Department of Defense (DoD)

Freedom of Information Act

Program Report

for

Fiscal Year (FY) 1999

Prepared By:

The Directorate for Freedom of Information

 and Security Review (DFOISR)
i

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

ANNUAL REPORT

FISCAL YEAR 1999

(Report Period: October 1, 1998 through September 30, 1999)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

During the report period, fiscal year (FY) 1999, a total of 97,171 public requests for records under

the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) were completed by the Department of Defense (DoD). In the

processing of these cases, the Department of Defense fully denied 2,147 and partially denied 11,742 out of

97,171 requests on the basis of FOIA exemptions. Of those exemptions, 7% were for classified

information; 6% for internal rules and practices; 5% for statutory exemptions; 6% for proprietary data;

11% for deliberative material; 37% for privacy information; and 28% for law enforcement investigations.

Thirty-one thousand two hundred sixty six (31,266) requests could not be filled in whole or in part for

other reasons, such as lack of records, referral to another agency, or lack of specificity sufficient to identify

the requested records. There were 1,067 actions taken on appeals of denied requests (50 granted, 177

partially denied, 575 fully denied, and 265 not filled for other reasons, as mentioned earlier).

The total DoD operating cost associated with the processing of requests during this report period

was $32,618,179.33. The average cost of processing a single case during this period was approximately

$336.00. Fee collections for records provided to the public amounted to $834,816.23 (2.6% of total

program cost).
ii

Table of Contents

Basic Report Page

Item I. Basic Information Regarding the Report 1

Item II. How to Make a FOIA Request 1

Item III. Definitions of Terms and Acronyms Used in the Report 2

Item IV. Exemption 3 Statutes 6

Item V. Initial FOIA/PA Requests 9

 Part A. Numbers of Initial Requests 9

 Part B. Disposition of Initial Requests 9

 Part B. Number 1. Exemptions Invoked on Initial Denials 9

 Part B. Number 2. Other Reasons Cited on Initial Determinations for

 Nondisclosure

10

Item VI. Appeals of Initial Denials of FOIA/PA Requests 10

 Part A. Numbers of Appeals 10

 Part B. Disposition of Appeals 10

 Part B. Number 1. Exemptions Invoked on Appeal Denials 11

 Part B. Number 2. Other Reasons Cited on Initial Determinations for

 Nondisclosure

11

Item VII. Compliance with Time Limits/Status of Pending Requests 12

 Part A. Median Processing Times for Initial Requests Processed During the Year 12

 Part B. Status of Pending Requests 12

Item VIII. Comparison With Previous Year (Optional, Not Used) 13

Item IX. FOIA Staffing/Costs 13

Item X. Fees Collected From Public 14

Item XI. FOIA Regulation, Including Fee Schedule 14
iii

Supporting Tables 15

Tables for Item V. Initial FOIA/PA Requests

 Part A. Numbers of Initial Requests 16

 Part B. Disposition of Initial Requests 17

 Part B. Number 1. Exemptions Invoked on Initial Denials 18

 Part B. Number 2. Other Reasons Cited on Initial Determinations for

 Nondisclosure

19

Tables for Item VI. Appeals of Initial Denials of FOIA/PA Requests

 Part A. Numbers of Appeals 22

 Part B. Disposition of Appeals 23

 Part B. Number 1. Exemptions Invoked on Appeal Denials 24

 Part B. Number 2. Other Reasons Cited on Initial Determinations for

 Nondisclosure

25

Tables for Item VII. Compliance with Time Limits/Status of Pending Requests

 Part A. Median Processing Times for Initial Requests Processed During the Year 26

 Part B. Status of Pending Requests 27

Table for Item IX. FOIA Staffing/Costs 28
1

Item I.

Basic Information Regarding the Report

A. Title, address, and telephone number of person to be contacted with questions about the

report:

Write to: Chief, Program Management Division (PMD)

 Directorate for Freedom of Information & Security Review

1155 Defense Pentagon

Washington, DC 20301-1155

Telephone: (703) 695-4773

Name of Incumbent Chief, PMD: LTC J. F. Deming, U. S. Army

B. The electronic address (Universal Resource Line, URL) for this report is:

http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/foi/99report/

C. You may obtain a paper copy of DoD’s Annual FOIA Report for Fiscal Year 1999 by writing

to the above address and asking for a copy. A FOIA request is not necessary. Please include

a mailing address.

Item II.

How to Make a FOIA Request

The Department of Defense (DoD) Freedom of Information Act Handbook provides

basic information about how to make a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and general

information about the Freedom of Information Act Program within the Department of Defense

(DoD). This document also contains DoD component addresses, a brief description of response

times, and the reason why some requests are not granted. The DoD Freedom of Information Act

Handbook can be found at:

http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/foi/foiapam3.pdf
2

Item III.

Definitions of Terms and Acronyms Used in the Report

A. Agency-specific acronyms or other terms.

 1. The Military Departments.

 a. The Department of the Army: Dept Army.

 b. Department of the Navy: Dept Navy. The United States Marine Corps, USMC, is a

 part of the Department of the Navy.

 c. Department of the Air Force: Dept Air Force.

