The Conflict Records Research Center (CRRC) was created to allow for academic research into captured documents in the spirit of transparency intended by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. The center was created at the direction of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and operates under the National Defense University’s Institute for National Strategic Studies. Lorry M. Fenner, PhD, is the current CRRC Director and Senior Research Fellow.
The CRRC’s database is comprised of documents housed in a restricted U.S. Government database that are gradually made into electronic copies with English translations and made available to access. New documents are added to the database weekly. CRRC’s two current collections are Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and al Qaeda and Associated Movements. Each record has the official entry in Arabic, whether it is written pages or an audio file and includes searchable information sheets in English. These primary source documents are excellent for resources for national defense and national security research interests.
In order to access the CRRC’s items, researchers must get approval. This process requires an Institutional Review Board approval of a research plan and a scheduled visit to the CRRC facilities, located in southern Washington, DC. The first step in gaining access to the records is to email a two-paragraph summary of research interests to CRRC@ndu.edu. The CRRC does offer competitive travel and lodging support of up to $3,000 for qualified PhD students and fellows outside the greater Washington, DC area for research likely to result in publication.
Source: http://www.ndu.edu/inss/index.cfm?type=section&secid=101&pageid=4
By Jonathan Buono, Arlington Campus Library GRA.
