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.
A dozen and a half Air Force Reservists formally transferred to the Space Force on July 15, becoming the new service’s first 18 part-time Guardians. The move is the culmination of more than two and a half years of work to create a system unlike any other military branch.