Battfield Next

Continuing our focus on interoperability, today we journey across the pond to interview Lieutenant Colonel Christofer T. Franca, a U.S. Army Judge Advocate embedded with British Army Forces. LTC Franca discusses his background, his current position, and his take on interoperability and its application to future conflict.

Music by Joseph McDade

***The views expressed on the podcast are the views of the participants and do not necessarily represent those of The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, the Army, the Department of Defense, or any other agency of the US Government.

On today’s episode, Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Farquhar and Major Jason Coffey discuss the Army Legal Service, his background, his role at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center, and his focus on interoperability.

Below is a timeline of some of the subject-areas discussed during the episode:

00:00 Episode Introduction
01:02 The British Army Legal Service
02:11 The Responsibilities of the British Army Legal Service
02:53 Career Paths for Legal Officers in the British Army
05:04 Lieutenant Colonel Farquhar’s Career Path
06:38 Director of Mult-National Operations and the Focus on Interoperability
13:58 Planning in an Interoperable Environment
16:16 Book Recommendations
21:23 End of Episode

Lieutenant Colonel Farquhar’s Book and Media Recommendations:

"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman.
“12 Rules for Life” by Jordan Peterson.
“Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead” by Jim Mattis.
“Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern Word” by Peter Jackson.
“Gates of Fire” by Steven Pressfield.
University of Texas at Austin 2014 Commencement Address-Admiral William McRaven

For more information related to FCD you can follow us on Twitter @jagfcd or by visiting our webpage. If you have recommendations or suggestions about future topics or guests, please send us an email, or you can leave us a comment by signing in below. Finally, if you like what you hear, please leave us a review on iTunes and subscribe to "Battlefield Next" on your favorite podcast app. While this is a podcast created by US Army Judge Advocates from Future Concepts Directorate, our goal is to reach other judge advocates and lawyers across the DoD, law students, and members of academia. Your reviews help make this possible.

For more information about the US Army JAG Corps, you can go here. If you’re interested in joining the Army JAG Corps, you can get more information by contacting the Judge Advocate Recruiting Office (JARO) or by visiting their webpage.

*Lieutenant Colonel Farquhar is the British Army Legal Officer, and is the Director of Multi-National Operations at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center. As the director, he focuses on interoperability.

Music by Joseph McDade

***The views expressed on the podcast are the views of the participants and do not necessarily represent those of The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, the Army, the Department of Defense, or any other agency of the US Government.

On today’s episode, Mr. Fred L. Borch* and Major Jason C. Coffey discuss Judge Advocates in the Great War, covering the pre-World War I Judge Advocate General’s Corps, its expansion after the United States entered the war, Judge Advocate training, and the duties Judge Advocates performed during the war.

Below is a timeline of some of the subject-areas discussed during the episode:

00:00 Episode Introduction

00:59 Pre-World War I Judge Advocate General’s Corps

02:34 The Expansion of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps

04:00 The First 25 and Incremental Expansion

05:58 Judge Advocate Duties in the United States

08:39 Military Justice Agreements in World War I

11:09 Other Legal Issues Judge Advocates Faced

18:29 Social Changes in the Judge Advocate General’s Department

21:15 Judge Advocate Education and Training

24:35 Book Recommendations

28:58 End of Episode

Mr. Borch’s Book Recommendations:

Fred L. Borch. “Judge Advocates in the Great War”. The Army Lawyer, November/December 2018, pages 10-18. Book version expected Spring 2021.
“To Raise and Discipline an Army” by Joshua E. Kastenberg.
“The New Wilderness” by Diane Cook.
“They Shall Not Grow Old” by Peter Jackson.
“1917” by Sam Mendes

For more information related to FCD you can follow us on Twitter @jagfcd or by visiting our webpage. If you have recommendations or suggestions about future topics or guests, please send us an email at [email protected], or you can leave us a comment by signing in below. Finally, if you like what you hear, please leave us a review on iTunes and subscribe to “Battlefield Next” on your favorite podcast app. While this is a podcast created by US Army Judge Advocates from Future Concepts Directorate, our goal is to reach other judge advocates and lawyers across the DoD, law students, and members of academia. Your reviews help make this possible.

