Remembering Former PIDB Member Martin C. Faga

Martin C. FagaJune 11, 1941 – October 19, 2023Former PIDB member, Martin Faga, died on October 19, 2023. Marty served for three terms and as acting chair. He was appointed by President George W. Bush as an inaugural member of the PIDB and was present at the Board’s first meeting on Saturday, February 25, 2006. … Continue reading Remembering Former PIDB Member Martin C. Faga

PIDB Posts Agenda for Executive Session Held on July 19, 2023

On July 19, 2023, the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) met in executive session by video teleconference. PIDB Acting Chair Alissa Starzak led the meeting, which was attended by PIDB members Carter Burwell, Paul-Noel Chretien, Ezra Cohen, Trey Gowdy, Michael Lawrence, and Benjamin Powell. In the meeting, the PIDB members discussed declassification issues with John … Continue reading PIDB Posts Agenda for Executive Session Held on July 19, 2023

PIDB Posts Agenda for Executive Session Held on June 22, 2023, at the National Archives

On June 22, 2023, the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) met in person for an executive session at the National Archives in Washington, DC. PIDB Acting Chair Alissa Starzak led the meeting, which was attended by PIDB members Carter Burwell, Paul-Noel Chretien, Ezra Cohen, Benjamin Powell and Michael Lawrence. In the executive session, PIDB members … Continue reading PIDB Posts Agenda for Executive Session Held on June 22, 2023, at the National Archives

PIDB Member and NPEC Executive Director Discuss Classification Reform and Overclassification at The World Institute of Politics; Video Available on YouTube

On May 22, 2023, PIDB member Ezra Cohen joined Henry Sokolski, executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center (NPEC), to discuss ”Classification Policy Reform and the Issues of Overclassification,” at The Institute of World Politics, in Washington, DC. The discussion highlighted the NPEC occasional paper  “Over-classification: How Bad Is It, What’s the Fix?”, which … Continue reading PIDB Member and NPEC Executive Director Discuss Classification Reform and Overclassification at The World Institute of Politics; Video Available on YouTube

PIDB Posts Agenda for Executive Session Held on May 30, 2023

On May 30, 2023, the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) met in executive session by video teleconference. PIDB Acting Chair Alissa Starzak led the meeting, which was attended by PIDB members Carter Burwell, Paul-Noel Chretien, Ezra Cohen, Benjamin Powell and John Tierney. The PIDB members planned for the next PIDB executive session. The agenda of … Continue reading PIDB Posts Agenda for Executive Session Held on May 30, 2023

PIDB Posts Agenda for Executive Session Held on May 17, 2023

On May 17, 2023, the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) met in executive session by video teleconference. PIDB Acting Chair Alissa Starzak led the meeting, which was attended by PIDB members Carter Burwell, Paul-Noel Chretien, Ezra Cohen, Laura DeBonis, Trey Gowdy, Michael Lawrence, Benjamin Powell and John Tierney. PIDB members received a briefing on a … Continue reading PIDB Posts Agenda for Executive Session Held on May 17, 2023

ABA/NPEC Panel Discussion on Over-Classification Includes Senators and PIDB Member

On May 11, 2023, the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center (NPEC) and the American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Law and National Security co-sponsored a panel discussion of the NPEC’s study on “Over-classification:  How Bad Is It, What’s the Fix?”. The panel met at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center, and featured Senator Mark R. Warner, … Continue reading ABA/NPEC Panel Discussion on Over-Classification Includes Senators and PIDB Member

PIDB Posts Agenda for Executive Session Held on April 19, 2023

On April 19, 2023, the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) met in executive session by video teleconference. PIDB Executive Secretary Mark Bradley opened the virtual meeting, which was led by PIDB Acting Chair Alissa Starzak, and attended by PIDB members Ezra Cohen, Carter Burwell, Paul-Noel Chretien, Benjamin Powell, and Michael Lawrence. For the ISOO Operations, … Continue reading PIDB Posts Agenda for Executive Session Held on April 19, 2023

NPEC Paper Offers Ideas to Reduce Over-classification; Touts Greater Role for the PIDB

Published on March 28, 2022, by the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center (NPEC), Occasional Paper 2303, Over-classification: How Bad Is It, What’s the Fix?, highlights examples of over-classification that increasingly undermine U.S. national security; offers ideas for reforms to reduce over-classification; and advocates for appropriate funds to support the staff and operations of the Public Interest … Continue reading NPEC Paper Offers Ideas to Reduce Over-classification; Touts Greater Role for the PIDB

PIDB Submits 2022 Annual Report to Congress

On March 30, 2023, Alissa Starzak, the Acting Chair of the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) submitted PIDB’s Annual Report to Congress for 2022. The report reviewed PIDB’s 2022 appointments under section 703 (c) of the Public Interest Declassification Act of 2000, as amended (P.L. 106-567); reports, including a congressionally mandated report on the Declassification … Continue reading PIDB Submits 2022 Annual Report to Congress