Senate Armed services oversight committees are made up of senators and House armed services oversight committees are made up of congressmen. Do these oversight committtees receive briefings on classified projects? Like the U2 spy place, SR-71 blackbird, the stealth program for F-117 and the spy projects? Or do only the president and the secretary of defense know about them?
2007-11-17 23:35:08 · 5 answers · asked by warlord 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
Yes they do provide oversight becaues they are the ones funding the bill for such projects. The Secrety of Defense and the Preseident can ask because if they are asking, they have a need to know, otherwise they wouldn't be asking about it.
Understand this, when the F-117 was first on the drawing board it was a TOP SECRET Project. The project was funded through Senate and Hosue oversight committees so they have a need to know about the project. However, there are things they wont know because they dont need to know. An example can be the the components that make the frame that make the aircraft stealth. Now that would be an example of something they might not have a need to know, or maybe they explained that portion of the project with a dumbed down classification like confedential or secret.
2007-11-18 10:49:09 · answer #1 · answered by B. Wags 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. From both the House and Senate Intelligence and Armed Forces Committees. Most of the hearings held by the Senate Committees are held in executive session, which attaches severe penalties to anyone who divulges any portion of the testimony or verbal interchanges in those sessions. Any leaking is punishable under the National Security Act of 1947 (as amended).
2007-11-18 10:14:47 · answer #2 · answered by desertviking_00 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Black projects are secret, therefore very few people know about them. The oversight is extremely limited. The President and Secretary of Defense are generally not in that loop.
Knowledge of these programs is a "Need to know" basis. Americans tend to think they/we have the right to know everything that our government does. We have the right, not the need.
There are things going on that you simply don't need to know about. And if the knowledge was public, then the whole idea of a secret weapon is shot down. In military operations, it is generally best to surprise your enemy.
2007-11-18 00:23:40 · answer #3 · answered by NSA 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
from what I gather, it is a need to know basis.
when someone important (ie the President) starts asking, they are told "Sir, no such project exists" or "I don't know anything about that".
interesting thing.......do some research in JFK. He was in naval intelligence (not a lot of people know that or remember). a story i've heard more than once is that JFK pressed this issue of knowing black projects, using his past experience and knowledge of black projects. apparently he was shut out. some conspiracy's will point toward JFK getting too close to seeing things he didn't need to see or know about.....very interesting and plausible.
2007-11-18 03:52:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I seriously doubt it.
It wouldn't be a secret project if a lot of people were allowed to know about it.
2007-11-17 23:48:45 · answer #5 · answered by Digital Age 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