National Security

National

Air Force To Release Results Of Cheating Probe

12:18pm March 31, 2014

by Tom Bowman

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Lt. General Stephen Wilson report Thursday on the results of an investigation involving aobut 100 nuclear missile launch officers at Malmstrom Air Force Base.

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Dr. Kamal Kalsi had to apply for special permission from the Department of Defense in order to keep his beard and turban while serving in the military.

Uniform Rule May Keep Religious Americans From Military Service

1:23pm March 19, 2014

by NPR Staff

Observant Sikhs need to get an exemption in order to keep maintain long hair and beards. One service member who is Sikh says the application process has a chilling effect on those who want to serve.

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An anti-NSA protester in Washington, DC.

National

'I'd Tap That' And Other NSA Pickup Lines Are All The Rage

3:58pm March 18, 2014

Revelations that national security officials have used their agency's eavesdropping power to spy on love interests has sparked a new meme: #NSAPickupLines

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Feinstein: CIA Tampered With Senate Panel's Work

7:32am March 12, 2014

by Carrie Johnson

Senator Dianne Feinstein has accused the CIA of interfering with efforts by Congress to oversee the agency. Feinstein said the CIA had removed documents from computers used by her committee's staff.

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Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee last month.

U.S. Knew Of 'Imminent' Move In Crimea, Top Official Says

11:39am March 07, 2014

by Scott Neuman

Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, tells NPR that U.S. decision-makers were given a week's notice that some Russian action was likely.

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National

Cold War Technology Sought By Spy Is In Your Pocket — Sort Of

7:59pm February 17, 2014

by Martin Kaste

Federal authorities have arrested a Chinese national who is accused of trying to buy accelerometers from a company in suburban Seattle. Certain kinds of accelerometers are subject to export controls, because they're used to guide missiles and spacecraft. The U.S. has been trying to keep accelerometer technology under wraps for half a century. Even as some accelerometers were used to guide Cold War missiles into space and around the world, today's technological descendents allow you to play racing games on your iPhone.

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National

The Art And Practice Of Protecting American Technology

7:59pm February 17, 2014

The recent allegations that a Chinese spy was trying to steal technology are in fact nothing new. Audie Cornish talks to James Lewis, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, about protecting U.S. technology from spying abroad.

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National

In Security Cases, Feds No Longer Get Benefit Of The Doubt

7:29am February 13, 2014

by Carrie Johnson

Disclosures by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden have shaken the intelligence community and spurred Congress to try to impose new limits on electronic surveillance. In recent weeks, aftershocks from those leaks have been rippling through the courts too. Some judges have signaled they're no longer willing to take the government's word when it comes to national security.

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National

Hagel Concerned By Ethical Lapses In Armed Forces

7:59am February 06, 2014

by Tom Bowman

Scandals seem to be popping up almost weekly in the military: Air Force missile officers cheating on exams. Army officers getting kickbacks. Navy instructors sharing test results. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered some reviews of the nuclear force, and asked for an update on ethics teaching at military schools.

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National

Air Force Proficiency Cheating: More Than Punishment Needed?

6:45pm February 01, 2014

This past week, the U.S. Air Force announced that a cheating scandal among nuclear launch officers had grown. Now, the military says, more than 90 missile launch officers have been involved with cheating on monthly proficiency exams. NPR's Arun Rath speaks with former Air Force officer Brian Weeden, who thinks the missileer culture needs to change.

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