Army Blocks Public's Access to Documents in Web-Based Library

[flashl]

Source: Washington Post

The Army has shut down public access to the largest online collection of its doctrinal publications, a move criticized by open-government advocates as unnecessary secrecy by a runaway bureaucracy.

Army officials moved the Reimer Digital Library ( http://atiam.train.army.mil) behind a password-protected firewall on Feb. 6, restricting access to an electronic trove that is popular with researchers for its wealth of field and technical manuals and documents on military operations, education, training and technology. All are unclassified, and most already are approved for public release.

"Almost everything connected to the Army is reflected in some way in the Reimer collection," said Steven Aftergood, director of the Project on Government Secrecy at the nonprofit Federation of American Scientists. "It provides the public with an unparalleled window into Army policy. It provides unclassified resources on military planning and doctrine."

Aftergood, a daily user of the library until he was shut out by the new firewall two weeks ago, said the collection offers specialized military manuscripts that do not appear on the shelves of local libraries. These include documents on the Army's use of unmanned aircraft; tactics and techniques for the use of nonlethal weapons; a field manual for non-engineers on the fundamentals of flight; and a manual on working dogs in the military.

Washington Post

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/20/AR2008022002830.html

[Occulus]

1. And some people here claim fascism ISN'T slowly taking hold in the US n/t

[annabanana]

2. Whenever "public" documents go away from public access.. they-

are no longer "public". Every step away from the light is a step into the dark.

[flashl]

3. "Cleaning" and removing government websites from the net started at the beginning of this admin. nt