 2. Other Defense Agencies and Activities.

 a. Defense Contract Audit Agency: DCAA.

 b. Defense Finance and Accounting Service: DFAS.

 c. Defense Information Systems Agency: DISA.

 d. Defense Intelligence Agency: DIA.

 e. Defense Logistics Agency: DLA.

 f. Defense Security Service: DSS. Formerly Defense Investigative Service, DIS.

 g. Defense Threat Reduction Agency: DTRA. Formerly Defense Special Weapons

 Agency, DSWA.

 h. National Imagery and Mapping Agency: NIMA. Formerly Defense Mapping Agency,

 DMA.

 i. National Security Agency/Central Security Service: NSA/CSS or NSA.

 j. National Reconnaissance Office: NRO.

 k. Office of the Inspector General, Department of Defense: OIG, DoD.

 3. Office of the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Combatant

 Commands, and Defense Agencies/Activities not listed above: OSD/JS.
3

 4. “Other Reasons” Cited on Initial and Appeal Determinations.

a. No Records. A reasonable search of files failed to identify records responsive to the

request.

b. Referrals. The request was referred to another DoD Component or Federal Agency for

action.

c. Withdrawn. The request was withdrawn by the requester.

d. Fee-Related Reason. The requester is unwilling to pay fees associated with the request;

the requester is past due in the payment of fees associated with a previous FOIA

request; or the requester disagrees with a fee estimate.

e. Records not Reasonably Described. The request could not be acted upon since the

record had not been described with sufficient particularity to enable the DoD

Component to locate it by conducting a reasonable search.

f. Not a Proper FOIA Request for Some Other Reason. The requester has failed

unreasonably to comply with legitimate procedural requirements which are not not

fee-related.

g. Not an Agency Record. The requested information was not a record within the

meaning of the FOIA.

h. Duplicate Request. A request for the same information by the same requester. This

includes identical requests received via different means (e.g., electronic mail,

facsimile, mail, courier) at the same or different times.

i. Other. Any other reason a requester does not comply with published rules, other than

those mentioned above.

B. Basic terms, expressed in common terminology.

1. Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act (FOIA/PA) request: A FOIA request is

generally a request for access to records concerning a third party, an organization, or a

particular topic of interest. A Privacy Act request is a request for records concerning

oneself; such requests are also treated as FOIA requests. All requests for access to

records, regardless of which law is cited by the requester (FOIA or PA), are included in

this report.

2. Initial Request: A request to a federal agency for access to records under the Freedom of

Information Act (FOIA).
4

3. Appeal: A request to a federal agency asking that it review at a higher administrative

level a full denial or partial denial of access to records under the Freedom of Information

Act, or any other FOIA determination such as a matter pertaining to fees.

4. Processed Request or Appeal: A request or appeal for which an agency has taken a final

action on the request or the appeal in all respects.

5. Multi-track processing: A system in which simple requests requiring relatively minimal

review are placed in one processing track and more voluminous and complex requests are

placed in one or more other tracks. Requests in each track are processed on a first-in/first

out basis. A requester who has an urgent need for records may request expedited

processing (see below).

6. Expedited processing: An agency will process a FOIA request on an expedited basis

when a requester has shown an exceptional need or urgency for the records which

warrants prioritization of his or her request over other requests that were made earlier.

7. Simple request: A FOIA request that an agency using multi-track processing places in its

fastest (nonexpedited) track based on the volume and/or simplicity of records requested.

8. Complex request: A FOIA request that an agency using multi-track processing places in

a slower track based on the volume and/or complexity of records requested.

9. Grant: An agency decision to disclose all records in full in response to a FOIA request.

10. Partial grant: An agency decision to disclose a record in part in response to a FOIA

request, deleting information determined to be exempt under one or more of the FOIA's

exemptions; or a decision to disclose some records in their entireties, but to withhold

others in whole or in part.

11. Denial: An agency decision not to release any part of a record or records in response to

a FOIA request because all the information in the requested records is determined by the

agency to be exempt under one or more of the FOIA's exemptions, or for some

procedural reason (such as because no record is located in response to a FOIA request).

12. Time limits: The time period in the Freedom of Information Act for an agency to

respond to a FOIA request (ordinarily 20 working days from proper receipt of a

"perfected" FOIA request).

13. "Perfected" request: A FOIA request for records which adequately describes the records

sought, which has been received by the FOIA office of the agency or agency component

in possession of the records, and for which there is no remaining question about the

payment of applicable fees.

14. Exemption 3 statute: A separate federal statute prohibiting the disclosure of a certain

type of information and authorizing its with holding under FOIA subsection (b)(3).
5

15. Median number: The middle, not average, number. For example, of 3, 7, and 14, the

median number is 7.

16. Average number: The number obtained by dividing the sum of a group of numbers by

the quantity of numbers in the group. For example, of 3, 7, and 14, the average number

is 8.
6

Item IV.

