Simons Center News

In June, U.S. Cyber Command, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) hosted a multi-agency exercise designed to simulate a whole-of-nation response to attacks on U.S. critical infrastructure. Cyber Guard brought together cyberspace and critical infrastructure operators and experts from more than 100 organizations spanning government, academia, and industry, […]

Yesterday, President Obama met with military and civilian leaders to discuss the strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The strategy includes multiple elements of American power, including military, intelligence, diplomacy, and economic development. The President acknowledged that countering ISIL will be a long campaign, and noted […]

(As Written by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Washington, D.C.) As we celebrate Independence Day, I want to thank the men and women who serve our nation at home and abroad for all that you do to help keep America safe. When George Washington issued one of his first general orders on July 4, 1775, […]

The Pentagon recently released a new National Military Strategy. This is the first update to the National Military Strategy since 2011, and follows the release of the 2015 National Security Strategy in February, as well as the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review. The updated strategy reflects the new global security situation, which includes threats from both traditional […]

The Government Accountability Office has released a report examining the Bureau of Counterterrorism. GAO notes that they found that the Counterterrorism Bureau was generally consistent with key practices for interagency collaboration…

In mid June the Congressional Research Service released a report comparing three bills that address information sharing and related activities in cybersecurity…

President Obama announced the completion of the review of U.S. hostage policy on June 24. The President also announced the creation of an interagency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell aimed at improving how the government develops hostage recovery plans…

In May the Government Accountability Office released a report recommending the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy update the Nuclear Weapons Council’s 1997 memorandum of agreement…

Earlier this month, the U.S. Agency for International Development released their updated Civilian-Military Cooperation Policy. The updated policy builds on the 2008 policy, which established civilian-military cooperation as fundamental to a whole-of-government approach to contemporary national security challenges…

On June 11, Army Special Forces Lt. Col. Jason Amerine spoke before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, testifying that a “dysfunctional” U.S. bureaucracy is the primary cause of failure in returning U.S. hostages…