United States — I don’t care what the facts are… I’m not an apologise-for-America kind of guy.” Only years later in 1996 Washington agreed to pay Iran US$131.8 million in settlement to discontinue a case brought by Iran in the International Court of Justice relating to this incident. -
The Honorable John F. Kelly January 30, 2017 Secretary Department of Homeland Security 3801 Nebraska Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036
The Honorable John F. Kelly January 30, 2017 Secretary Department of Homeland Security 3801 Nebraska Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036 The Honorable Sally Yates Acting Attorney General Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 The Honorable Thomas A. Shannon Acting Secretary Department of State 2201 C Street, NW Washington, DC 20520 Secretary Kelly, Acting Attorney General Yates, Acting Secretary Shannon: As former cabinet Secretaries, senior government officials, diplomats, military service members and intelligence community professionals who have served in the Bush and Obama administrations, we, the undersigned, have worked for many years to make America strong and our homeland secure. Therefore, we are writing to you to express our deep concern with President Trump’s recent Executive Order directed at the immigration system, refugees and visitors to this country. This Order not only jeopardizes tens of thousands of lives, it has caused a crisis right here in America and will do long-term damage to our national security. In the middle of the night, just as we were beginning our nation’s commemoration of the Holocaust, dozens of refugees onboard flights to the United States and thousands of visitors were swept up in an Order of unprecedented scope, apparently with little to no oversight or input from national security professionals. Individuals, who have passed through multiple rounds of robust security vetting, including just before their departure, were detained, some reportedly without access to lawyers, right here in U.S. airports. They include not only women and children whose lives have been upended by actual radical terrorists, but brave individuals who put their own lives on the line and worked side-by-side with our men and women in uniform in Iraq now fighting against ISIL. -
Clinton Presidential Records in Response to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests Listed in Attachment A
VIA EMAIL (LM 2018-071) May 8, 2018 The Honorable Donald F. McGahn, II Counsel to the President The White House Washington, D.C. 20502 Dear Mr. McGahn: In accordance with the requirements of the Presidential Records Act (PRA), as amended, 44 U.S.C. §§2201-2209, this letter constitutes a formal notice from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to the incumbent President of our intent to open Clinton Presidential records in response to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests listed in Attachment A. These records, consisting of 46,173 pages, have been reviewed for all applicable FOIA exemptions, resulting in 1,741 pages restricted in whole or in part. NARA is proposing to open the remaining 44,432 pages. A copy of any records proposed for release under this notice will be provided to you upon your request. We are also concurrently informing former President Clinton’s representative, Bruce Lindsey, of our intent to release these records. Pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 2208(a), NARA will release the records 60 working days from the date of this letter, which is August 2, 2018, unless the former or incumbent President requests a one-time extension of an additional 30 working days or asserts a constitutionally based privilege, in accordance with 44 U.S.C. 2208(b)-(d). Please let us know if you are able to complete your review before the expiration of the 60 working day period. Pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 2208(a)(1)(B), we will make this notice available to the public on the NARA website. -
Scientific Games Announces CBS Senior National Security Analyst and Former Homeland Security Chair Frances Townsend to Give EMPOWER Conference Keynote Address
Scientific Games Announces CBS Senior National Security Analyst and Former Homeland Security Chair Frances Townsend To Give EMPOWER Conference Keynote Address February 15, 2017 10:05 AM ET LAS VEGAS, Feb. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS) ("Scientific Games" or the "Company") today announced that Frances Frago Townsend, CBS Senior National Security Analyst and Former Homeland Security Chair, will give the keynote address March 8 during the Company's EMPOWER customer conference at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The well-known and highly regarded homeland security expert and TV personality will address the more than 600 attendees at Scientific Games' EMPOWER conference, speaking on "Leading During Turbulent Times: Remembering the 5 C's." Townsend is currently Executive Vice President for Worldwide Government, Legal and Business Affairs at MacAndrews and Forbes Incorporated, wholly owned by Scientific Games Chairman of the Board Ronald O. Perelman. She works across MacAndrew's portfolio companies, focusing on international, legal, compliance and business development issues. Prior to that, she was a corporate partner with the law firm of Baker Botts, LLP. From 2004 to 2008, Townsend served as Assistant to President George W. Bush for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism and chaired the Homeland Security Council. She also served as Deputy National Security Advisor for Combatting Terrorism from May 2003 to May 2004. Townsend spent 13 years at the U.S. Department of Justice under the administrations of President George H. W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, and President George W. Bush. She has received numerous awards for her public service accomplishments. -
America in the World: Forging a New Vision for Foreign Policy and International Security.”
