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| Date Dec. 6, 2024 |
Report No. IF12772 |
Title
Updated December 6, 2024 The Army s Self-Propelled Howitzer Modernization (SPH-M) Effort Background The Army s current self-propelled artillery system, the M109 Paladin, first entered service in the 1960s and has been upgraded numerous times. The Army has two types of artillery: self-propelled, a howitzer mounted on a tracked or wheeled vehicle, or towed, a howitzer towed by a vehicle and then ...
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| Date Dec. 6, 2024 |
Report No. R47655 |
Title
1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: Fact Sheet Updated December 6, 2024 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R47655 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: Fact Sheet Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 History ...
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| Date Dec. 5, 2024 |
Report No. RS20844 |
Title
Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure Updated December 5, 2024 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov RS20844 SUMMARY Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure RS20844 December 5, 2024 Jill H. Wilson Analyst in Immigration When civil unrest, violence, or natural disasters erupt in countries around the world, concerns Policy arise over ...
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| Date Dec. 5, 2024 |
Report No. R44245 |
Title
Israel: Major Issues and U.S. Relations Updated December 5, 2024 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R44245 SUMMARY Israel: Major Issues and U.S. Relations R44245 December 5, 2024 Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been at war with the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group Hamas (a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, or FTO), which led attacks on that day from the ...
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| Date Dec. 5, 2024 |
Report No. R48293 |
Title
Plastic Pollution and Policy Considerations: Frequently Asked Questions December 5, 2024 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R48293 SUMMARY Plastic Pollution and Policy Considerations: Frequently Asked Questions R48293 December 5, 2024 Laura Gatz, Coordinator Specialist in Environmental Global and domestic plastic production has increased substantially since the mid-20th ...
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| Date Dec. 5, 2024 |
Report No. R48291 |
Title
Bank Holding Companies: Background and Issues for Congress December 5, 2024 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R48291 SUMMARY Bank Holding Companies: Background and Issues for Congress R48291 December 5, 2024 Marc Labonte Specialist in Companies that control banks are required to be regulated and supervised by the Federal Reserve Macroeconomic Policy (Fed) as bank ...
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| Date Dec. 5, 2024 |
Report No. LSB10694 |
Title
Legal Sidebari Funding Limits on Federal Prosecutions of State-Legal Medical Marijuana Updated December 5, 2024 Federal law generally prohibits the production, distribution, and possession of marijuana for both medical and recreational purposes. In May 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) proposed to change the status of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) by moving it ...
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| Date Dec. 5, 2024 |
Report No. IF11353 |
Title
Updated December 5, 2024 Defense Primer: U.S. Precision-Guided Munitions According to the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), a precision-guided munition (PGM) is a guided weapon intended to destroy a point target and minimize collateral damage. In contrast to unguided munitions such as certain artillery rounds and rockets, a guided munition can change its flight trajectory to correct for targeting ...
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| Date Dec. 5, 2024 |
Report No. IF11643 |
Title
Updated December 5, 2024 Artemis: NASA s Program to Return Humans to the Moon Between 1969 and 1972, the Apollo program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) landed 12 American men on the Moon and returned them safely to Earth (see Figure 1). Since then, no human has been farther from Earth than low-Earth orbit, a few hundred miles up; the distance to the Moon is about 240, ...
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| Date Dec. 5, 2024 |
Report No. IN12467 |
Title
INSIGHTi Syria: Conflict Resurgence Updated December 5, 2024 Two coalitions of armed groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar Al Asad (alt. Assad) have made rapid and unexpected advances since late November 2024, taking Aleppo, the country s second largest city; other parts of northwestern Syria; and the city of Hama (Figure 1). Both coalitions feature anti-Asad forces, but may have differing ...
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| Date Dec. 5, 2024 |
Report No. IF11032 |
Title
Updated December 5, 2024 Budgetary Decisionmaking in Congress The Congressional Budget Process The Constitution grants Congress enormous power and freedom to engage in what is now referred to as budgeting. First, the Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse, but does not prescribe or require specific budgetary legislation or budgetary outcomes. Further, the Constitution allows the House ...
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| Date Dec. 5, 2024 |
Report No. IF12438 |
Title
Updated December 5, 2024 India-U.S.: Major Arms Transfers and Military Exercises Since 2008, defense trade has emerged as a central facet of the U.S.-India security partnership, and bilateral military exercises across all services are now routine. The U.S. Congress designated India a Major Defense Partner in 2016, conveying certain defense trade and security cooperation privileges. With U.S.-India ...