Exemption 3 Statutes

Court

Upheld? Statute Types of Material Withheld Under Statute

No 5 USC §574(j) Administrative Dispute Resolution Act - Dispute resolution

communication between a neutral and a party to the dispute

Yes1

5 USC §7114(b)(4) Civil Service Reform Act – Representation Rights and Duties,

Labor Unions

No 10 USC §128 Authority to Withhold Unclassified Special Nuclear Weapons

Information

Yes2

10 USC §130 Authority to Withhold Unclassified Technical Data with

Military or Space Application

No 10 USC §424 Protection of Organizational and Personnel Information for

DIA, NRO, and NIMA

No 10 USC §455 Maps, Charts, and Geodetic Data; Public Availability

No 10 USC §618(f) Action on Reports of Selection, Generally for Promotion,

Boards

No 10 USC §1102 Confidentiality of Medical Records

No 10 USC §2305(g) Protection of Contractor Proposals

No 10 USC §2371(i) Research Projects: Transactions Other Than Contracts and

Grants

No 10 USC §2640(h) Authority to Protect Safety-Related Information Voluntarily

Provided by an Air Carrier

No 12 USC §3403 Confidentiality of Financial Records

No 15 USC §3705(e)(E) Centers for Industrial Technology - Reports of Technology

Innovations

No 16 USC §470w-3 National Historic Preservation

Yes3

18 USC §798(a) Communications Intelligence

Yes4 18 USC §5038 Interviews of Juveniles in Criminal Defense

No 21 USC §1175 Drug Abuse Prevention/Rehabilitation
7

Court

Upheld? Statute Types of Material Withheld Under Statute

No 22 USC §2778(e) Sec

38(e) of the Arms Export

Control Act

Control of Arms Exports

No 31 USC §3730(b)(2) Civil Actions for False Claims (specifies that materials related to

civil complaints filed by private individuals on behalf of the U.

S. Government under the False Claims Act will remain under

seal for at least 60 days and shall not be served on a defendant

until the court so orders).

No 41 USC §423 Procurement Integrity

No 42 USC §290dd-2 Confidentiality of Patient Records

Yes5

42 USC §2162(a) Restricted Data (Atomic Energy), Atomic Energy Act of 1954

No 42 USC §2168(a)(1)(C) Formerly Restricted Data (Atomic Energy), Atomic Energy Act

of 1954

No 50 USC §421 Protection of Identities of US Undercover Intelligence Officers,

Agents, Informants and Sources

Yes6

50 USC §402 Note Sec 6,

P.L. 86-36

NSA Functions and Information

Yes7

50 USC §403-3(c)(6)

National Security Act of

1947, Subsection

102(d)(3), as amended

Intelligence Sources and Methods

Yes8

50 USC §403(g), Section 6

of the CIA Act of 1949

CIA Functions and Information

No 50 USC §435 Note Sec

1082, P.L. 102-190

Disclosure of Information Concerning US Personnel Classified

as POW/MIA During Vietnam Conflict (McCain “Truth Bill”)

Yes9

50 U.S.C. app. § 2411(c)

(1), The Export

Administration Act of 1979

Confidentiality of Information Obtained Under the Export

Administration Act of 1979

Item IV. Endnotes

1

 Dubin v. Department of the Treasury, 555 F. Supp. 408, 412 (N.D. Ga. 1981), aff’d, 697 F.2d 1093 (11th Cir. 1983)

(unpublished table decision); NTEU v. OPM, No. 76-695, slip op. at 4 (D.D.C. July 9, 1979).

2 Chenkin v. Department of the Army, No. 93-494, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20907, at *8 (E.D. Pa. Jan. 14, 1994),

aff’d, 61 F.3d 894 (3d Cir. 1995) (unpublished table decision); Colonial Trading Corp. v. Department of the Navy,
8

735 F. Supp. 429, 431 (D.D.C. 1990); see also American Friends Serv. Comm. v. DOD, No. 83-4916, 1986 WL

10659, at *4(E.D. Pa. Sept. 25, 1986), rev’d on other grounds, 831 F.2d 441 (3d Cir. 1987).

3 Winter v. NSA, 569 F. Supp. 545, 548 (S.D. Cal. 1983); see also Gilmore v. NSA, No. C 92-3646, 1993 U.S. Dist.

LEXIS 7694, at **26-27 (N.D. Cal. May 3, 1993) (finding that information on cryptography currently used by NSA

“integrally related” to function and activity of intelligence gathering and thus protected).

4

 McDonnell v. United States, 4 F.3d 1227, 1251 (3d Cir. 1993) (holding state juvenile delinquincy records outside

scope of statute).

5 Meeropol v. Smith, No. 75-1121, slip op. at 53-55 (D.D.C. Feb. 29, 1984), aff’d in relevant part & remanded in part

sub nom. Meeropol v. Meese, 790 F.2d 942 (D.C. Cir. 1986). But see General Elec. Co. v. NRC, 750 F.2d 1394,

1401 (7th Cir. 1984) (concluding that provision concerning technical information furnished by license applicants

lacked sufficient specificity to qualify as Exemption 3 statute).

