Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs articles from July 2010

Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs archives from July 2010

Spectrum policy in the age of broadband: issues for Congress.(Congressional Research Service)(Report)
July 1, 2010... Contents The Role of Spectrum Policy Competition Innovat The National Broadband Plan and Spectrum Policy Spectrum Policy Recommendations Spectrum Licenses Television Broadcast Spectrum D Block Advanced Wireless Service...

Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) program: background and issues for Congress.(Congressional Research Service)(Report)
July 1, 2010... July 1, 2010 Summary The Aegis ballistic missile defense (BMD) program, which is carried out by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Navy, gives Navy Aegis cruisers and destroyers a capability for conducting BMD operations. Under...

Introduction.(Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress)(Report)
July 1, 2010... The Aegis ballistic missile defense (BMD) program, which is carried out by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Navy, gives Navy Aegis cruisers and destroyers a capability for conducting BMD operations. Under current MDA and Navy plans, the...

Background.(Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress)(List)
July 1, 2010... Navy Aegis Ships The Navy's cruisers and destroyers are called Aegis ships because they are equipped with the Aegis ship combat system--an integrated collection of sensors, computers, software, displays, weapon launchers, and weapons named...

Issues for congress.(Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress)(Report)
July 1, 2010... Demands for BMD-Capable Aegis Ships (17) Some observers are concerned--particularly following the Administration's announcement of its intention to use Aegis-BMD ships to defend Europe against potential ballistic mi3ssile attacks--that...

Options for congress.(Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... FY2011 options for Congress regarding the Aegis BMD program include, among other things, the following: * accelerating the modification of Aegis ships to BMD-capable configurations, * increasing procurement of new Aegis destroyers, *...

Legislative activity for FY2011.(Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress)(Report)
July 1, 2010... FY2011 Funding Request The Aegis BMD program is funded mostly through MDA's budget. The Navy's budget provides additional funding for BMD-related efforts. MDA's proposed FY2011 budget requests a total of $2,161.6 million for the Aegis BMD...

Appendix A. Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) for BMD operations.(Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress)(Appendix)
July 1, 2010... This appendix presents additional background information on the Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) for BMD operations announced by the Administration on September 17, 2009. A September 17, 2009, White House fact sheet on the PAA stated: ...

Appendix B. Aegis BMD flight tests.(Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress)(Report)
July 1, 2010... Summary of Test Flights Table B-1 summarizes Aegis BMD exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric flight tests since January 2002. May 2010 Criticism of Claimed Successes in Flight Tests In a May 2010 magazine article and supplementary white...

Iraq: politics, elections, and benchmarks.(Congressional Research Service)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... Contents Overview of the Political Transition January 2005 National Assembly and Provincial Elections Permanent Constitution December 15, 2005, Elections Political Reconciliation and Subsequent Elections The Strengthening of Maliki and...

Instability and humanitarian conditions in Chad.(Congressional Research Service)(Report)
July 1, 2010... Contents Introduction Political Instability The Armed Opposition Ethnic Conflict Regional Conflict Multinational Peacekeeping Operations Child Soldiers Agriculture, Oil, and the Economy U.S.-Chadian Relations Security Assistance and...

Taiwan: major U.S. arms sales since 1990.(Congressional Research Service)(Report)
July 1, 2010... July 2, 2010 Summary This report, updated as warranted, discusses U.S. security assistance to Taiwan, or Republic of China (ROC), including policy issues for Congress and legislation. Congress has oversight of the Taiwan Relations Act...

U.S. policy.(Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... This CRS Report discusses U.S. security assistance for Taiwan, formally called the Republic of China (ROC), particularly policy issues for Congress. It also lists sales of major defense articles and services to Taiwan, as approved by the...

Role of Congress.(U.S. Policy)(Report)
July 1, 2010... Congress passed and exercises oversight of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), P.L. 96-8, the law that has governed U.S. arms sales to Taiwan since 1979, when the United States recognized the People's Republic of China (PRC) instead of the ROC. The...

Broad indicators of arms transfers.(U.S. Policy)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... As for U.S. arms transfers to Taiwan, they have been significant despite the absence of a diplomatic relationship or a treaty alliance. The value of deliveries of U.S. defense articles and services to Taiwan totaled $3.7 billion in the 2001-2004...