For more information about the US Army JAG Corps, you can go here. If you’re interested in joining the Army JAG Corps, you can get more information by contacting the Judge Advocate Recruiting Office (JARO) or by visiting their webpage.

*Mr. Borch is a professor of Legal History and Leadership at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, and the Regimental Historian and Archivist for the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

Music by Joseph McDade.

***The views expressed on the podcast are the views of the participants and do not necessarily represent those of The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, the Army, the Department of Defense, or any other agency of the US Government.

On today’s episode, Major Keoni Medici interviews Mr. Fred Borch on his remarks for the symposium commemorating the 75th anniversary of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg on 19 November 2020 at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School.

The episode begins with Mr. Borch providing a background of the International Military Tribunal; a description of the Nuremberg indictments; the subsequent Nuremberg trials; and an overview of what he will discuss at the symposium.

Below is a timeline of some of the subject-areas discussed during the episode:

00:00 Episode Introduction

02:14 Background of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg

10:23 The Nuremberg Indictments

13:56 The Subsequent Nuremberg Trials

19:00 Highlights of the Subsequent Trials

24:24 Background of Judge Justin Harding

25:31 Overview of Mr. Borch’s Symposium Remarks

28:34 Book Recommendations

32:54 End of Episode

Mr. Borch’s Book Recommendations:

“Hamnet” by Maggie O’Farrell.
“Crash Landing On You” by Ji Eun Park.
“Fargo” by Noah Hawley.
“Trial of the Chicago 7” by Aaron Sorkin.

For more information related to FCD you can follow us on Twitter @jagfcd or by visiting our webpage. If you have recommendations or suggestions about future topics or guests, please send us an email at [email protected], or you can leave us a comment by signing in below. Finally, if you like what you hear, please leave us a review on iTunes and subscribe to “Battlefield Next” on your favorite podcast app. While this is a podcast created by US Army Judge Advocates from Future Concepts Directorate, our goal is to reach other judge advocates and lawyers across the DoD, law students, and members of academia. Your reviews help make this possible.

For more information about the US Army JAG Corps, you can go here. If you’re interested in joining the Army JAG Corps, you can get more information by contacting the Judge Advocate Recruiting Office (JARO) or by visiting their webpage.

* Mr. Borch is a professor of Legal History and Leadership at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, and the Regimental Historian and Archivist for the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

MAJ Medici is an associate professor of Law in the National Security Law Department at The Judge Advocate General’s School.

***Music by Joseph McDade.

****The views expressed on the podcast are the views of the participants and do not necessarily represent those of The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, the Army, the Department of Defense, or any other agency of the US Government.

On today’s podcast we have Major Joshua Wolff, national security law attorney and the Army Element Command Judge Advocate for U.S. Space Command. Major Wolff recently completed a Masters of Law in Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications at the University of Nebraska, College of Law. On today’s episode, Major Wolff and Major Coffey discuss MAJ Wolff’s thesis, “Interrupted Broadcasts? The Law Of Neutrality And Communications Satellites”, which analyzes the relationship between the law of neutrality and space law and proposes a framework to resolve potential conflict between the two bodies of international law.

Below is a timeline of some of the subject-areas discussed during the episode:

00:00 Introduction

00:57 Overview of Space Law

02:32 Discussion of the Thesis “Interrupted Broadcasts? The Law of Neutrality
And Communications Satellites”

03:30 Overview of Neutrality

04:54 General Rule of Neutrality

06:13 Current State of Neutrality

07:09 Relevancy of the Hague Treaties to Satellites

08:35 Space Law and Neutrality

10:19 Gaps in Laws and Treaties

12:16 Problems that the Gaps Cause

13:13 Proposed Analysis to Close the Gaps

14:20 Neutrality Obligations in Space during an International Armed Conflict

16:03 Book Recommendations

17:24 Closing Remarks

MAJ Wolff’s Book Recommendations:

“Challenges to Security in Space” Defense Intelligence Agency

“The Shadow War: Inside the Modern-Day Undeclared Battles Waged Against America” by Jim Sciutto

“Eccentric Orbits” by John Bloom*

“Space 2.0” by Rod Pyle

*CORRECTION: In the episode, Major Wolff referred to the author of “Eccentric Orbits” as “Joe Bob Briggs”. “Joe Bob Briggs” is the alter ego of John Bloom, the credited author of “Eccentric Orbits”. Mr. Bloom has also publishes under that name. This serves as the correction that the credited author of “Eccentric Orbits” is John Bloom.

UPDATE: Major Wolff’s Paper is in pre-publication review. This blogpost will be updated with a link once the paper is published.

For more information related to FCD you can follow us on Twitter @jagfcd or by visiting our webpage. If you have recommendations or suggestions about future topics or guests, please send us an email at [email protected], or you can leave us a comment by signing in below. Finally, if you like what you hear, please leave us a review on iTunes and subscribe to “Battlefield Next” on your favorite podcast app. While this is a podcast created by US Army Judge Advocates from Future Concepts Directorate, our goal is to reach other judge advocates and lawyers across the DoD, law students, and members of academia. Your reviews help make this possible.

For more information about the US Army JAG Corps, you can go here. If you’re interested in joining the Army JAG Corps, you can get more information by contacting the Judge Advocate Recruiting Office (JARO) or by visiting their webpage.

***Music by Joseph McDade

****The views expressed on the podcast are the views of the participants and do not necessarily represent those of The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, the Army, the Department of Defense, or any other agency of the US Government.

On today’s podcast we have Brigadier General (Retired) Rich Gross, former Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Brigadier General Gross has also served as the Staff Judge Advocate of U.S. Central Command, US Forces-Afghanistan, and Joint Special Operations Command. MAJ Wellemeyer and MAJ Wellemeyer interviewed Brigadier General Gross the evolution of national security law, the importance of judge advocate integration into the units they are advising, and advising commanders in an operational setting.

Below is a timeline of some of the subject-areas discussed during the episode:

00:00 Introduction

00:50 The Evolution of National Security Law

03:58 Integration of judge advocates in the units they are advising

05:45 The growth of National Security Law practice during BG Gross’ service

08:36 The evolution of legal issues in National Security Law

11:19 Current concerns in National Security Law

14:11 Advising commanders in an operational setting

16:28 “Legal” and “Counsel”

18:40 Book recommendations

20:48 Closing

BG(RET) Gross’ Podcast Recommendations:

“The World Next Week”
“The President’s Inbox”
“The Economist”

BG(RET) Gross’ Book Recommendations:

“Creating Magic” by Lee Cockerell
“Team of Teams” by General Stanley McChrystal
“No Time for Spectators” by General Martin Dempsey

For more information related to FCD you can follow us on Twitter @jagfcd or by visiting our webpage. If you have recommendations or suggestions about future topics or guests, please send us an email at [email protected], or you can leave us a comment by signing in below. Finally, if you like what you hear, please leave us a review on iTunes and subscribe to “Battlefield Next” on your favorite podcast app. While this is a podcast created by US Army Judge Advocates from Future Concepts Directorate, our goal is to reach other judge advocates and lawyers across the DoD, law students, and members of academia. Your reviews help make this possible.

For more information about the US Army JAG Corps, you can go here. If you’re interested in joining the Army JAG Corps, you can get more information by contacting the Judge Advocate Recruiting Office (JARO) or by visiting their webpage.

*Music by Joseph McDade

The views expressed on the podcast are the views of the participants and do not necessarily represent those of The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, the Army, the Department of Defense, or any other agency of the US Government.