6 Founding Church of Scientology v. NSA, 610 F.2d 824, 828 (D.C. Cir. 1979); Hayden v. NSA, 452 F. Supp.

247,252 (D.D.C. 1978), aff’d, 608 F.2d 1381 (D.C. Cir. 1979).

7 

 CIA v. Sims, 471 U.S. 159, 167 (1985); see also Minier v. CIA, 88 F.3d 796, 801 (9th Cir. 1996) (finding that

agency properly refused to confirm or deny existence of records concerning deceased person’s alleged employment

relationship with CIA); Maynard v. CIA, 986 F.2d 547, 554 (1st Cir. 1993) (stating that under § 403(d)(3) it is

responsibility of Director of CIA to determine whether sources or methods should be disclosed); Krikorian v.

Department of State, 984 F.2d 461, 465 (D.C. Cir. 1993) (same); Fitzgibbon v. CIA, 911 F.2d 755, 761 (D.C. Cir.

1990) (same); Hunt v. CIA, 981 F.2d 1116, 1118 (9th Cir. 1992) (upholding agency’s “Glomar” response to request

on foreign national, because acknowledgement of any records would reveal sources and methods); Knight v. CIA,

872 F.2d 660, 663 (8th Cir. 1989) (same); Levy v. CIA, No. 95-1276, slip op. at 14-17 (D.D.C. Nov. 16, 1995)

(same), aff’d, No. 96-5004 (D.C. Cir. Jan. 15, 1997); Roman v. Dailey, No. 97-1164, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6708,

at **10-11 (D.D.C. May 11, 1998) (concluding that agency properly refused to confirm or deny existence of records

pertaining to agency personnel and spy satellite programs); Blazy v. Tenet, 979 F. Supp. 10, 23-24 (D.D.C. 1997)

(protecting intelligence sources and methods located in requester’s personnel file), summary affirmance granted,

No. 97-5330 (D.C. Cir. May 12, 1998); Andrade v. CIA, No. 95-1215, 1997 WL 527347, at **3-5 (D.D.C. Aug. 18,

1997) (holding intelligence methods used in assessing employee fitness protectible); Earth Pledge Found. v. CIA,

988 F. Supp. 623, 627 (S.D.N.Y. 1996) (finding agency’s “Glomar” response proper because acknowledgement of

records would generate “danger of revealing sources”), aff’d per curiam, 128 F.3d 788 (2d Cir. 1997) (unpublished

table decision); Campbell v. United States Dep’t of Justice, No. 89-CV-3016, 1996 WL 554511, at *6 (D.D.C. Sept.

19, 1996) (“CIA director is to be afforded ‘great deference’ by courts determining the propriety of nondisclosure of

intelligence sources”); cf. Linder v. DOD, 133 F.3d 17, 25 (D.C. Cir. 1998) (“[C]ourts must give ‘great deference’

to the Director of Central Intelligence’s determination that a classified document could reveal intelligence sources

and methods and endanger national security.”) (non-FOIA case).

8 

 Minier, 88 F.3d at 801; Roman, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6708, at **10-11; Blazy, 979 F. Supp. at 23-24; Earth

Pledge Found., 988 F. Supp. at 627-28; Campbell, 1996 WL 554511, at *6; Kronisch v. United States, No. 83-2458,

1995 WL 303625, at **4-6 (S.D.N.Y. May 18, 1995); Hunsberger v. CIA, No. 92-2186, slip op. at 3 (D.D.C. Apr.

5, 1995); Rothschild v. CIA, No. 91-1314, 1992 WL 71393, at *2 (D.D.C. Mar. 25, 1992); Lawyers Comm. for

Human Rights v. INS, 721 F. Supp. 552, 567 (S.D.N.Y. 1989); Pfeiffer v. CIA, 721 F. Supp. 337, 341-42 (D.D.C.

1989).

9 Armstrong v. Executive Office of the President, No. 89-142, slip op. at 30-35 (D.D.C. July 28, 1995) (protecting

information from export license application under Export Administration Act as Exemption 3 statute even though

statute had lapsed and its provisions were extended by executive order); Africa Fund v. Mosbacher, No. 92 Civ. 289,

1993 WL 183736, at *6 (S.D.N.Y. May 26, 1993) (holding that Export Administration Act protection applied to

agency denial made after Act expired and before subsequent reextension); Lessner v. United States Dep’t of

Commerce, 827 F.2d 1333, 1336-37 (9th Cir. 1987) (construing statute as effective in 1987).
9

Item V.

Initial FOIA/PA Access Requests

A. Numbers of initial requests.

 1. Number of requests pending as of end of preceding fiscal year (1 Oct 98): 10,240

 2. Number of requests received during current fiscal year (FY 1999): 98,338

 3. Number of requests processed during current fiscal year (FY 1999): 97,171

 4. Number of requests pending as of end of current fiscal year (30 Sep 99): 11,407

B. Disposition of initial requests.

 1. Number of grants: 57,221

 2. Number of partial grants: 11,742

 3. Number of denials: 2,147

a. Number of times each FOIA exemption used (counting each exemption once per

request).

