Executive Order 12958, As Amended Army Declassification Program

1

• 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

2
Roles and Responsibilities

• Office of the Administrative Assistant to the
  Secretary of the Army (OAA) - Responsible for
  executing the Armys 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 Armys 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)

3
OAA Mission

• Administer the Armys 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

4
Army Declassification Program Status
COMPLETED TO DATE as of 1 Jul 2006
Pre-1982 PRODUCTION REMAINING
1.3M Textual (2006)
3.0M Textual Referrals (2009)
184.1M Textual (includes NARA)
21.7M
15.5M Army Special Media (2011)
240.7M
1.9M Textual Referrals
49.2M Army Special Media
1.9M Special Media Referrals (2011)
5.2M Special Media Referrals
Rolling Requirement (17M)
WMD Kyl/Lott Relooks (57M)


Estimated Referrals (8.5M)
MACOMs (6M)
ADA DECLASSIFICATION REVIEW RESULTS

• 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

Referred
32.3M
13
RD/FRD
27.0M
11
8
Exempted
68
18.4M
Declassified
163.0M
Does not include WMD and Kyl/Lott Relooks and
MACOMs
As of 1 Jul 2006
5
Army Declassification Review Process

• Majority of documents brought to ADA for
  processing
• 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

6
Army Declassification Workflow Process
7
Interagency Cooperation

• Support to Declassification Initiatives
• External Referral Working Group (ERWG)
• Automation Working Group
• Classification Management Working Group
• ISOOs Referral Standard Working Group
• NARAs 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

8
Challenges

• 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