On today’s episode we have Brigadier General R. Patrick Huston, the Assistant Judge Advocate General for Military Law and Operations. BG Huston oversees international legal engagements, criminal prosecutions and government appeals for the Army. He also supervises the legal teams that provide advice on national security law, contract actions, administrative law and criminal law. He is focused on the legal and ethical development and use of artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons, cybersecurity and other emerging technologies. He also supports diversity and inclusion initiatives as part of talent management for the JAG Corps, one of the world's largest legal organizations.

Lieutenant Colonel Cinnamon Chielens and Major JJ Wellemeyer interviewed BG Huston via zoom to discuss three topics: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Deep Fake Technology, and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The episode is divided into three parts.

Part one covers Artificial Intelligence; its uses, common misconceptions, the importance of public/private partnerships, legal and ethical challenges, and advising commanders on the uses of AI.
Part two discusses Deep Fake technology, providing an overview, the risks involved, and protecting against deep fakes.

Part three discusses the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the JAG Corps and Army moves forward with those lessons.

Below is a timeline of some of the subject-areas discussed during Part 1 (AI):

00:00 Introduction

00:56 AI Overview

01:51 Misconceptions about AI and its uses

05:21 Public/Private partnerships in the development of AI

06:28 Legal and ethical considerations of AI

08:07 AI and great power competition
Below is a timeline of some of the subject-areas discussed during Part 2 (Deep Fake Technology):

00:00 Introduction

00:10 Deep fake overview

00:41 Combatting “Truth Decay”

03:15 Deep fake threats and potential solutions

04:50 Critical thinking/analysis in combatting deep fake threats

Below is a timeline of some of the subject-areas discussed during Part 3 (COVID-19):

00:00 Introduction

00:09 Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic

01:04 Courts and remote technology

02:27 Effects on the workplace

05:21 COVID-19 and autonomous systems

05:28 Closing Remarks

06:25 Book recommendations

08:03 End notes

If you’re interested in learning more about some of the topics covered during this episode, we recommend the following additional reading and resources:
Eric Schmidt: I Used to Run Google. Silicon Valley Could Lose to China.
BG Huston’s Book Recommendations:

“1776” by David McCullough
“Duffel Blog” edited by Randy Brown and Steve Leonard

For more information related to FCD you can follow us on Twitter @jagfcd or by visiting our webpage. If you have recommendations or suggestions about future topics or guests, please send us an email at [email protected], or you can leave us a comment by signing in below. Finally, if you like what you hear, please leave us a review on iTunes and subscribe to “Battlefield Next” on your favorite podcast app. While this is a podcast created by US Army Judge Advocates from Future Concepts Directorate, our goal is to reach other judge advocates and lawyers across the DoD, law students, and members of academia. Your reviews help make this possible.

For more information about the US Army JAG Corps, you can go here. If you’re interested in joining the Army JAG Corps, you can get more information by contacting the Judge Advocate Recruiting Office (JARO) or by visiting their webpage.

*Music by Joseph McDade

The views expressed on the podcast are the views of the participants and do not necessarily represent those of The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, the Army, the Department of Defense, or any other agency of the US Government.

On today’s episode we have Brigadier General R. Patrick Huston, the Assistant Judge Advocate General for Military Law and Operations. BG Huston oversees international legal engagements, criminal prosecutions and government appeals for the Army. He also supervises the legal teams that provide advice on national security law, contract actions, administrative law and criminal law. He is focused on the legal and ethical development and use of artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons, cybersecurity and other emerging technologies. He also supports diversity and inclusion initiatives as part of talent management for the JAG Corps, one of the world's largest legal organizations.

Lieutenant Colonel Cinnamon Chielens and Major JJ Wellemeyer interviewed BG Huston via zoom to discuss three topics: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Deep Fake Technology, and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The episode is divided into three parts.

Part one covers Artificial Intelligence; its uses, common misconceptions, the importance of public/private partnerships, legal and ethical challenges, and advising commanders on the uses of AI.

Part two discusses Deep Fake technology, providing an overview, the risks involved, and protecting against deep fakes.

Part three discusses the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the JAG Corps and Army moves forward with those lessons.