(1) Exemption 1: 1,423

(2) Exemption 2: 1,149

(3) Exemption 3: 1,074

(4) Exemption 4: 1,124

(5) Exemption 5: 2,179

(6) Exemption 6: 7,341

(7) Exemption 7(A): 323

(8) Exemption 7(B): 22

(9) Exemption 7(C): 4,035

(10) Exemption 7(D): 738

(11) Exemption 7(E): 407

(12) Exemption 7(F): 25
10

(13) Exemption 8: 0

(14) Exemption 9: 0

4. Other reasons for nondisclosure (total):

a. No records: 9,052

b. Referrals: 10,445

c. Request withdrawn: 3,136

d. Fee-related reason: 2,969

e. Records not reasonably described: 1,811

f. Not a proper FOIA request for some other reason: 2,504

g. Not an agency record: 1,675

h. Duplicate request: 906

i. Other (specify*): 649

* Note: See table on page 20.

Item VI.

Appeals of Initial Denials of FOIA/PA Requests

A. Numbers of appeals.

 1. Number of appeals received during fiscal year (FY 1999): 1,091

 2. Number of appeals processed during fiscal year (FY 1999): 1,064

B. Disposition of appeals.

 1. Number denied in full: 575

 2. Number denied in part: 177

 3. Number completely reversed (granted): 50
11

a. Number of times each FOIA exemption used (counting each exemption once per

appeal).

(1) Exemption 1: 84

(2) Exemption 2: 47

(3) Exemption 3: 53

(4) Exemption 4: 38

(5) Exemption 5: 195

(6) Exemption 6: 274

(7) Exemption 7(A): 39

(8) Exemption 7(B): 3

(9) Exemption 7(C): 174

(10) Exemption 7(D): 22

(11) Exemption 7(E): 4

(12) Exemption 7(F): 1

(13) Exemption 8: 0

(14) Exemption 9: 0

 4. Other reasons for nondisclosure (total):

a. No records: 111

b. Referrals: 61

c. Request withdrawn: 105

d. Fee-related reason: 15

e. Records not reasonably described: 1

f. Not a proper FOIA request for some other reason: 6

g. Not an agency record: 2

h. Duplicate request: 2
12

i. Other (specify*): 7

* Note: See table on page 25.

Item VII.

Compliance With Time Limits/Status of Pending Requests

A. Median processing time for requests processed during the year (FY 1999).

 1. Simple requests.

 a. Number of requests processed: 78,846

 b. Median number of days to process: 20

 2. Complex requests.

 a. Number of requests processed: 17,228

 b. Median number of days to process: 66

 3. Requests accorded expedited processing.

 a. Number of requests processed: 1,097

 b. Median number of days to process: 7

B. Status of pending requests (as of: 30 Sep 99).

 1. Number of requests pending: 11,407

 2. Median age of above cases in days: 90
13

Item VIII.

Comparison With Previous Year

(Optional, Not Used)

Item IX.

Costs/FOIA Staffing

A. Staffing levels (expressed in work-years).

 1. Number of full-time FOIA personnel: 298.00

 2. Number of personnel with part-time or occasional FOIA duties: 478.29

 3. Total number of personnel: 776.29

B. Total costs (including staff and all resources).

 1. FOIA processing (including appeals): $32,277,432.99

 2. Litigation-related activities (estimated): $340,746.34

 3. Total costs: $32,618,179.33
14

Item X.

Fees

A. Total amount of fees collected by the agency for processing requests: $834,816.22

B. Percentage of total costs: 2.6%

Item XI.

FOIA Regulations (Including Fee Schedule)

A. The Department of Defense (DoD) Freedom of Information Act Program Regulation, DoD

 5400.7-R, September 4, 1998, which provides guidance regarding administration of the

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Program within the Department of Defense (DoD), can

be found at:

http://web7.whs.osd.mil/html/54007r.htm

B. The Fee Schedule is Chapter 6 of the above regulation.

C. Additional Department of Defense FOIA documents and hyperlinks can be found by

 accessing the following Universal Resource Locator (URL):

http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/foi/
15

Tabular Information

For

DoD Components

While not required, the tables on the pages that follow provide additional

information for DoD components.
Table for Item V., Part A.

