DoD: AUMF covers groups not in existence on 9/11
Even if an organization did not exist on Sept. 11, 2001, "if they become an associated force with al Qaeda, then they have joined with the organization that was responsible for those 9/11 attacks, and we believe they are fully covered by the AUMF," DoD Acting General Counsel Robert Taylor told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Feds gear up for wildfire season
Significant fire potential will be above normal in much of the West this summer according to National Interagency Fire Center predictions. NIFC's outlook (.pdf) for May through August, issued May 1, says significant fire potential will be above normal for south central Oregon and parts of California in May, with more areas joining them as the summer progresses.
House Appropriations proposes $1.22 billion Coast Guard acquisition budget
The House Appropriations homeland security subcommittee fiscal 2014 spending bill, to be marked up by the subcommittee May 16, proposes $1.22 billion for the Coast Guard acquisition budget, an increase from the $951 million in the White House proposal--but also still far less than the approximately $1.46 billion annually the service has been appropriated in recent years.
Border Patrol apprehensions up slightly, still at historic lows
The number of individuals apprehended by the Border Patrol for illegally crossing the border went up slightly in fiscal 2012 but still remains historically low. Customs and Border Protection statistics show (.pdf) that the Border Patrol apprehended 364,678 individuals--a number that apart from the previous fiscal year's total of 340,252, is the lowest since 1972, when the Border Patrol apprehended 396,495 illegal crossers.
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Known/suspected terrorists in witness protection flew on commercial planes
The federal witness protection program has taken in individuals considered known or suspected terrorists, but program officials didn't share the new identities of those individuals with national security stakeholders, a new report from the Justice Department office of inspector general says.
Kansas close to issuing NBAF bonds
The Kansas legislature is reportedly close to approving $202 million in additional bonds to fund construction of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kan.
'Going dark' remedy could boomerang to undermine national security
A federal attempt to ensure that Internet communications and services can be wiretapped could undermine national security by making the U.S. government's own communications less secure and by causing hardened communication tools to proliferate among a receptive audience that includes bad guys, says a May 17 paper from privacy advocates and cybersecurity researchers.
DoD: AUMF covers groups not in existence on 9/11
Even if an organization did not exist on Sept. 11, 2001, "if they become an associated force with al Qaeda, then they have joined with the organization that was responsible for those 9/11 attacks, and we believe they are fully covered by the AUMF," DoD Acting General Counsel Robert Taylor told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Mueller says FBI cuts threaten response to attacks like Boston
Training builds relationships between law enforcement agencies, and that's part of what made the response to the Boston Marathon bombings so effective--but it's also among the first things those agencies cut when budgets tighten, FBI Director Robert Mueller said May 16.
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Agencies don't do enough to stop program and services duplication, which costs the government millions of dollars, Government Accountability Office Comptroller Gene Dodaro told the Senate Budget Finance Committee during a May 16 hearing . For example, if the military services jointly purchased uniforms, they could collectively save up to $80 million, Dodaro said.
Despite at least $379 million spent over a decade by the Defense Department to establish a business enterprise architecture, the DoD has yet to show that it's using that architecture as intended, says the Government Accountability Office.
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