Hidden Truth/Hidden Truth.iso/data/ftp-stuff/newstuff/lifting-the-veil

Text File | 1996-05-27 | 4.7 KB | 84 lines

LIFTING THE VEIL OF SECRECY
___________________________
by Paul McGinnis, April 3, 1994

I've been trying to track secret U.S. military spending (i.e., the "black"
budget) for about a year. I've used various sources for my research,
particularly some obscure military and Congressional documents. In fiscal
year 1994, the U.S. government will spend about 44 billion dollars in
secret, with about 26 billion dollars going to our spy agencies such as
the CIA or NSA. Although we keep hearing about aerospace workers losing their
jobs and defense cutbacks, the U.S will spend 261 billion dollars on defense
this year. The big question is: where is the money going??

Using what I know, I will try and inform you about some of the secret
programs that I know about. While some people will claim that I might be
helping foreign governments, I am releasing this information because I believe
that American taxpayers have a right to know how their tax dollars are
spent. I believe that secret military spending violates Article 1, Section
9, Clause 7 of the U.S. Constitution. Since the military uses capital letters
when giving code-names (i.e., such as the SENIOR CITIZEN aircraft), I will
follow that convention. Any mistakes in the information given are due to
my own misunderstandings of these programs -- the Pentagon takes a number
of actions to conceal their secret programs. Oddly enough, as an engineer,
there are some programs I approve of, but I don't approve of the excessive
secrecy surrounding them.

* Although the Cold War has ended, large sums of money are still being spent
  on -new- ways of fighting and winning a nuclear war. The U.S. Air Force
  seems to be the worst offender, spending 3 billion dollars this year on
  programs such as OLYMPIC or MERIDIAN.

* Artificial intelligence (AI) methods such as neural nets and expert systems
  are receiving a lot of funding. While there is merit to technologies such
  as using neural networks to identify radar signals (i.e., to identify
  aircraft based on their radar signature), there are real problems I see
  in using AI to make strategy and policy, instead of humans.

* Nonlethal warfare technologies, such as using lasers to blind optical
  systems (and probably the person behind them), chemical incapacitating
  agents, and the use of infrasonic sound and high power microwaves to
  cause illness are popular.

* Experiments are under way to see if genetically altered micro-organisms
  can be used to detect chemical or biological warfare gases.

* Computer simulation technologies, such as virtual reality, are being
  pushed for training. For example, the Department of Defense has a
  program underway to tie up to 100,000 participants in simulators together,
  over high speed computer networks. These participants will participate
  in battles shown on their high-resolution computer displays.

* Stealth technology is constantly advancing. Along with new aircraft, such
  as SENIOR CITIZEN, research is underway in other areas, such as a new
  radar absorbent material (RAM) that contains microscopic ceramic spheres,
  and a Navy program to design a stealth submarine.

* Unmanned military vehicles are quite popular. These are small vehicles,
  controlled by a computer "brain". Along with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
  such as SPRITE or THIRSTY SABER, there are even Unmanned Underwater Vehicles,
  such as a Navy vehicle that crawls along the ocean bottom looking for mine
  fields. I think it is a bit weird that future U.S. wars will be fought by
  robots, with strategies created by Pentagon computers (see above).

* A key priority of the DOD, seems to be the upgrading of intelligence
  gathering technologies. SIGINT (signals intelligence) and electronic
  imagery "platforms" and "assets" seem to be getting the most funding.
  This includes spy satellites of various types and aircraft. Even the
  venerable U-2 (TR-1) spy plane has been getting upgrades under the
  SENIOR GLASS program. There are numerous programs to find missile
  launchers and track missiles such as HAVE DUNGEON or WAR BREAKER. Some
  of the advanced technology, particularly in imagery gathering, has
  interesting commercial applications if the Pentagon chooses to release
  the technology. For example, U.S. Air Force spy planes can record digital
  imagery they collect at up to 480 megabits per seconds on digital tape
  recorders, and then ground users can see the imagery on high resolution
  computer screens. This data can also be encrypted and sent over satellite
  links while the spy plane is still in the air. There is a drawback to
  intelligence technology though - vast amounts of data are collected, but
  there appears to be inadequate processing of the data by intelligence
  analysts or linguists.


Paul McGinnis / [e-mail]