Numbers of Initial Requests

Number Number Total Number

Pending Received Processed Pending

Component 1-Oct-98 FY 1999 FY 1999 30-Sep-99

OSD/JS 1,777 3,384 3,196 1,965

Dept Army 2,438 35,079 34,917 2,600

Dept Navy 1,054 22,603 22,557 1,100

Dept Air Force 1,507 16,728 16,461 1,774

DCAA 21 97 97 21

DFAS 104 3,516 3,516 104

DIA 1,781 1,215 661 2,335

DSS 31 147 147 31

DISA 87 464 427 124

DLA 594 13,159 13,207 546

DTRA 149 228 268 109

NIMA 44 202 197 49

NRO 42 103 108 37

NSA/CSS 540 1,111 1,054 597

OIG, DOD 71 302 358 15

DOD Totals 10,240 98,338 97,171 11,407

Notes: The fiscal year (FY) period covered by this report is FY 1999, 

 1 October 1998 through 30 September 1999.

 Total cases processed may exceed number of cases received 

 due to processing backlogged cases during the report period

 16
Table for Item V., Part B.

Disposition of Initial Requests

Total Granted Denied Denied Total

Component Processed in Full in Part in Full Other Actions*

OSD/JS 3,196 1,163 435 226 1,520 3,344

Dept Army 34,917 20,692 5,321 620 11,487 38,120

Dept Navy 22,557 11,862 3,329 690 8,181 24,062

Dept Air Force 16,461 7,952 1,629 301 6,757 16,639

DCAA 97 40 8 4 45 97

DFAS 3,516 2,429 33 36 1,000 3,498

DIA 661 173 386 133 203 895

DSS 147 59 38 10 40 147

DISA 427 216 27 4 194 441

DLA 13,207 12,222 108 25 920 13,275

DTRA 268 76 56 3 144 279

NIMA 197 87 26 69 106 288

NRO 108 7 31 20 50 108

NSA/CSS 1,054 205 163 135 615 1,118

OIG, DOD 358 47 152 51 108 358

DOD Totals 97,171 57,230 11,742 2,327 31,370 102,669

* Please Note: 1. More than one action can be taken on each Initial Request. 

 2. Multiple "Other" actions can be taken on a single Initial Request.

See page 19, "Other Reasons Cited on Initial Determinations for

Nondisclosure."

 17
Table for Item V., Part B., Number 3.

Exemptions Invoked on Initial Denials

Exemptions by Number (5 U.S.C. §552(b))

Component (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)(A) (7)(B) (7)(C) (7)(D) (7)(E) (7)(F) (8) (9) Total*

OSD/JS 201 46 60 53 75 162 5 0 10 2 0 0 0 0 614

Dept Army 449 680 161 450 947 3,882 59 12 2,011 565 359 4 0 0 9,579

Dept Navy 132 129 152 375 564 1,894 160 7 1,082 33 10 17 0 0 4,555

Dept Air Force 176 87 261 145 505 1,075 44 3 745 128 32 3 0 0 3,204

DCAA 0 0 0 6 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16

DFAS 0 2 0 0 13 43 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 58

DIA 203 152 74 3 1 96 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 530

18

DSS 4 8 0 2 3 16 0 0 9 2 0 0 0 0 44

DISA 0 4 7 20 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 36

DLA 0 18 18 27 30 59 7 0 37 2 5 1 0 0 204

DTRA 18 2 29 24 1 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 91

NIMA 12 0 4 1 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 27

NRO 30 0 30 0 0 7 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 68

NSA/CSS 198 17 275 11 14 29 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 549

OIG, DOD 0 4 3 7 16 46 48 0 134 6 1 0 0 0 265

DOD Totals 1,423 1,149 1,074 1,124 2,179 7,341 323 22 4,035 738 407 25 0 0 19,840

Percent of Total 7% 6% 5% 6% 11% 37% 2% 0% 20% 4% 2% 0% 0% 0% 100%

* Please note: 1. More than one exemption may be used to deny information on any single request.

 2. Rounded to nearest whole percentage point which is sometimes zero, 0%.
Table for Item V., Part B., Number 4.

Other Reasons Cited on Initial Determinations for Nondisclosure

Category*

Component 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total

OSD/JS 298 794 396 43 109 16 5 40 9 1,710

Dept Army 3,922 3,504 1,030 572 532 511 1,195 335 249 11,850

Dept Navy 1,630 2,393 794 1,870 240 1,804 105 200 177 9,213

Dept Air Force 2,092 2,615 683 330 524 132 233 146 2 6,757

DCAA 19 16 1 2 6 0 1 0 0 45

DFAS 186 453 18 7 212 15 16 2 91 1,000

DIA 133 52 2 0 2 4 2 8 0 203

DSS 18 15 3 0 2 0 3 0 0 41

19

DISA 42 102 4 22 19 3 0 2 0 194

DLA 368 167 143 33 72 11 45 103 0 942

DTRA 44 66 16 8 0 2 0 6 2 144

NIMA 22 0 5 12 12 3 5 5 4 68

NRO 37 3 3 4 0 6 0 0 0 53

NSA/CSS 211 209 35 52 79 0 64 59 115 824

OIG, DOD 30 56 3 14 5 0 0 0 0 108

DOD Totals 9,052 10,445 3,136 2,969 1,814 2,507 1,674 906 649 33,152

Note: See Item III., Definitions of Terms and Acronyms Used In Report, for definitions of categories below:

1. No records. 7. Not an Agency Record.

2. Referrals. 8. Duplicate Request.

3. Withdrawn. 9. Other (See next page).

4. Fee-Related Reason

5. Records not Reasonably Described.

6. Not a proper FOIA Request for Some Other Reason.
Table for Item V., Part B., Number 4., Supplemental

"Specific" Other Reasons Cited on Initial Determinations for Nondisclosure

 Other Specific Reason*

Component Electronic Insufficient Lacked 3d Party Publicly Direct Non- Improper NARA Not Agency

Referral Address/Info Waiver Sold Document NPRC Referral Attribution Referrals Referral Issue Total

OSD/JS 2 5 2 9

Dept Army 2 7 12 173 4 51 249

Dept Navy 38 9 68 6 42 14 177

Dept Air Force 2 2

20

DFAS 20 71 91

DTRA 2 2

NIMA 4 4

NSA/CSS 93 22 115

DOD Totals 38 128 7 16 243 26 128 47 16 649

Note: See Definition of terms on the following page. 
Item V., Part B., Number 4., Supplemental (Continued)

“Specific” Other Reasons Cited on Initial Determinations for Nondisclosure Explained

Electronic Referral: Requested information available on Internet and the requester was apprised of the Internet address.

Insufficient Address/Info: The requester provided an insufficient or inaccurate address and could not be contacted. The requester

did not respond to inquiry from the FOI Office requesting clarification of their request.

Lacked 3d Party Waiver: A third party (e.g., an attorney) making a request on behalf of someone else failed to provide an

authorization from the requester which would allow the third party access to the requester’s records.

Publicly Sold Document: Requested material was available through cash sales and the requester was advised how to purchase.

Direct NPRC Referral: Requested concerned military service records of former service members. Requests were returned to the

requester along with blank a form SF-180 and suggestion that they complete the form and submit directly to the National Personnel

Records Center (NPRC) of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), St. Louis, MO.

Non-Attribution: The agency’s involvement in a referral action would itself compromise national security matters which are

properly classified.

Improper Referrals: Referrals were returned to the referring agency/activity without action for correction because they were

incorrect or incomplete.

NARA Referral: Requested records were no longer under control of the referred agency. Requesters were directed to contact NARA

directly.

Not Agency Issue: Requested documents did not pertain to the agency.

21
Table for Item VI., Part A.

Numbers of Appeals

Received Total

Component FY 1999 Processed

OSD/JS 88 80

Dept Army 220 220

Dept Navy 443 413

Dept Air Force 148 153

DCAA 5 5

DFAS 6 6

DIA 56 46

DSS 6 6

DISA 3 3

DLA 22 22

DTRA 3 4

NIMA 3 9

NRO 11 11

NSA/CSS 54 54

OIG, DOD 23 32

DOD Totals 1,091 1,064

Note: Total cases processed may exceed number of cases received 

 due to processing backlogged cases during the report period

 22
Table for Item VI., Part B.

Disposition of Appeals

Total Granted Denied Denied Total

Component Processed in Full in Part in Full Other Actions*

OSD/JS 80 8 23 22 29 82

Dept Army 220 6 12 157 45 220

Dept Navy 413 12 78 209 114 413

Dept Air Force 153 1 19 124 9 153

DCAA 5 2 2 0 1 5

DFAS 6 3 3 0 0 6

DIA 46 0 13 30 3 46

DSS 6 0 4 2 0 6

DISA 3 0 1 0 2 3

DLA 22 5 4 7 7 23

DTRA 4 1 1 1 1 4

NIMA 9 0 0 3 6 9

NRO 11 1 3 3 4 11

NSA/CSS 54 8 6 14 26 54

OIG, DOD 32 3 8 3 18 32

DOD Totals 1,064 50 177 575 265 1,067

* Please Note: 1. More than one action can be taken on each Appeal. 

 2. Multiple "Other" actions can be taken on a single Appeal.

See page 25, "Other Reasons Cited on Appeal Determinations for

 Nondisclosure."

 23
Table for Item VI., Part B., Number 3.

Exemptions Invoked on Appeal Denials

Exemptions by Number (5 U.S.C. §552(b))

Component (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)(A) (7)(B) (7)(C) (7)(D) (7)(E) (7)(F) (8) (9) Total*

OSD/JS 15 1 4 0 6 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 31

Dept Army 13 20 1 23 36 72 21 0 36 11 0 0 0 0 233

Dept Navy 13 3 2 2 95 115 15 2 78 4 0 0 0 0 329

Dept Air Force 15 1 14 5 50 72 0 0 35 4 2 1 0 0 199

DCAA 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2

DFAS 0 0 0 1 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6

DIA 20 20 16 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 57

DSS 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 8

24

DISA 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

DLA 0 1 0 4 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 11

DTRA 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

NIMA 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5

NRO 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6

NSA/CSS 15 1 17 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 41

OIG, DOD 1 1 0 0 7 7 2 0 20 1 2 0 0 0 41

DOD Totals 84 47 53 38 195 274 39 3 174 22 4 1 0 0 941

Percent of Total 10% 5% 6% 4% 21% 29% 4% 0% 18% 2% 0% 0% 0% 0% 100%

* Please note: 1. More than one exemption may be used to deny information on any single appeal.