SPECIAL PRESENTATION “AMERICA IN THE WORLD: FORGING A NEW VISION FOR FOREIGN POLICY AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY.” CLOSING REMARKS: SAMUEL R. BERGER, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON 5:15 PM – 5:30 PM TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 2007 TRANSCRIPT PROVIDED BY DC TRANSCRIPTION & MEDIA REPURPOSING MR. JOSEPH CIRINCIONE: We are now fortunate enough to have a closing speaker who has graciously agreed to help us make some sense of today’s proceedings, to sum this up for us, and to offer his own perspectives. Right before I introduce him, I want to remind everybody in the audience that we’re going to have transcripts of this discussion posted on the Center for American Progress website, americanprogress.org. We’re going to have video highlights of the conference posted. And you’ll be able to go online tonight and see some of the comments from some of the bloggers who have been here. We’ve had some of the best national security bloggers in the Untied States here, including some from the Nation, the Atlantic Monthly, the National Security Network, the American Prospect, and a half a dozen others. You may think that you already know everything you need know about our next speaker, Samuel R. Berger, the 19th national security advisor to the president of United States. You may know that Sandy Berger worked for the former mayor of New York City, John Lindsay, and for former Senator Harold Hughes, or that he was deputy director of the State Department’s Policy Planning staff. You may know that he headed the international trade group of -
Domestic Security: Confronting a Changing Threat to Ensure Public Safety and Civil Liberties 1
Domestic Security: Confronting a Changing Threat to Ensure Public Safety and Civil Liberties 1 Domestic Security: Confronting a Changing Threat to Ensure Public Safety and Civil Liberties 2 Domestic Security: Confronting a Changing Threat to Ensure Public Safety and Civil Liberties BENS Practitioners Panel Michael Allen Thomas Kean Former Majority Staff Director House Perma- Chair, The National Commission on Terrorist nent Select Committee on Intelligence United Attacks Upon the United States States House of Representatives Former Governor of New Jersey Alfred Berkeley Michael Leiter Vice Chair National Infrastructure Advisory Former Director of the National Counterter- Council rorism Center Former President NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. Joseph Lieberman Michael Chertoff (Vice Chair) Former United States Senator (CT) Former Secretary of Homeland Security Former Chairman Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Commissioner Edward Davis United States Senate Former Commissioner, Boston Police Department James Locher Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Robert Graham (Vice Chair) Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict Former Governor of Florida Former Chairman Senate Select Committee Steven McCraw (Vice Chair) on Intelligence United States Senate Director, Texas Department of Public Safety Homeland Security Advisor to the Governor David Hall of Texas Director Missouri Information and Analysis Center Norton Schwartz (Chair) President & CEO Business Executives Lee Hamilton for National Security Former United States Representative (IN) Vice Chair The National Commission Maurice Sonnenberg on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States Former Member President’s Intelligence Advisory Board Michael Hayden Vice Chair Report of the National Former Director CIA Commission on Terrorism Former Director NSA Frances Townsend Brian Michael Jenkins Former Assistant to the President for Home- Senior Advisor to the President RAND land Security and Counterterrorism Corporation Juan Zarate Loch K. -
Review of U.S. Treasury Department's License to Convert Iranian Assets
United States Senate PERMANENT SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Rob Portman, Chairman Review of U.S. Treasury Department’s License to Convert Iranian Assets Using the U.S. Financial System MAJORITY REPORT PERMANENT SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS UNITED STATES SENATE REVIEW OF U.S. TREASURY DEPARTMENT’S LICENSE TO CONVERT IRANIAN ASSETS USING THE U.S. FINANCIAL SYSTEM TABLE OF CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................... 1 II. FINDINGS OF FACTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................... 5 III. BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................... 8 A. United States’ Sanctions Against Iran ............................................................ 8 1. The Joint Plan of Action ...................................................................................... 9 2. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action .......................................................... 10 B. United States Sanctions Enforcement ........................................................... 12 1. The United States Treasury Department ......................................................... 12 a. OFAC can Authorize Otherwise Prohibited Transactions using General Licenses and Specific Licenses ................................................................................. 14 2. The United States Department of State .......................................................... -
Annual Report
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS ANNUAL REPORT July 1,1996-June 30,1997 Main Office Washington Office The Harold Pratt House 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. 58 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10021 Washington, DC 20036 Tel. (212) 434-9400; Fax (212) 861-1789 Tel. (202) 518-3400; Fax (202) 986-2984 Website www. foreignrela tions. org e-mail publicaffairs@email. cfr. org OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS, 1997-98 Officers Directors Charlayne Hunter-Gault Peter G. Peterson Term Expiring 1998 Frank Savage* Chairman of the Board Peggy Dulany Laura D'Andrea Tyson Maurice R. Greenberg Robert F Erburu Leslie H. Gelb Vice Chairman Karen Elliott House ex officio Leslie H. Gelb Joshua Lederberg President Vincent A. Mai Honorary Officers Michael P Peters Garrick Utley and Directors Emeriti Senior Vice President Term Expiring 1999 Douglas Dillon and Chief Operating Officer Carla A. Hills Caryl R Haskins Alton Frye Robert D. Hormats Grayson Kirk Senior Vice President William J. McDonough Charles McC. Mathias, Jr. Paula J. Dobriansky Theodore C. Sorensen James A. Perkins Vice President, Washington Program George Soros David Rockefeller Gary C. Hufbauer Paul A. Volcker Honorary Chairman Vice President, Director of Studies Robert A. Scalapino Term Expiring 2000 David Kellogg Cyrus R. Vance Jessica R Einhorn Vice President, Communications Glenn E. Watts and Corporate Affairs Louis V Gerstner, Jr. Abraham F. Lowenthal Hanna Holborn Gray Vice President and Maurice R. Greenberg Deputy National Director George J. Mitchell Janice L. Murray Warren B. Rudman Vice President and Treasurer Term Expiring 2001 Karen M. Sughrue Lee Cullum Vice President, Programs Mario L. Baeza and Media Projects Thomas R. -
