Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on Monday announced he is establishing a review group, at the direction of President Obama, to examine US global signals intelligence collection and surveillance capability. “The review group will assess whether, in light of advancements in communications technologies, the United States employs its technical collection capabilities in a manner that optimally protects our national security and advances our foreign policy, while appropriately accounting for other policy considerations, such as the risk of unauthorized disclosure and our need to maintain the public trust,” stated Clapper in the Aug. 12 release. The group will brief its interim findings to the President within 60 days of its establishment and provide a final report with recommendations no later than Dec. 15, states the release. Creation of a high-level review group made up of outside experts was one of the four reform measures that Obama announced on Aug. 9 to ensure that US surveillance activities do not violate US citizens’ civil liberties.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
