TaoSecurity Blog

I am hopeful that President Trump will not block release of the remaining classified documents addressing the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I grew up a Roman Catholic in Massachusetts, so President Kennedy always fascinated me. The 1991 Oliver Stone movie JFK fueled several years of hobbyist research into the assassination. (It's unfortunate the movie was so loaded with fictional content!) On the 30th anniversary of JFK's death in 1993, I led a moment of silence from the balcony of the Air Force Academy chow hall during noon meal. While stationed at Goodfellow AFB in Texas, Mrs B and I visited Dealey Plaza in Dallas and the Sixth Floor Museum . Many years later, thanks to a 1992 law partially inspired by the Stone movie, the government has a chance to release the last classified assassination records. As a historian and former member of the intelligence community, I hope all of the documents become public. This would be a small but significant step towa...

Yesterday I testified to the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee at a hearing on  Protecting America from Cyber Attacks: The Importance of Information Sharing . I'd like to share a few thoughts about the experience. You may find these comments helpful if you are asked to testify, or want to help someone testify, or want to influence the legislative process. This was my fifth appearance at a government hearing. In 2012 I appeared before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, and in 2013 I appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee, the House Committee on Homeland Security, and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The process starts with a request from committee staff. They asked if I would be available and willing to testify. If I decide to decline, they would generally not force me to appear. The exception would be some sort of adversarial hearing. On the contrary, this sort of hearing is intended to educate th...