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| Date Dec. 5, 2024 |
Report No. IF12843 |
Title
December 5, 2024 Federal Aviation Administration Oversight of Boeing Commercial air travel is one of the safest forms of transportation, and fatal crashes are extremely rare. Between 2013 and 2022, U.S. air carriers flew more than 175 million cumulative flight hours and experienced six fatal crashes resulting in 15 total fatalities. The International Air Transport Association found that global ...
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| Date Dec. 4, 2024 |
Report No. R45472 |
Title
Market-Based Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Legislation: 108th Through 118th Congresses Updated December 4, 2024 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R45472 SUMMARY Market-Based Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Legislation: 108th Through 118th Congresses R45472 December 4, 2024 Jonathan L. Ramseur Specialist in Environmental Policy Members of Congress have expressed a ...
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| Date Dec. 4, 2024 |
Report No. R48290 |
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Enhanced Premium Tax Credit Expiration: Frequently Asked Questions December 4, 2024 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R48290 SUMMARY Enhanced Premium Tax Credit Expiration: Frequently Asked Questions Although the premium tax credit (PTC) has been available since 2014, there is increased congressional interest in the federal subsidy due to the impending expiration of a ...
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| Date Dec. 4, 2024 |
Report No. R46015 |
Title
The POWER Initiative: Energy Transition as Economic Development Updated December 4, 2024 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R46015 SUMMARY The POWER Initiative: Energy Transition as Economic Development R46015 December 4, 2024 Julie M. Lawhorn Analyst in Economic With the decline of the U.S. coal industry, managing the economic effects of energy transition Development ...
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| Date Dec. 4, 2024 |
Report No. IF12839 |
Title
December 4, 2024 Types of Private Sector Defined Contribution Plans Background A pension is an employer-sponsored benefit that helps workers prepare for their financial security in retirement. The two types of employer-sponsored pension plans are those (1) that provide a regular monthly payment during retirement, known as defined benefit (DB) plans; and (2) in which employee and employer ...
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| Date Dec. 4, 2024 |
Report No. IF12840 |
Title
December 4, 2024 Defense Primer: U.S. Space Command U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM) is responsible for U.S. military operations in space. As a geographic combatant command (CCMD), USSPACECOM receives personnel and equipment from each of the military services to execute its mission (see Figure 1). USSPACECOM is distinct from, and complementary to, the United States Space Force (USSF), which is an ...
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| Date Dec. 4, 2024 |
Report No. IF12717 |
Title
Updated December 4, 2024 CrowdStrike IT Outage: Impacts to Public Safety Systems and Considerations for Congress On July 19, 2024, CrowdStrike, a U.S. cybersecurity firm, released a software update to their customers. The update caused certain computer systems to crash, disrupting services across several industries, including airlines, banks, and hospitals, as well as government agencies and ...
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| Date Dec. 4, 2024 |
Report No. IF10215 |
Title
Updated December 4, 2024 Mexico s Migration Control Efforts Background In FY2022 and FY2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported record numbers of migrant encounters on the Southwest border, raising congressional concerns. In June 2024, a new U.S. policy limiting access to asylum, combined with Mexican enforcement efforts, contributed to a decline in encounters. In FY2024, encounters ...
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| Date Dec. 4, 2024 |
Report No. IF10703 |
Title
Updated December 4, 2024 Lebanese Hezbollah Hezbollah ( Party of God, also spelled Hizballah) is an Iran-backed Lebanese Shia militia and U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Hezbollah is an Iranian partner force, helping Tehran project power across the region, train allied militias (reportedly including Hamas), and threaten U.S. interests and allies across the region. Formed in ...
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| Date Dec. 4, 2024 |
Report No. R48294 |
Title
Nicaragua: In Brief December 4, 2024 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R48294 SUMMARY Nicaragua: In Brief R48294 December 4, 2024 Background Karla I. Rios Nicaragua, a Central American country with the second-lowest per capita income in the Western Analyst in Latin American Hemisphere, is currently governed by the authoritarian regime of President Daniel Ortega Affairs ...
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| Date Dec. 4, 2024 |
Report No. IF11255 |
Title
Updated December 4, 2024 U.S. Papua New Guinea Relations: Issues for Congress Overview The Independent State of Papua New Guinea (PNG) lies in a region of the southwest Pacific known as Melanesia on the eastern side of the island of New Guinea. It is the most populous Pacific Island country (PIC), with over 10 million inhabitants belonging to hundreds of tribes. In 1975, PNG gained independence ...
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| Date Dec. 4, 2024 |
Report No. IF12563 |
Title
Updated December 4, 2024 Patent-Eligible Subject Matter Reform: An Overview The U.S. patent system is designed to encourage innovation. The types of inventions that can be patented, however, may affect the patent system s ability to promote innovation in certain fields, especially in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology. This In Focus analyzes recent judicial, ...