Military relationship.(U.S. Policy)(Report)
July 1, 2010... "Software Initiative" In addition to transfers of hardware, beginning after the crisis in the Taiwan Strait in 1995-1996 during which President Clinton deployed two aircraft carrier battle groups near Taiwan in March 1996, the Pentagon...

April 2001 arms requests and status of arms sales.(U.S. Policy)(Report)
July 1, 2010... April 2001 Decisions In 2001, arms sales talks took place on April 24 in Washington, DC, and Taiwan was represented by its Vice Chief of General Staff, General Huoh Shou-yeh. According to the Administration and news reports, (40) President...

Policy issues for Congress.(U.S. Policy)(Report)
July 1, 2010... Since the early 1990s, and accelerated after the Taiwan Strait crisis of 1995-1996, the PLA has modernized with a missile buildup and foreign arms acquisitions, primarily from Russia. (133) As a result of the PLA's provocative exercises and...

Major Congressional action.(U.S. Policy)
July 1, 2010... 105th Congress In the 105th Congress, the FY1999 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 105-261) required the Secretary of Defense to study the U.S. missile defense systems that could protect and could be transferred to "key regional...

Major U.S. arms sales as notified to Congress.(Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990)(Report)
July 1, 2010... The following table provides information on U.S. sales (not deliveries) of major defense articles and services to Taiwan, as approved by the President and formally notified to Congress since 1990. Based on unclassified notices and news reports,...

State, foreign operations, and related programs: FY2011 budget and appropriations.(Congressional Research Service)(Report)
July 1, 2010... Contents Recent Developments State-Foreign Operations Overview Background and Trends Use of Supplemental and Forward Funding FY2011 Budget Request FY2011 Budget Request: State Department and Related Agencies Key State Department...

Navy ship names: background for Congress.(Congressional Research Service)(Report)
July 1, 2010... Contents Background Authority for Naming Ships Navy's Process for Selecting Names Naming Rules for Ship Types Ships Named for Living Persons Public's Role in Naming Ships Congress's Role in Naming Ships Congressional Influence...

Department of Defense contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan: background and analysis.(Congressional Research Service)(Report)
July 1, 2010... Contents Background Managing Contractors during Contingency Contracting Number and Roles of Contractors in the Central Command Region Contractors in CENTCOM Contractors in Iraq Number of Contractors Type of Work Performed by...

Argentina's defaulted sovereign debt: dealing with the "holdouts".(Congressional Research Service)(Report)
July 1, 2010... Contents Introduction and Recent Developments Background to the Current Debt Restructuring The 2001 Financial Crisis The Debt Restructuring of 2005 U.S. Responses to Argentina's Debt Repudiation Private Sector Responses U.S....

U.S.-China military contacts: issues for Congress.(Congressional Research Service)(Report)
July 1, 2010... July 6, 2010 Summary This CRS report, updated as warranted, discusses policy issues regarding military-to-military (mil-to-mil) contacts with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and provides a record of major contacts and crises since...

Overview of and options for policy.(U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress)(Report)
July 1, 2010... U.S. leaders have applied military contacts as one tool and point of leverage in the broader policy toward the People's Republic of China (PRC). The first part of this CRS Report discusses policy issues regarding such military-to-military...

Policy issues for Congress.(U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress)(Report)
July 1, 2010... Skepticism in the United States about the value of military exchanges with China has increased with the experiences in the 1990s; crises like the PLA's missile exercises targeting Taiwan in 1995-1996, mistaken bombing of the PRC embassy in...

Appendix. Major military contacts since 1993.(U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress)(Appendix)
July 1, 2010... The scope of this record of mil-to-mil contacts focuses on senior-level visits, strategic talks, functional exchanges, agreements, commissions, and training or exercises. This compiled chronology does not provide a detailed list of all...

Project BioShield: authorities, appropriations, acquisitions, and issues for Congress.(Congressional Research Service)(Report)
July 1, 2010... July 7, 2010 Summary Many potential chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) terrorism agents lack available medical countermeasures. In 2003, President Bush proposed Project BioShield to address this need. The Project...

Afghanistan: post-Taliban governance, security, and U.S. policy.(Congressional Research Service)(Report)
July 1, 2010... July 21, 2010 Summary Following two high-level policy reviews on Afghanistan in 2009, the Obama Administration asserts that it is pursuing a fully resourced and integrated military-civilian strategy that will pave the way for a gradual...

