National Security

Pakistan, Iraq See Uptick In Suicide Bombings

10:35am September 23, 2013

To try to understand what's behind the rise in gruesome attacks, Steve Inskeep talks to Vali Nasr, who is the dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He has served as a senior adviser to the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Queue Listen Now

Edward Snowden's leaks about the NSA's secret surveillance program have pushed the agency to expedite planned reforms ahead of schedule, according to NSA officials.

The Effects Of The Snowden Leaks Aren't What He Intended

5:24pm September 20, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

Critics of the NSA's secret surveillance hoped the debate that followed Edward Snowden's leaks would prompt the NSA to rethink the operation. Instead, one of the most noticeable effects so far has been a diversion of resources away from intelligence missions toward assessing damage from the leaks.

Queue Listen Now

Government officials tell NPR that Edward Snowden's job responsibilities allowed him to copy sensitive files unnoticed.

National

Officials: Edward Snowden's Leaks Were Masked By Job Duties

10:58am September 18, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

Investigators have a good idea what documents NSA leaker Edward Snowden got and how he got them. Officials now tell NPR that he had access to a file-sharing site on the NSA's internal website, and it was actually his responsibility to move sensitive documents to a more secure location.

Queue Listen Now

National

Tech Visionary Focuses Now On Biological Weapons Threat

4:54pm September 16, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

Nathan Myhrvold, who made his name with inventions at Microsoft, is focusing these days on a different kind of technological advance: the threat from biological weapons. Myhrvold's in Washington this week to meet with national security leaders. He wants to convince them to spend time and energy on terrorist attacks that could cause the greatest damage.

Queue Listen Now

A U.S. Marine carries a light flame-thrower while wearing experimental clothing designed to protect against atomic, biological and chemical warfare in 1960.

Breaking Down Chemical Weapons, One Fact At A Time

8:00pm September 14, 2013

by NPR Staff

As the U.S. and Russia announce a deal to dismantle Syria's chemical weapons program, we take a step back to look at where the weapons came from, what they're made of and how to get rid of them.

Queue Listen Now

Security experts say the U.S. is ill-prepared to respond to cyberthreats. A new high school curriculum in Alabama aims to attract more young people to the field.

Army Looks To Schools To Find The Next Cyberwarriors

6:50pm September 11, 2013

by Dan Carsen

Security experts say the U.S. has a dearth of professionals qualified to take on cyberthreats like attacks on power grids or defense systems. A school district in Alabama and the U.S. Army Cyber Command have teamed up to help prepare a new generation for cyberwarfare careers.

Queue Listen Now

According to Barton Gellman, Edward Snowden (above) specifically asked journalists not to make all the documents he leaked available to the public.

National

Reporter Had To Decide If Snowden Leaks Were 'The Real Thing'

4:21pm September 11, 2013

Before whistle-blower Edward Snowden became a household name, he was an anonymous source. The Washington Post's Barton Gellman recounts how he began corresponding with Snowden and the process of reporting on the government's Internet data mining program.

Queue Listen Now

National

Documents Show NSA Violated Court Restrictions

7:54am September 11, 2013

The National Security Agency violated special court restrictions on the use of a database of telephone calls, but the NSA says it fixed those problems. That's the bottom line from more documents declassified by the director of National Intelligence. The document dump is part of an effort to share more details about NSA surveillance activities that were uncovered by former government contractor Edward Snowden.

Queue Listen Now

Secretary Napolitano Finishes Up At Homeland Security

12:40pm September 06, 2013

by Brian Naylor

Friday is Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's last day on the job. She is leaving Washington, and will become president of the University of California system at the end of the month.

Queue Listen Now

Why Syria Is More Complicated Than Libya

7:23pm August 29, 2013

by Ari Shapiro

To start with, unlike Moammar Gadhafi's regime when the U.S. intervened in Libya in 2011, the Syrian government still has international allies. As the U.S. considers a strike on Syria, here's a look at some of the key differences between the two situations.

Queue Listen Now