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DEPARTMENT OF WAR OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR/JOINT STAFF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION 1155 DEFENSE PENTAGON WASHINGTON, DC 20301-1155
Ref: 24-F-0895
January 22, 2026
Mr. John Greenewald, Jr.
The Black Vault, Inc.
27305 W. Live Oak Road
Suite #1203
Castaic, CA 91384
Dear Mr. Greenewald:
This is a final response to your March 7, 2024, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, a copy of which is enclosed for your convenience. The Office of the Secretary of War/Joint Staff (OSW/JS) FOIA Requester Service Center received your request on March 7, 2024, and assigned it FOIA case number 24-F-0895. We ask that you use this number when referring to your request.
The Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs (OATSW(PA)), a component of OSW, conducted a search of their records systems and located the enclosed document determined to be responsive to your request. Ms. April K. Hot, OATSW(PA)'s Chief Information Management, in her capacity as an Initial Denial Authority, has determined that portions of the document are exempt from release pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(6), information which, if disclosed, would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of the personal privacy of individuals. Please note that we have considered the foreseeable harm standard when reviewing records and applying exemptions under the FOIA in the processing of this request.
In this instance, fees for processing your request were below the threshold for requiring payment. Please note that fees may be assessed on future requests.
If you have any questions or concerns about the foregoing or about the processing of your request, please do not hesitate to contact the Action Officer assigned to your request, L. Kelly Escueta, at lara.k.escueta.ctr@mail.mil or 571-256-0110. Additionally, if you have concerns about service received by our office, please contact a member of our Leadership Team at 571-372-0498 or Toll Free at 866-574-4970.
Should you wish to inquire about mediation services, you may contact the OSW/JS FOIA Public Liaison, Virginia Burke, by email at osd.mc-alex.oatsd-pelt.mbx.foia-liaison@mail.mil or by phone at 571-372-0462. You may also contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administration to inquire about the FOIA mediation services they offer. The contact information for OGIS is as follows:
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Office of Government Information Services
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road-OGIS
College Park, MD 20740
E-mail: ogis@nara.gov
Telephone: 202-741-5770
Fax: 202-741-5769
Toll-free: 1-877-684-6448
You have the right to appeal to the appellate authority, Mr. Michael Kremlacek, Acting Principal Deputy to the Secretary of War for Privacy, Civil Liberties, and Transparency (PCLT), Office of the Secretary of War, at: 4800 Mark Center Drive, ATTN: PCLFD, FOIA Appeals, Mailbox #24, Alexandria, VA 22350-1700. Your appeal must be postmarked within 90 calendar days of the date of this response. Alternatively, you may email your appeal to osd.foia-appeal@mail.mil. If you use email, please include the words "FOIA Appeal" in the subject of the email. Please also reference FOIA case number 24-F-0895 in any appeal correspondence.
We appreciate your patience in the processing of your request. As stated previously, please contact the Action Officer assigned to your request, L. Kelly Escueta, and reference FOIA case number 24-F-0895, if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Pamela Andrews
Pamela Andrews
Enclosures: As stated
Chief, FOIA
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Media Engagement Invitation -- Wednesday, March 6, 3 p.m.
Gough, Susan L (Sue) CIV OSD PA (USA)
→ Forward
Bcc (b)(6) ○ Brandi Vincent; ○ Martinez, Luis E.; ○ Martin, David-CND; ○ Liebermann, Oren; ○ Lara Seligman; ○ kayla.guo@nytimes.com; ○ Schogol, Jeff (Task and Purpose); ○ (b)(6) ○ Lamothe, Dan
Signed By (b)(6)
Tue 3/5/2024 8:33 PM
You forwarded this message on 3/6/2024 2:14 PM.
Media colleagues
OFF THE RECORD / FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY / NOT FOR DAYBOOKS
You are invited to participate in an $ \underline{\text{embargoed invited-media}} $ roundtable with Tim Phillips, acting director, AARO, on Wednesday, March 6, at 3 p.m. EST, in the Pentagon Briefing Room, on AARO's Historical Record Report Volume 1 (HRRV1), the initial volume of the congressionally directed historical record report on U.S. government UAP-related programs.
The roundtable will be on-record and off-camera, and embargoed until DOD announces the public release of the unclassified version of HRRV1 on Friday, March 8. Those who agree to the embargo will be sent a copy of HRRV1 on Wednesday morning, so that you have time to read it prior to the roundtable. The report is also embargoed until DOD announces the public release of the unclassified version of HRRV1 on Friday, March 8. We expect that to be in the morning; a more definitive time will be provided later.
This is an invited-media roundtable only and this invitation is not transferable. However, if you are unavailable tomorrow and you have a colleague from your outlet who can attend, please inform me and I will send an invitation to them. Only one person from your outlet may attend.
To receive an embargoed copy of HRRV1 and be allowed into the roundtable, please respond with an email that states: "I agree to the embargo."
Regards,
Sue Gough
Defense Press Operations, OSD(PA)
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This document is made available through the declassification efforts and research of John Greenewald, Jr., creator of:
The Black Vault
The Black Vault is the largest online Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) document clearinghouse in the world. The research efforts here are responsible for the declassification of hundreds of thousands of pages released by the U.S. Government & Military.
Discover the Truth at http://www.theblackvault.com
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