Congressional Research Service Reports - 102 Matching Results

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Weapons of Mass Destruction - the Terrorist Threat

Description: The possibility of a terrorist attack using nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons is an ongoing debate in the national security policy arena. While terrorist motivations have traditionally been political onesthat would not benefitfrom such an attack, concern is now voiced over a possible trend of inflicting greater numbers of casualties. Terrorists most likely to attempt attacks with weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are extremist religious millenarian groups and small splinter terrorist cel… more
Date: December 8, 1999
Creator: Bowman, Steven R. & Barel, Helit
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11

Description: Congress has approved appropriations for the past 13 years of war that total $1.6 trillion for military operations, base support, weapons maintenance, training of Afghan and Iraq security forces, reconstruction, foreign aid, embassy costs, and veterans' health care for the war operations initiated since the 9/11 attacks. This report discusses the Department of Defense's FY2015 war request and various issues for Congress regarding the funding of the war on terror.
Date: December 8, 2014
Creator: Belasco, Amy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Syria's Chemical Weapons: Continuing Challenges

Description: This report discusses Syria's chemical weapon supplies, efforts to have them destroyed, recent uses of chemical weapons there, and issues related to undeclared chemical weapon stocks.
Date: September 8, 2017
Creator: Nikitin, Mary Beth D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians

Description: This report collects statistics from a variety of sources on casualties sustained during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), which began on October 7, 2001. OEF actions took place primarily in Afghanistan; however, OEF casualties also includes American casualties in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Yemen.
Date: December 8, 2010
Creator: Chesser, Susan G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Detainee Provisions in the National Defense Authorization Bills

Description: This report offers a brief background of the salient issues raised by H.R. 1540 and S. 1867 regarding detention matters, provides a section-by-section analysis of the relevant subdivision of each bill, and compares the bills' approaches with respect to the major issues they address.
Date: December 8, 2011
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K. & Garcia, Michael John
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Boumediene v. Bush: Guantanamo Detainees' Right to Habeas Corpus

Description: This report summarizes the Boumediene decision and analyzes several of its major implications for the U.S. detention of alien enemy combatants and legislation that limits detainees' access to judicial review.
Date: September 8, 2008
Creator: Garcia, Michael John
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians

Description: This report collects statistics from a variety of sources on casualties sustained during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), which began on October 7, 2001. OEF actions took place primarily in Afghanistan; however, OEF casualties also includes American casualties in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Yemen.
Date: March 8, 2010
Creator: Chesser, Susan G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Rare Earth Elements in National Defense: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress

Description: This report covers concerns that Congress has expresses over U.S. acquisition of rare earth elements, particularly those used in various components of defense weapon systems. Specific concerns are the acquisition of these elements, especially from foreign sources such as China; how dependence of foreign sources affects national security; and methods for decreasing the relationship between reliance on foreign sources and national security.
Date: June 8, 2011
Creator: Bailey Grasso, Valerie
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Defense Primer: Geography, Strategy, and U.S. Force Design

Description: This report describes how world geography influences U.S. military strategy. Of particular importance to U.S. policymakers is preventing the emergence of a regional hegemony in one part of Eurasia.
Date: November 8, 2018
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Security Assistance Reform: "Section 1206" Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report discusses Section 1206 of the FY2006 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which provides the Secretary of Defense with authority to train and equip foreign military forces for two specified purposes--counterterrorism and stability operations--and foreign security forces for counterterrorism operations.
Date: December 8, 2014
Creator: Serafino, Nina M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Defense Research: DOD's Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Program

Description: On June 27, the Bush Administration released an amended FY2002 budget for the Department of Defense (DOD). The amended budget requests a total of $328.9 billion for DOD, an additional $18.4 billion above the Administration’s “Blueprint” budget released in April. The amended budget included an additional $5.6 billion for DOD’s Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) program. This raises the FY2002 RDT&E request to $47.4 billion, $6.3 billion above the total obligational authority avai… more
Date: November 8, 2001
Creator: Moteff, John D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Threats to U.S. National Security Interests in Space: Orbital Debris Mitigation and Removal

Description: This report discusses the National Security Space Strategy. After decades of activities in space, Earth's orbit is littered with man-made objects that no longer serve a useful purpose that potentially threaten U.S. national security interests in space, both governmental (military, intelligence, and civil) and commercial. Congress has broadly supported the full-range of these national security interests and has a vested concern in ensuring a strong and continued U.S. presence in space.
Date: January 8, 2014
Creator: Hildreth, Steven A. & Arnold, Allison
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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A Shift in the International Security Environment: Potential Implications for Defense--Issues for Congress

Description: This report briefly describes the shift in the international security environment that some observers believe has occurred, and identifies some defense-related issues for Congress that could arise from it. Congress's decisions on these issues could have significant implications for U.S. defense capabilities and funding requirements.
Date: June 8, 2016
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

North Korea's Nuclear Weapons: Technical Issues

Description: This report summarizes what is known from open sources about the North Korean nuclear weapons program -- including weapons-usable fissile material and warhead estimates -- and assesses current developments in achieving denuclearization.
Date: January 8, 2010
Creator: Nikitin, Mary Beth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Navy John Lewis (TAO-205) Class Oiler Shipbuilding Program: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the John Lewis (TAO-205) class oiler shipbuilding program, previously known as the TAO(X) program, a program to build a new class of 17 fleet oilers for the Navy. The Navy wants to procure the first TAO-205 in FY2016. The Navy's proposed FY2016 budget requested $674.2 million to fully fund the procurement of the first TAO-205.
Date: January 8, 2016
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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FY2010 Supplemental for Wars, Disaster Assistance, Haiti Relief, and Other Programs

Description: This report discusses the $64 billion in requested supplemental appropriations for FY2010, which includes $2.8 billion for Haiti earthquake-related reconstruction and foreign aid and $243 million for activities related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and more.
Date: June 8, 2010
Creator: Belasco, Amy; Else, Daniel H.; Lindsay, Bruce R.; Margesson, Rhoda; Nakamura, Kennon H. & Taft-Morales, Maureen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Army's M-4 Carbine: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report discusses the M-4 carbine, which is the Army's primary individual combat weapon for infantry units. While there have been concerns raised by some about the M-4's reliability and lethality, some studies suggest that the M-4 is performing well and is viewed favorably by users. The Army is undertaking both the M4 Carbine Improvement Program and the Individual Carbine Competition, the former to identify ways to improve the current weapon, and the latter to conduct an open competition am… more
Date: June 8, 2010
Creator: Feickert, Andrew
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report covers Special Operations Forces (SOF) budgets for FY2014 and expected uses of the bugeted money. SOF actions play a significant role in U.S. military operations, and the Administration has given U.S. SOF greater responsibility for planning and conducting worldwide counterterrorism operations.
Date: May 8, 2014
Creator: Feickert, Andrew
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities--Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report focuses on the potential implications of China's naval modernization for future required U.S. Navy capabilities. The report discusses the question of how the United States should respond to China's military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, has emerged as a key issue in U.S. defense planning.
Date: August 8, 2013
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress

Description: The report discusses the question of how the United States should respond to China's military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, that has emerged as a key issue in U.S. defense planning. Admiral Michael Mullen, the Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, stated in June 2010 that "I have moved from being curious to being genuinely concerned" about China's military programs. The question of how the United States should respond to China's military modernization effort … more
Date: June 8, 2011
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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