Below is a timeline of some of the subject-areas discussed during Part 1 (AI):

00:00 Introduction

00:56 AI Overview

01:51 Misconceptions about AI and its uses

05:21 Public/Private partnerships in the development of AI

06:28 Legal and ethical considerations of AI

08:07 AI and great power competition
Below is a timeline of some of the subject-areas discussed during Part 2 (Deep Fake Technology):

00:00 Introduction

00:10 Deep fake overview

00:41 Combatting “Truth Decay”

03:15 Deep fake threats and potential solutions

04:50 Critical thinking/analysis in combatting deep fake threats

Below is a timeline of some of the subject-areas discussed during Part 3 (COVID-19):

00:00 Introduction

00:09 Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic

01:04 Courts and remote technology

02:27 Effects on the workplace

05:21 COVID-19 and autonomous systems

05:28 Closing Remarks

06:25 Book recommendations

08:03 End notes

If you’re interested in learning more about some of the topics covered during this episode, we recommend the following additional reading and resources:
Eric Schmidt: I Used to Run Google. Silicon Valley Could Lose to China.
BG Huston’s Book Recommendations:

“1776” by David McCullough
“Duffel Blog” edited by Randy Brown and Steve Leonard

For more information related to FCD you can follow us on Twitter @jagfcd or by visiting our webpage. If you have recommendations or suggestions about future topics or guests, please send us an email at [email protected], or you can leave us a comment by signing in below. Finally, if you like what you hear, please leave us a review on iTunes and subscribe to “Battlefield Next” on your favorite podcast app. While this is a podcast created by US Army Judge Advocates from Future Concepts Directorate, our goal is to reach other judge advocates and lawyers across the DoD, law students, and members of academia. Your reviews help make this possible.

For more information about the US Army JAG Corps, you can go here. If you’re interested in joining the Army JAG Corps, you can get more information by contacting the Judge Advocate Recruiting Office (JARO) or by visiting their webpage.

*Music by Joseph McDade

The views expressed on the podcast are the views of the participants and do not necessarily represent those of The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, the Army, the Department of Defense, or any other agency of the US Government.

On today’s episode we have Brigadier General R. Patrick Huston, the Assistant Judge Advocate General for Military Law and Operations. BG Huston oversees international legal engagements, criminal prosecutions and government appeals for the Army. He also supervises the legal teams that provide advice on national security law, contract actions, administrative law and criminal law. He is focused on the legal and ethical development and use of artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons, cybersecurity and other emerging technologies. He also supports diversity and inclusion initiatives as part of talent management for the JAG Corps, one of the world's largest legal organizations.

Lieutenant Colonel Cinnamon Chielens and Major JJ Wellemeyer interviewed BG Huston via zoom to discuss three topics: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Deep Fake Technology, and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The episode is divided into three parts.

Part one covers Artificial Intelligence; its uses, common misconceptions, the importance of public/private partnerships, legal and ethical challenges, and advising commanders on the uses of AI.
Part two discusses Deep Fake technology, providing an overview, the risks involved, and protecting against deep fakes.

Part three discusses the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the JAG Corps and Army moves forward with those lessons.

Below is a timeline of some of the subject-areas discussed during Part 1 (AI):

00:00 Introduction

00:56 AI Overview

01:51 Misconceptions about AI and its uses

05:21 Public/Private partnerships in the development of AI

06:28 Legal and ethical considerations of AI

08:07 AI and great power competition
Below is a timeline of some of the subject-areas discussed during Part 2 (Deep Fake Technology):

00:00 Introduction

00:10 Deep fake overview

00:41 Combatting “Truth Decay”

03:15 Deep fake threats and potential solutions

04:50 Critical thinking/analysis in combatting deep fake threats

Below is a timeline of some of the subject-areas discussed during Part 3 (COVID-19):

00:00 Introduction

00:09 Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic

01:04 Courts and remote technology

02:27 Effects on the workplace

05:21 COVID-19 and autonomous systems

05:28 Closing Remarks

06:25 Book recommendations

08:03 End notes

If you’re interested in learning more about some of the topics covered during this episode, we recommend the following additional reading and resources:
Eric Schmidt: I Used to Run Google. Silicon Valley Could Lose to China.
BG Huston’s Book Recommendations:

“1776” by David McCullough
“Duffel Blog” edited by Randy Brown and Steve Leonard

For more information related to FCD you can follow us on Twitter @jagfcd or by visiting our webpage. If you have recommendations or suggestions about future topics or guests, please send us an email at [email protected], or you can leave us a comment by signing in below. Finally, if you like what you hear, please leave us a review on iTunes and subscribe to “Battlefield Next” on your favorite podcast app. While this is a podcast created by US Army Judge Advocates from Future Concepts Directorate, our goal is to reach other judge advocates and lawyers across the DoD, law students, and members of academia. Your reviews help make this possible.

For more information about the US Army JAG Corps, you can go here. If you’re interested in joining the Army JAG Corps, you can get more information by contacting the Judge Advocate Recruiting Office (JARO) or by visiting their webpage.

*Music by Joseph McDade

The views expressed on the podcast are the views of the participants and do not necessarily represent those of The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, the Army, the Department of Defense, or any other agency of the US Government.

On today’s podcast we have BG Joseph B. Berger, the Commanding General of The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, the premier training, education, and analysis institution for military law. As the Commander, BG Berger is responsible for developing and executing our Army’s (and in many cases, the Joint Force’s) institutional level legal training of uniform and civilian attorneys, paralegals, and legal administrators. The Legal Center and School’s mandate is not just limited to members of the JAG Corps; it is also responsible for legal training across the Army, from what our Soldiers learn about the law of war during basic combat training to what our most senior commanders learn during their Senior and General Officer Legal Orientations, mandatory courses before they can assume command of our Nation’s sons and daughters.

In mid-May, MAJ Coffey and MAJ Wellemeyer interviewed BG Berger via Zoom to discuss a number of topics including decision-making by lawyers as leaders, lessons learned from his time with special operations units, the speed of decision-making under the OODA loop process, under-writing failure as a leader, and lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Below is a timeline of some of the subject-areas discussed during the episode:

00:00 Introduction

01:05 Decision-making and lessons from SOF assignments

04:50 OODA loop, risk, and mistakes: how leaders under-write failure

06:45 Confusing “energy” with “progress”

07:49 OODA loop applied to the shift in distributed learning at TJAGLCS

13:44 How the OODA loop ties into mission command

16:10 Comfort with risk and how leaders can underwrite failure to build success

20:47 Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

23:07 How stress increases at lower echelons

25:06 Closing comments by BG Berger

27:05 Book recommendations

31:55 End notes

If you’re interested in learning more about some of the topics covered during this episode, we recommend the following additional reading and resources:

Early Lessons from the U.S. Army’s Campaign to Conquer COVID-19 by Loren Thompson
Explanation of the OODA Loop

BG Berger’s Book Recommendations:

“Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong” by Eric Barker
“Why We Write: Craft Essays on Writing War” edited by Randy Brown and Steve Leonard
“Pale Rider: The Spanish Flue of 1918 and How it Changed the World” by Laura Spinney

For more information related to FCD you can follow us on Twitter @jagfcd or by visiting our webpage. If you have recommendations or suggestions about future topics or guests, please send us an email at [email protected], or you can leave us a comment by signing in below. Finally, if you like what you hear, please leave us a review on iTunes and subscribe to “Battlefield Next” on your favorite podcast app. While this is a podcast created by US Army Judge Advocates from Future Concepts Directorate, our goal is to reach other judge advocates and lawyers across the DoD, law students, and members of academia. Your reviews help make this possible.

For more information about the US Army JAG Corps, you can go here. If you’re interested in joining the Army JAG Corps, you can get more information by contacting the Judge Advocate Recruiting Office (JARO) or by visiting their webpage.

*Music by Joseph McDade

The views expressed on the podcast are the views of the participants and do not necessarily represent those of The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, the Army, the Department of Defense, or any other agency of the US Government.