Human Rights in China and U.S. Policy: Issues for the 117Th Congress
Human Rights in China and U.S. Policy: Issues for the 117th Congress March 31, 2021 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R46750 SUMMARY R46750 Human Rights in China and U.S. Policy: Issues March 31, 2021 for the 117th Congress Thomas Lum U.S. concern over human rights in China has been a central issue in U.S.-China relations, Specialist in Asian Affairs particularly since the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989. In recent years, human rights conditions in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have deteriorated, while bilateral tensions related to trade Michael A. Weber and security have increased, possibly creating both constraints and opportunities for U.S. policy Analyst in Foreign Affairs on human rights. After consolidating power in 2013, Chinese Communist Party General Secretary and State President Xi Jinping intensified and expanded the reassertion of party control over society that began toward the end of the term of his predecessor, Hu Jintao. Since 2017, the government has enacted new laws that place further restrictions on civil society in the name of national security, authorize greater controls over minority and religious groups, and further constrain the freedoms of PRC citizens. Government methods of social and political control are evolving to include the widespread use of sophisticated surveillance and big data technologies. Arrests of human rights advocates and lawyers intensified in 2015, followed by party efforts to instill ideological conformity across various spheres of society. In 2016, President Xi launched a policy known as “Sinicization,” under which the government has taken additional measures to compel China’s religious practitioners and ethnic minorities to conform to Han Chinese culture, support China’s socialist system as defined by the Communist Party, abide by Communist Party policies, and reduce ethnic differences and foreign influences. -
Nuclear Weapons
NUCLEAR WEAPONS america, north korea, iran & the world at a crossroad tuesday, november 28, 2017, 7 pm the nancy & paul ignatius program NUCLEAR WEAPONS america, north korea, iran & the world at a crossroad tuesday, november 28, 2017 7 pm WELCOME The Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith Cathedral Dean INTRODUCTION Amy L. Ignatius Associate Justice, New Hampshire Superior Court KEYNOTE ADDRESS William J. Perry PANEL DISCUSSION Susan Eisenhower Stephen Hadley John Kerry David Ignatius, moderator CONCLUSION Ray Suarez BENEDICTION The Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith participants WILLIAM J. PERRY’s career has spanned academia, JOHN KERRY served as the United States’ 68th industry, entrepreneurship, government and diplomacy. Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017. As America’s top Perry served as the 19th Secretary of Defense for the diplomat, he guided the department’s strategy on nuclear United States from February 1994 to January 1997. In 2007, nonproliferation, combating radical extremism and the Perry, George Shultz, Sam Nunn and Henry Kissinger threat of climate change. His tenure was marked by the together formed the Nuclear Security Project, articulating successful negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris practical steps to reduce nuclear dangers. Perry founded Climate Agreement. From 1985 to 2013, he served as a U.S. the William J. Perry Project in 2013 to engage and educate Senator representing Massachusetts, and was chairman the public on the dangers of nuclear weapons. In 2015 of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2009 to he published My Journey at the Nuclear Brink, a personal 2013. He served in the U.S. -
Crimes Against Nature Is Ultimately About the Corrosive Effect of Corporate Corruption on Our Core American Values—Free-Market Capitalism and Democracy
PDF Page No: 1 PDF Page No: 2 Inside Front/Back Cover In this powerful and far-reaching indictment of George W. Bush’s White House, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the country’s most prominent environmental attorney, charges that this administration has taken corporate cronyism to such unprecedented heights that it now threatens our health, our national security, and democracy as we know it. In a headlong pursuit of private profit and personal power, Kennedy writes, George Bush and his administration have eviscerated the laws that have protected our nations air, water, public lands, and wildlife for the past thirty years, enriching the president’s political contributors while lowering the quality of life for the rest of us. Kennedy lifts the veil on how the administration has orchestrated these rollbacks almost entirely outside of public scrutiny—and in tandem with the very industries that our laws are meant to regulate, the country’s most notorious polluters. He writes of how it has deceived the public by manipulating and suppressing scientific data, intimidated enforcement officials and other civil servants, and masked its agenda with Orwellian doublespeak. He reports on how the White House doles out lavish subsidies and tax breaks to the energy barons while excusing industry from providing adequate security at the more than 15,000 chemical and nuclear facilities that are prime targets for terrorist attacks. Kennedy reveals an administration whose policies have “squandered our Treasury, entangled us in foreign wars, diminished our international prestige, made us a target for terrorist attacks, and increased our reliance on petty Middle Eastern dictators who despise democracy and are hated by their own people.” Crimes Against Nature is ultimately about the corrosive effect of corporate corruption on our core American values—free-market capitalism and democracy.