Background.(Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy)(Report)
July 1, 2010... From Early History to the 19th Century Alexander the Great conquered what is now Afghanistan in three years (330 B.C.E. to 327 B.C.E), although at significant cost and with significant difficulty, and requiring marriage to a resident of the...

Post-Taliban nation-building efforts.(Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy)(Report)
July 1, 2010... With Afghanistan devastated after more than 20 years of warfare, the 2001 fall of the Taliban regime raised questions about the extent of a U.S. and international commitment to Afghanistan. Taking the view that leaving the Afghanistan-Pakistan...

Security policy and force capacity building.(Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy)(Report)
July 1, 2010... The U.S. definition of "success" in Afghanistan, articulated since the ouster of the Taliban in late 2001, is to help build up an Afghan government and security force that can defend itself, expand governance, and develop economically. The Obama...

Regional context.(Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy)(Report)
July 1, 2010... Most of Afghanistan's neighbors believed that the fall of the Taliban would stabilize the region, but like-minded militants have been battling the government of Pakistan, dashing hopes for longterm stability. Six of Afghanistan's neighbors...

U.S. and international aid to Afghanistan and development issues.(Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy)(Report)
July 1, 2010... Many experts have long believed that accelerating economic development would do more to improve the security situation--and to eliminate narcotics trafficking--than intensified antiTaliban combat. This belief appears to constitute a major...

Residual issues from past conflicts.(Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy)(Report)
July 1, 2010... A few issues remain unresolved from Afghanistan's many years of conflict, such as Stinger retrieval and mine eradication. Stinger Retrieval Beginning in late 1985 following internal debate, the Reagan Administration provided about 2,000...

Appendix. U.S. and international sanctions lifted.(Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy)(Appendix)
July 1, 2010... Virtually all U.S. and international sanctions on Afghanistan, some imposed during the Soviet occupation era and others on the Taliban regime, have now been lifted. * P.L. 108-458 (December 17, 2004, referencing the 9/11 Commission...

Iran: U.S. concerns and policy responses.(Congressional Research Service)(Report)
July 1, 2010... July 23, 2010 Summary The Obama Administration has continued the long-standing characterization of Iran as a "profound threat to U.S. national security interests." This threat perception has been generated not only by Iran's nuclear...

Political history.(Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)(Report)
July 1, 2010... The United States was an ally of the late Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi ("the Shah"), who ruled from 1941 until his ouster in February 1979. The Shah assumed the throne when Britain and Russia forced his father, Reza Shah Pahlavi (Reza...

Regime structure, stability, and opposition.(Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)(Report)
July 1, 2010... About a decade after founding the Islamic republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died on June 3, 1989. Iran's regime has always been considered authoritarian, but with a degree of popular input and checks and balances among power centers. The...

Other human rights practices.(Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)(Report)
July 1, 2010... International criticism of Iran's human rights practices predates and transcends the crackdown against the Green movement. Table 3, which discusses the regime's record on a number of human rights issues, is based largely on the latest State...

Iran's strategic capabilities and weapons of mass destruction programs.(Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)(Report)
July 1, 2010... Many in the Obama Administration view Iran, as the Bush Administration did, as one of--and perhaps the key--national security challenges facing the United States. (8) This assessment is based largely on Iran's weapons of mass destruction (WMD)...

Foreign policy and support for terrorist groups.(Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)(Report)
July 1, 2010... Iran's foreign policy is a product of the ideology of Iran's Islamic revolution, blended with longstanding national interests and what some describe as a near obsession about the intent and extent of U.S. strategic power. Others interpret Iran's...

Additional U.S. policy responses and options.(Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)(Report)
July 1, 2010... The February 11, 1979, fall of the Shah of Iran, a key U.S. ally, opened the long and deep rift in U.S.-Iranian relations. As noted in the section on Iran's foreign policy and support of terrorism, U.S.-Iran differences significantly transcend...

Conclusion.(Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses)(Report)
July 1, 2010... Mistrust between the United States and Iran's Islamic regime has run deep for almost three decades. Some argue that, no matter who is in power in Tehran, the United States and Iran have a common long-term interest in stability in the Persian...