The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)


The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), enacted in 1966, generally provides that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information. Federal agencies are required to disclose records upon receiving a written request for them, except for those records that are protected from disclosure by any of the nine exemptions or three exclusions of the FOIA. This right of access is enforceable in court.

Implementation of the Freedom of Information Act at DoW

Open and Transparent Government expands upon the principles of full disclosure of information from the government to its citizens, established in the Freedom of Information Act, to further provide a culture in which agencies are responsible for reporting their plans, successes and failures to the citizens they serve. The Department of War (DoW) is committed to the Open Government initiative and FOIA is at the core of government transparency at the DoW. 

Under the authority of the DoW Chief FOIA Officer, Ms. Joo Y. Chung, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Privacy, Civil Liberties, and Transparency, the Privacy, Civil Liberties, and FOIA Directorate, FOIA Division is responsible for the formulation and implementation of Freedom of Information Act Policy for the DoW.

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       Department of War Freedom of Information Policy

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was created in 1966 to promote openness in the government. Since then it has been strengthened and amended. To learn more about how the Freedom of Information Act is applied in the Department of War (DoW), please see DoD Directive 5400.07, which establishes FOIA Policy and provides procedural guidance on the DoW FOIA Program.

Assistant to the Secretary of War, Privacy, Civil Liberties, and Transparency (ATSW/PCLT), Ms. Joo Chung, is responsible for DoW Privacy Program and is the DoW Chief FOIA Officer.  The ATSW/PCLT is responsible for the formulation and implementation of Freedom of Information Act Policy for the DoW on behalf of the Secretary of War.

The DoW FOIA program operates under a decentralized approach. No single FOIA Requester Service Center has access to all the DoW records and information. Since the Transparency Office is a policy office, and not a FOIA Requester Service Center, you should not send a FOIA request to us. Before sending a request to a DoW Requester Service Center, check if it's online FOIA library already contains the material you need.

If you have made a FOIA request, but you disagree with the DoW's determination, you have a right to appeal. However, there are other ways to resolve any concerns you have. Please review the Complaint / Resolve a Dispute Section of the FOIA Handbook.