Executive Branch
Just Security’s expert authors provide analysis of the U.S. executive branch related to national security, rights, and the rule of law. Analysis and informational resources focus on the executive branch’s powers and their limits, and the actions of the president, administrative agencies, and federal officials.
4,594 Articles
The Khadr Appeal [UPDATE: and the Hicks Appeal]
In October 2010, Omar Khadr pleaded guilty to four violations of the Military Commissions Act of 2009. Khadr, who is presently serving out his sentence in Canada, has now appealed…
The Coming Hicks and Khadr Appeals: Yet Another Military Commission Headache
As various media outlets reported earlier this week, Australian David Hicks–one of the first detainees charged and convicted (via plea) under the Military Commissions Act…
Key Issues in the New Senate Bill to Require White House Drone Strike Casualty Reports
This week, the Senate Intelligence Committee approved the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The legislation contains an important section which would…
The NDAA: Congress’ Opportunity to Take First Steps Towards Closing Gitmo
The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan next year will mark a milestone on the path to ending the so-called “war on terror.” But as a practical matter, what will…
Pakistan Test Fires Missile to Take Down Drones
It might have been easy to doubt the veracity of the Pakistan government’s public protestations against US drone strikes in light of secret agreements between the two governments…
The Process of Transferring Drone Operations from the CIA to the Pentagon: Slow Track, Just Stalled, or Terminal?
On Tuesday evening, Foreign Policy published an exclusive report, with a headline suggesting that the administration has terminated the idea of transferring drone operations from…
Spy v. Spy?: The coming push to create an EU spy agency to counteract the NSA
In an interview on Monday, a senior EU official, Commissioner of Justice Viviane Reding unveiled, in broad brushstrokes, a proposal to create a spy agency to counteract the NSA.…
Newsweek’s Wayward Cover Story on Snowden and Chinese Cyber Hacking
Newsweek’s current cover story, “How Edward Snowden Escalated Cyber War with China” by Kurt Eichenwald, is an important read. Eichenwald makes two claims: Snowden’s impact:…
PCLOB Hearing on NSA Review
Today the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) is holding a public hearing on recommended changes to surveillance programs authorized under the USA PATRIOT Act and…
Future of Gitmo to Take Center Stage Later This Month
With much attention in recent weeks focused on the NSA collection activities or the U.S. drone program, it can be easy to allow other important national security issues to become…
“The Juice Wasn’t Worth the Squeeze” in Kyrgyzstan Fuel Contracts
The Pentagon recently announced the end of its use of the Manas Transit Center in Kyrgyzstan for logistical support of the war in Afghanistan. The arrangement unraveled due to…
A “Hardy Perennial”: US Intelligence Operations Targeting Foreign Leaders
At Tuesday’s House Intelligence Committee hearing, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said, it is a “hardy perennial as long as I have been in the intelligence…