Steven Aftergood

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Steven Aftergood is a critic of U.S. government secrecy policy. He directs the Federation of American Scientists project on Government Secrecy and is the author of the Federation publication Secrecy News . [1]

Contents

Life and career

Aftergood has a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles and has published research in solid-state physics. [2]

In 1991, Aftergood exposed the classified Project Timberwind, an unacknowledged U.S. Department of Defense special access program to develop a nuclear thermal rocket. That episode led the Federation of American Scientists to initiate an ongoing research project on government secrecy, led by Aftergood. [3]

Controversies

Intelligence budget disclosure

Aftergood was the plaintiff in a 1997 Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Central Intelligence Agency which led to the declassification and publication of the U.S. government's total intelligence budget ($26.6 billion in 1997) for the first time in fifty years. [4]

In 2006, Aftergood won a FOIA lawsuit against the National Reconnaissance Office to release unclassified budget records. [5]

Preserving CIA email

A Central Intelligence Agency proposal in 2014 to eliminate the email records of all but 22 senior Agency officials was derailed after a reference to the move was spotted by Aftergood, triggering a critical reaction in Congress and elsewhere. [6] The proposal was formally withdrawn by the Agency in 2016. [7]

Reducing nuclear weapons secrecy

As part of an effort by the Federation of American Scientists to reduce secrecy surrounding nuclear weapons, Aftergood acquired and posted a 2019 Joint Chiefs of Staff publication on Nuclear Operations. The document describes a potential role for such weapons in U.S. warfighting plans. [8] [9]

Promoting access to government information

Aftergood maintained several widely-used collections of government documents. These include Presidential national security directives, [10] US military doctrinal publications, [11] applications of the state secrets privilege, [12] uses of the Invention Secrecy Act, [13] Congressional Research Service reports, [14] and studies performed by the JASON science advisory panel. [15]

Awards

Aftergood’s work on government secrecy policy has been recognized with the Pioneer Award from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, [16] the James Madison Award from the American Library Association, [17] the Public Access to Government Information Award from the American Association of Law Libraries, [18] and the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award from the Playboy Foundation. [19]

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

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The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is an American nonprofit global policy think tank with the stated intent of using science and scientific analysis to attempt to make the world more secure. FAS was founded in 1946 by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bombs. The Federation of American Scientists states that it aims to reduce the amount of nuclear weapons that are in use, and prevent nuclear and radiological terrorism. It says it aims to present high standards for nuclear energy's safety and security, illuminate government secrecy practices, as well as track and eliminate the global illicit trade of conventional, nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. With 100 sponsors, the Federation of American Scientists says that it promotes a safer and more secure world by developing and advancing solutions to important science and technology security policy problems by educating the public and policy makers, and promoting transparency through research and analysis to maximize impact on policy. FAS projects are organized in three main programs: nuclear security, government secrecy, and biosecurity. FAS has played a role in the control of atomic energy and weapons, as well as better international monitoring of atomic activities.

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References

  1. ↑ Dana Priest (November 26, 2003). "One Man Against Secrecy; Newsletter Editor Works to Limit Classified Information" (PDF). Washington Post.
  2. ↑ "Steven Aftergood". Federation of American Scientists.
  3. ↑ William J. Broad (April 3, 1991). "Secret Nuclear-Powered Rocket Being Developed for 'Star Wars'". New York Times.
  4. ↑ FAS Wins Lawsuit Against CIA on Intelligence Budget Disclosure, CIA Statement, 15 Oct. 1997.
  5. ↑ National Reconnaissance Office Yields to FAS Lawsuit, by Steven Aftergood, 21 Dec. 2006.
  6. ↑ David Welna (November 20, 2014). "The CIA Wants To Delete Old Email; Critics Say 'Not So Fast'". National Public Radio.
  7. ↑ "CIA Withdraws Email Destruction Proposal". Secrecy News. April 24, 2016.
  8. ↑ David Axe (June 20, 2019). "Oops: The Pentagon Just Revealed Its Nuclear Doctrine". The National Interest.
  9. ↑ Julian Borger (June 19, 2019). "Nuclear weapons: experts alarmed by new Pentagon 'war-fighting' doctrine". The Guardian.
  10. ↑ "Presidential directives and executive orders". via Federation of American Scientists.
  11. ↑ "Defense Department Intelligence and Security Doctrine, Directives and Instructions". via Federation of American Scientists.
  12. ↑ "The State Secrets Privilege: Selected Case Files". via Federation of American Scientists.
  13. ↑ "Invention Secrecy". via Federation of American Scientists.
  14. ↑ "Congressional Research Service reports". via Federation of American Scientists.
  15. ↑ "JASON Defense Advisory Panel Reports". via Federation of American Scientists.
  16. ↑ "Transparency Activist, Public Domain Scholar, Legal Blogger, and Imprisoned E-Voting Researcher Win Pioneer Awards". October 19, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Past Recipients of the James Madison Award".
  18. ↑ "Public Access to Government Information Award".
  19. ↑ "Past Winners and Judges of the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards".
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