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| Date Dec. 4, 2024 |
Report No. IF12589 |
Title
Updated December 4, 2024 Research Security Policies: An Overview The international scientific community generally views the free and open exchange of information as vital to the process of scientific inquiry, including the vetting of ideas and the verification of research results. The U.S. research ecosystem broadly operates on these principles. U.S. officials and others have raised concerns about ...
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| Date Dec. 4, 2024 |
Report No. IF12591 |
Title
Updated December 4, 2024 Cybersecurity and Digital Health Information As the technologies used in health care expand, so too do cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Increasingly, health care actors use electronic health records (EHRs), artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, and telehealth services to provide and facilitate care. While these technologies have their advantages, stakeholders have noted ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. R42853 |
Title
Nuclear Energy: Overview of Congressional Issues Updated December 3, 2024 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R42853 SUMMARY Nuclear Energy: Overview of Congressional Issues R42853 December 3, 2024 Mark Holt Specialist in Energy Policy Policy debate over the role of nuclear power in the nation s energy mix is rooted in the technology s fundamental characteristics. ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. R43287 |
Title
Columbia River Treaty Updated December 3, 2024 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R43287 Columbia River Treaty Summary The Columbia River Treaty (CRT or Treaty) is an international agreement between the United States and Canada for the cooperative development and operation of the water resources of the Columbia River Basin to provide for flood control and electric ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. R44148 |
Title
Indian Water Rights Settlements Updated December 3, 2024 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R44148 Indian Water Rights Settlements Summary In the second half of the 19th century, the federal government pursued a policy of confining Native American Tribes to reservations. The federal statutes and treaties reserving such land for tribal reservations typically did not ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. IF10838 |
Title
Updated December 3, 2024 Funding the State Administration of Unemployment Compensation (UC) Benefits Background: A Joint Federal-State Program Underlying Rationale for Federal Funding of UC Administration The Unemployment Compensation (UC) program is constructed as a joint federal-state partnership providing temporary and partial wage replacement to involuntarily unemployed workers through ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. IF12836 |
Title
December 3, 2024 Presidential Transitions: Security Clearance Background Investigations The security clearance process is designed to determine the trustworthiness of an individual prior to granting him or her access to classified national security information. Only federal entities may issue security clearances and generally only upon a favorable determination following completion of a background ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. LSB11248 |
Title
Legal Sidebari Appellate Courts Divided Over School Employee Discrimination Lawsuits and Title IX December 3, 2024 Federal appellate courts have split over how two federal laws that bar sex discrimination in certain settings and programs relate to one another. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) bars (among other things) sex discrimination in the workplace. Section 901(a) of the ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. IF10684 |
Title
Updated December 3, 2024 Defense Primer: Military Enlisted Personnel Grade and Rank The Armed Forces are hierarchical organizations with clearly defined levels of authority. These different levels are called grades, while rank refers to the order of precedence among those in different grades and within the same grade (e.g., someone who has been a Sergeant for three years outranks someone who has ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. IF12317 |
Title
Updated December 3, 2024 The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is a committee of nonfederal experts who make recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the use of vaccines and related agents for the control of vaccine-preventable disease in the U.S. civilian population. As a critical ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. IF12835 |
Title
Updated December 3, 2024 The Rice s Whale: Conservation Efforts, Implications for Ocean Sectors, and Considerations for Congress The Rice s whale (Balaenoptera ricei; Figure 1) is a recently described species of baleen whale (i.e., whales that contain baleen plates in their mouths for sieving plankton) and one of the rarest whale species in the world. This medium-sized whale is sighted year-round ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. IF12838 |
Title
December 3, 2024 Selected Issues in Tax Policy: Section 199A Deduction for PassThrough Business Income The 2017 tax revision (P.L. 115-97, also known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act or TCJA) created a temporary tax deduction for pass-through businesses under Section 199A of the federal tax code. The deduction is equal to 20% of a firm s qualified business income, subject to certain limitations. The ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. IN12465 |
Title
INSIGHTi Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization Activities, 2023-2024 December 3, 2024 Since its inception in 2021, the Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization has focused on providing a whole-of-government response and facilitating access to federal resources for communities facing ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. IN12468 |
Title