 2. Rounded to nearest whole percentage point which is sometimes zero, 0%.
Table for Item VI., Part B., Number 4.

Other Reasons Cited on Appeal Determinations for Nondisclosure

Category*

Component 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total

OSD/JS 20 5 23 0 0 1 0 0 0 49

Dept Army 12 24 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 45

Dept Navy 50 17 65 9 1 3 2 2 0 149

Dept Air Force 0 0 5 0 0 1 0 0 3 9

DCAA 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

DFAS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

DIA 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3

DSS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

DISA 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

25

DLA 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7

DTRA 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

NIMA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

NRO 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4

NSA/CSS 18 0 0 6 0 1 0 0 1 26

OIG, DOD 1 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 14

DOD Totals 111 61 105 15 1 6 2 2 7 310

Note: See Item III., Definitions of Terms and Acronyms Used In Report, for definitions of categories below:

1. No records. 7. Not an Agency Record.

2. Referrals. 8. Duplicate Request.

3. Withdrawn. 9. Other:

4. Fee-Related Reason Appeal not submitted within required

5. Records not Reasonably Described. time frame - 7 instances.

6. Not a proper FOIA Request for Some Other Reason.
Table for Item VII. Part A.

Median Processing Times

for

Initial Requests Processed During the Year

Total Simple Simple Complex Complex Expedited Expedited

Component Requests Requests Median Age Requests Median Age Requests Median Age

OSD/JS 3,196 2,934 17 255 26 7 10

Dept Army 34,917 26,573 17 7,903 38 441 7

Dept Navy 22,557 17,762 13 4,374 39 421 12

Dept Air Force 16,461 13,256 20 3,090 66 115 12

26

DCAA 97 97 16 0 0 0 0

DFAS 3,516 3,270 30 228 90 18 5

DIA 661 172 18 449 302 40 10

DSS 147 22 4 108 42 17 7

DISA 427 366 53 61 48 0 0

DLA 13,207 12,867 12 315 37 25 6

DTRA 268 20 52 247 101 1 50

NIMA 197 85 39 112 99 0 0

NRO 108 72 21 36 148 0 0

NSA/CSS 1,054 1,000 28 42 1,047 12 273

OIG, DOD 358 350 60 8 127 0 0

DOD Totals 97,171 78,846 20.0 17,228 66.0 1,097 7.0

Note: The number of calendar days, not work days, elapsed between the date requests were 

 perfected and completed is reflected in the above median calculations.
Table for Item VII., Part B.

Status of Pending Requests

 End Report Period

 30 September 1999

Number Median

Component Pending Age

OSD/JS 1,965 486

Dept Army 2,600 28

Dept Navy 1,100 23

Dept Air Force 1,774 79

DCAA 21 69

DFAS 104 90

DIA 2,335 733

DSS 31 67

DISA 124 92

DLA 546 22

DTRA 109 101

NIMA 49 137

NRO 37 689

NSA/CSS 597 753

OIG, DOD 15 48

DOD Totals 11,407 90

Note: The number of calendar days, not work days, elapsed between the date requests were 

 perfected and the date indicated (30 September 1999) is reflected in the above

 median calculations.

 27
Table for Item IX.

FOIA Staffing/Costs

Full-Time Part-Time Total FOIA Processing Litigation Total

Component Personnel Personnel Personnel Cost Cost Program Cost

OSD/JS 14.74 25.54 40.28 $2,574,429.57 $30,846.90 $2,605,276.47

Dept Army 84.2 161.87 246.07 $9,824,479.54 $132,891.40 $9,957,370.94

Dept Navy 68.85 204.04 272.89 $8,949,222.71 $32,048.96 $8,981,271.67

Dept Air Force 60.08 65 125.08 $5,341,486.00 $5,000.00 $5,346,486.00

DCAA 2.25 0 2.25 $187,552.43 $0.00 $187,552.43

DFAS 17 5.5 22.5 $373,942.24 $70,000.00 $443,942.24

28

DIA 5 0 5 $359,013.00 $7,500.00 $366,513.00

DSS 3 0 3 $93,410.00 $0.00 $93,410.00

DISA 0 2.83 2.83 $212,652.68 $0.00 $212,652.68

DLA 10.08 4.81 14.89 $1,121,328.00 $3,000.00 $1,124,328.00

DTRA 4.7 0 4.7 $418,871.80 $3,000.00 $421,871.80

NIMA 2 7 9 $139,746.00 $1,583.00 $141,329.00

NRO 5 0.5 5.5 $438,500.00 $0.00 $438,500.00

NSA/CSS 17 1.2 18.2 $1,890,683.92 $54,876.08 $1,945,560.00

OIG, DOD 4.1 0 4.1 $352,115.10 $0.00 $352,115.10

DOD Totals 298 478.29 776.29 $32,277,432.99 $340,746.34 $32,618,179.33