Steven Aftergood: Domestic Role of US Military

The Domestic Role of the American Military A rich and thoughtful account of how the U.S. military has protected, supported, clashed with and occasionally undermined constitutional government in this country is presented in the new book “Soldiers on the Home Front: The Domestic Role of the American Military” by William C. Banks and Stephen Dycus …

Steven Aftergood: US Army Intelligence Support to Urban Operations

Intelligence Support to Urban Military Operations To the eyes of a military planner, a city presents “an elaborate combination of horizontal, vertical, interior, and exterior forms superimposed on a landscape’s natural relief, drainage, and vegetation.” A newly reissued U.S. Army manual contemplates the difficulties facing military action in the urban environment with a focus on …

Steven Aftergood: CRS on Police Use of Force

What are the constitutional limits on police use of force? What remedies are available when those limits are exceeded? And in light of recent episodes of police violence, how might the limits and the remedies be modified? Those questions are addressed in a new report from the Congressional Research Service.

Steve Aftergood: Intelligence Lessons from Fort Hood — Information Systems (and Legal) Still Stink

INTELLIGENCE LESSONS FROM THE 2009 FT HOOD SHOOTING In 2010, then-Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair convened a panel to review the November 2009 Fort Hood shooting committed by Army Maj. Nidal Hasan and the Christmas Day bombing attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab aboard Northwest Flight 253. A redacted version of the resulting panel …

Steve Aftergood: CIA Cover-Up on Torture + CIA Torture RECAP

CIA Classification Practices Challenged The Central Intelligence Agency has improperly classified and withheld from release at least five categories of information related to its post-9/11 rendition, detention and interrogation program, according to a detailed complaint filed by Openthegovernment.org with the Information Security Oversight Office.