INSIGHTi Class-Wide Scheduling of Fentanyl-Related Substances (FRS) December 3, 2024 Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has recognized medical uses in pain management; it is a Schedule II controlled substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Fentanyl analogues, in generic use of the term, are similar in chemical structure to pharmaceutical fentanyl but are distinct substances; ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. R47312 |
Title
The Child Care and Development Block Grant: In Brief Updated December 3, 2024 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R47312 SUMMARY The Child Care and Development Block Grant: In Brief The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (CCDBG Act, as amended) is the main federal law governing child care programs for low-income working families. The CCDBG Act authorizes ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. IF12841 |
Title
December 3, 2024 Stun Guns, TASERs, and other Conducted Energy Devices: Issues for Congress Conducted Energy Devices (CEDs) are weapons that transmit electroshocks, whether via close contact or projectiles, to incapacitate targeted personnel. Common examples include stun guns and TASERs. Law enforcement and civilian use of CEDs is considered a less-lethal alternative to firearms. Nonetheless, ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. IF12582 |
Title
Updated December 3, 2024 Pricing and March-In Rights Under the Bayh-Dole Act To promote the utilization of inventions arising from federally supported research and development (R&D), Congress enacted the Patent and Trademark Act Amendments of 1980 (P.L. 96-517, as amended; commonly called the Bayh-Dole Act or Bayh-Dole ). Bayh-Dole established a uniform federal patent policy that allows funding ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. IF10015 |
Title
Updated December 3, 2024 Congressional Oversight and Investigations Congress engages in oversight of the executive branch through the review, monitoring, and supervision of the implementation of public policy. The first Congresses inaugurated these oversight techniques through special investigations, reporting requirements, and the use of the appropriations process to review executive authority. ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. IF11799 |
Title
Updated December 3, 2024 Child Migrants at the Border: The Flores Settlement Agreement and Other Legal Developments A specific body of law a 1997 settlement agreement, federal statutes, and regulations enacted that partially implement that agreement governs the care and custody of alien minors who seek to enter and be admitted to the United States. This framework distinguishes arriving minors who ...
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| Date Dec. 3, 2024 |
Report No. IF12837 |
Title
December 3, 2024 H5N1 HPAI Continues to Spread in Dairy Herds The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed a strain (H5N1) of highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus (HPAI) in dairy herds in Texas and Kansas on March 25, 2024. Through December 2, 2024, USDA had confirmed H5N1 HPAI in 689 ...
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| Date Dec. 2, 2024 |
Report No. R48288 |
Title
Human Rights in China and U.S. Policy December 2, 2024 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R48288 SUMMARY Human Rights in China and U.S. Policy U.S. concern over human rights in China has been a central issue in U.S relations with the People s Republic of China (PRC or China), particularly since the PRC Tiananmen crackdown in 1989. Congress has at times pressured the ...
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| Date Dec. 2, 2024 |
Report No. R48289 |
Title
Fact Sheet: Congressional Votes Relating to the Israel-Hamas Conflict December 2, 2024 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R48289 SUMMARY Fact Sheet: Congressional Votes Relating to the Israel-Hamas Conflict This report compiles congressional votes on legislation, including amendments and resolutions, related to the Israel-Hamas conflict that began on October 7, 2023. ...
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| Date Dec. 2, 2024 |
Report No. R45811 |
Title
Hypersonic Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress Updated December 2, 2024 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R45811 SUMMARY Hypersonic Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress R45811 December 2, 2024 Kelley M. Sayler Specialist in Advanced The United States has actively pursued the development of hypersonic weapons maneuvering Technology and Global weapons that ...
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| Date Dec. 2, 2024 |
Report No. IF12834 |
Title
December 2, 2024 FEMA: Increased Demand and Capacity Strains Introduction Figure 2. Number of Disaster Declarations by County Disasters in the United States have become more frequent, severe, and expensive in recent years. Government agencies and scientific experts expect these trends to continue due to climate change and increased development and population in areas vulnerable to hazards. These ...
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| Date Dec. 2, 2024 |
Report No. IF12611 |
Title
Updated December 2, 2024 DOD Replicator Initiative: Background and Issues for Congress create an unfavorable cost-exchange ratio for the Introduction Replicator, unveiled on August 28, 2023, is a Department of Defense (DOD) initiative, led by DOD s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), to field thousands of uncrewed systems by August 2025. Replicator s first line of effort ( Replicator 1 ) is to field ...
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| Date Dec. 2, 2024 |
Report No. IF12172 |
Title
Updated December 2, 2024 The Dark Web: An Overview Many observers of the World Wide Web (web) have described it as having layers. One layer, the surface web, contains indexed content easily accessible with a traditional search engine such as Google. Another layer, the deep web, contains unindexed content that cannot be accessed with a simple Google search. Within the deep web is a segment known as ...
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