# Presentation: 199630

## Executive Order 12958, As Amended Army Declassification Program
Presented to the
Public Interest Declassification Board

Ms. Mindy K. Roberts
Chief, Army Declassification Activity 

14 July 2006 

- Presented to the
- Public Interest Declassification Board
- Ms. Mindy K. Roberts
- Chief, Army Declassification Activity
- 14 July 2006

## Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army (OAA) -  Responsible for executing the Army’s EO 12958 Automatic/Systematic Declassification Program (Oct 2005 - Assumed responsibility from Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1) 

Records Management and Declassification Agency (RMDA) - Oversees and coordinates agency implementation of Army’s EO Declassification Program for OAA; Planning, Programming & Budgeting responsibility

RMDA/Army Declassification Activity (ADA) - Oversees day-to-day EO declassification review, operations, and management of a TOP SECRET open storage facility; staffing consists of government civilians and contractors  

Army Staff Agencies and Army Commands - Conducts declassification review of records under their logistical control; reports status to RMDA/ADA  

Deputy Chief of Staff, G2 - Provides information security policy/guidance (AR 380-5)

**Records Management and Declassification Agency (RMDA)** - Oversees and coordinates agency implementation of Army’s EO Declassification Program for OAA; Planning, Programming & Budgeting responsibility
**RMDA/Army Declassification Activity (ADA)** - Oversees day-to-day EO declassification review, operations, and management of a TOP SECRET open storage facility; staffing consists of government civilians and contractors
**Army Staff Agencies and Army Commands** - Conducts declassification review of records under their logistical control; reports status to RMDA/ADA
**Deputy Chief of Staff, G2** - Provides information security policy/guidance (AR 380-5)

**Roles and Responsibilities**

## OAA Mission

-   Administer the Army’s Executive Order (EO) 12958, as Amended Automatic/Systematic Declassification Program (Long Term Planning, Programming, Budgeting, Management, Evaluation, Reporting and Oversight):
-  Identify, Locate & Retrieve Records
-  Conduct Declassification Reviews
-  Meet 31 Dec 2006 Deadline for Textual Records Review
-  Conduct Training
-  Maintain Electronic Database of All Records Reviewed
-  Insure Army Compliance With Kyl/Lott Amendments
-  Central Control of Army Referrals (Incoming/Outgoing)
-  Prepare Army Declassification Guide
-  Prepare Annual Update to Army Declassification Plan
-  Provide Advice, Assistance and Training to Army Staff Agencies and Commands
-  Meet “Rolling Requirement” Review Deadlines:
-       -- As Records Become 25 Years Old
-       -- Ten Year Re-Review of Exempted Records
-  Plan for 2009 (Referrals) & 2011 (Special Media) Deadlines
-  Represent Army on Interagency Working Groups
-  Support GWOT IAW White House, SECDEF, & DOJ Guidance
-       -- Identify/Safeguard WMD & CII
-  Process Mandatory Declassification Reviews

## +

**21.7M**

**COMPLETED TO DATE **
**as of 1 Jul 2006**

**5.2M Special Media Referrals**

**3.0M Textual Referrals (2009)**

**Pre-1982 PRODUCTION REMAINING  **

**1.9M Textual Referrals**

**184.1M Textual (includes NARA) **

**49.2M Army Special Media**

**ADA DECLASSIFICATION REVIEW RESULTS**

**13%**

**8%**

**68%**

**11%**

**Referred**

**Declassified**

**RD/FRD**

**Exempted**

**15.5M Army Special Media  (2011)**

**1.9M Special Media Referrals (2011)**

**1.3M Textual (2006)**

** ****Estimated Referrals (8.5M) **

**WMD & Kyl/Lott Relooks (57M) **

** ****MACOMs (6M) **

*** Does not include WMD and Kyl/Lott Relooks and MACOMs**

**+**

**+**

- As of 1 Jul 2006

**163.0M**

**32.3M**

**27.0M**

**18.4M**

** ****Rolling Requirement (17M) **

**SPECIAL DECLASSIFICATION PROJECT REVIEWS**
**  ****Nazi/Japanese War Crimes**
**  ****JFK Assassination Records **
**  ****Tail Wind Project**
**  ****POW/MIA Records From Korean War**
**  ****Guatemalan Hit Squads **
**  ****Project SHAD**
**  ****Gulf War Declassification Project  **

**Army Declassification Program Status**

## Army Declassification Review Process 

-  Reviews also conducted at Army Staff Agencies and Commands
-  3 Tier Quality Control Review (1 Contractor and 2 Army)
-  Contractors make recommendations to Army
-  Army makes final declassification disposition decisions
-  Pass/fail (no redactions); page by page review
-  Review for declassification only, not for public release
-  Disposition decisions made at both document and folder level
-  Disposition decisions:  Exclude, Declassify, Exempt, Refer
-  Dispositions decisions entered into Army Declassification Database
-  All documents/folders not declassified are tabbed

**Army Declassification Review Process**** **

## Army Declassification Workflow Process

## Support to Declassification Initiatives
External Referral Working Group (ERWG)
Automation Working Group
Classification Management Working Group
ISOO’s Referral Standard Working Group
NARA’s Interagency Referral Center (IRC)
Presidential Libraries Records Remote Archive Capture (RAC) Program
Participate in Equity Recognition Training
ERWG
Air Force Referral Standardization Lab
Conferences
Agency to Agency  
Centralized Database 
Utilize Document Declassification Support System (DDSS) to Make Referral Notifications

- External Referral Working Group (ERWG)
- Automation Working Group
- Classification Management Working Group
- ISOO’s Referral Standard Working Group
- NARA’s Interagency Referral Center (IRC)
- Presidential Libraries Records Remote Archive Capture (RAC) Program
- Participate in Equity Recognition Training
- ERWG
- Air Force Referral Standardization Lab
- Conferences
- Agency to Agency
- Centralized Database
- Utilize Document Declassification Support System (DDSS) to Make Referral Notifications

**Interagency Cooperation **

## Maintain appropriate level of funding/resources 
Referral processing:
Lack of standards (finding referrals may be difficult)
Quantity of referrals from other agencies is still TBD
Location where referrals can be reviewed is still TBD
Ability to bring boxes to ADA for processing is still TBD 
Space is limited at NARA 
Contractor turnover:
AVG of 2.8 personnel per month 
Finding all records required for review prior to 31 Dec 2006
Agency equity recognition training
Lack of standards for the review of Special Media 
Newly discovered records 
Centralized database

- Referral processing:
- Lack of standards (finding referrals may be difficult)
- Quantity of referrals from other agencies is still TBD
- Location where referrals can be reviewed is still TBD
- Ability to bring boxes to ADA for processing is still TBD
- Space is limited at NARA
- Contractor turnover:
- AVG of 2.8 personnel per month
- Finding all records required for review prior to 31 Dec 2006
- Agency equity recognition training
- Lack of standards for the review of Special Media
- Newly discovered records
- Centralized database

**Challenges**