Simons Center News

Featured article: Kinetic Energy Weapons: The Beginning of an Interagency Challenge by Daniel C. Sproull In 1948, the UN Commission for Conventional Armaments defined weapons of mass destruction (WMD) as “…atomic explosive weapons, radioactive material weapons, lethal chemical and biological weapons, and any weapons developed in the future which have characteristics comparable in destructive effect […]

National Security   Pentagon: Russia Very Much a Threat to the United States, Foreign Policy White House: New air travel safety measures are the greatest improvement opportunity since 9/11, Washington Examiner Can President Trump implement his immigration agenda?, Brookings Agencies Send Employees Guidance on Travel Ban Implementation, Government Executive Surprise House Vote Rolls Back Authority […]

National Security   US demands more security on international flights to US, Military Times Federal Agencies Promise ‘Professional, Organized’ Implementation of Trump’s Travel Ban, Government Executive On the Supreme Court’s travel ban decision, Brookings Time for the Pentagon to Overhaul Drone Management, New Report Says, Defense One I Could Kill You with a Consumer Drone, […]

Leaders from several Central American countries, Canada, and the European Union gathered in Miami, Florida for the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America from June 15 to June 16. The conference focused on the Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Guatamala, and Honduras), and was co-hosted by Vice President Mike Pence and the Secretaries of the […]

Featured article: Concurrent Biological, Electromagnetic Pulse and Cyber-attacks: The Ultimate Interagency Response Challenge by Patricia Rohrbeck The critical infrastructure components of an advanced society—telecommunications, transportation, banking and finance, petroleum and natural gas, food and water, public health and healthcare, and security—have at least one feature in common: All depend upon electrical and cyber power. Two well-known threats— electromagnetic […]

Today the Department of State released the 2017 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons Susan Coppedge each addressed the report in separate briefings, speaking about the global tragedy of human trafficking and the responsibility of governments to bring an end to this […]

National Security   Obama’s secret struggle to punish Russia for Putin’s election assault, The Washington Post The Supreme Court Partially Unblocked Trump’s Travel Ban, The Atlantic CIA chief: Intel leaks on the rise, cites leaker ‘worship’, Military Times John Walker Lindh, Detainee #001 in the Global War On Terror, Will Go Free In Two Years. […]

On June 22, four U.S. Senators introduced a bipartisan bill designed to advance the development of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The Safe DRONE Act of 2017 is backed by Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA), John Hoeven (R-ND), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Dean Heller (R-NV). A press release states that the Safe DRONE Act would “ensure that the […]

National Security   Survey: Americans Worry More About National Security Than Hacking, Nextgov DoD report: Manning’s leaks to cause no harm, C4ISR Net NSA Still Vulnerable to Insider Threats, Watchdog Found, Government Executive U.S. Pressed to Pursue Deal to Freeze North Korea Missile Tests, The New York Times Citing Uptick in Attacks, Senators Request Better […]

A recent paper published by Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs examines the balance between a U.S. citizen’s unalienable right to privacy and security of the nation. “By Any Means Necessary: Privacy Implications of Intelligence Support to Domestic Security” looks at what happens when the government’s responsibilities to provide privacy and security collide. […]