Simons Center News

On May 3, the House of Representatives passed the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for Fiscal Year 2017. The bill ensures that the programs and activities of the U.S. intelligence community are authorized by law, fully resourced, and subject to rigorous congressional oversight. The IAA provides urgent funds and authorities to help thwart potential attacks and deny these terrorists […]

In April the Hague Institute for Global Justice released a report assessing the Obama administration’s efforts in mass atrocity and genocide prevention. The report identifies lessons for the Trump administration as well as other governments and non-state actors who share the goal of preventing and stopping mass atrocities. President Obama declared mass atrocity prevention “a core […]

National Security Who Is In Charge of US National Security?, Defense One Tillerson Points to Shift in U.S. Foreign Policy Priorities, The Wall Street Journal US sought names of 1,934 Americans in intelligence reports, Military Times SpaceX launches classified spy satellite for US Department of Defense, The Christian Science Monitor Army network strategy evolving beyond […]

Yesterday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson addressed State Department employees, speaking about changes and inviting them to “approach this effort that we’re going to undertake with no constraints to your thinking.” This was Tillerson’s second address to State employees since assuming the responsibilities of Secretary of State. Tillerson spoke about translating President Trump’s “America First” mindset into […]

Ambassador (Ret.) Patrick S. Moon, former U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, visited the Leavenworth area 26-28 April where he shared his expertise as part of the Simons Center’s Interagency Speaker Series program. Ambassador Moon met with students at the University of […]

Recently, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a testimony on their assessment of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) border security efforts along the U.S. southwest border. The GAO testimony details DHS’s efforts to implement collaborative mechanisms along the southwest border and the department’s efforts to assess its use of resources and programs to secure the southwest border. The testimony […]

National Security Nuclear warhead modernization needs funding increase, GAO finds, Defense News ICE and Border Patrol Still Struggle With Smugglers at Southern Border, Government Executive Border security upgrade uses sensors to observe border, C4ISR Net The Pentagon is considering up to 5,000 additional troops for Afghanistan, Military Times Trump administration needs a bigger and badder […]

Featured article: Sharing Resources Between Government Agencies by George K. Hughes Despite the continuous increase in operational tempo across the U.S. government, there has not been a proportional increase of resources. In fact, the level of uncertainty over resource availability in most departments and agencies continues to grow while they are being tasked to accomplish […]

On April 26, General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, commander of U.S. European Command (EUCOM) hosted top military officials from the U.S. and Europe during a conference where they discussed efforts to counter violent extremism (CVE). In his remarks, Scaparrotti said that “Terrorism is a transregional problem and a clear and present danger to us all. It is only […]

National Security Terrorists Are Not Snowflakes, Foreign Policy America’s Security Clearance System Is Broken, Former Spy Chief Clapper Says, Defense One Transcript: NPR Interviews Secretary Of State Rex Tillerson, NPR State Department Wants to Clear Nikki Haley’s Remarks Before She Speaks, The New York Times A Chilling Threat of Political Violence in Portland, The Atlantic […]