News! - The OSD/JS FRSC Implements a Backlog Reduction Initiative

Consistent with the objectives of Executive Order 13392 and the OPEN Government Act of 2007, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Joint Staff FOIA Requester Service Center initiated an aggressive effort to reduce its FOIA processing backlog.

As of April 1, 2008, we reorganized our Requester Service Center so that we are better able to focus on reducing our backlog of Freedom of Information Act requests. Staffing was increased by 40 percent and we created a special office to allow us to put a more concerted emphasis on the oldest open cases.

This website, launched on September 11, 2007, is one of our tools to provide better customer service to the public and to support backlog reduction. This frequently updated site now offers a large variety of FOIA-related resource information that will make it possible for requesters to submit their requests directly to the proper Department of Defense (DoD) Component, military service, Combatant Command, or even other Federal agencies. Our website also includes an extensive Reading Room of documents previously released under the FOIA. By making these records available electronically, subsequent requesters can easily obtain copies of them without having to submit a FOIA request.

For the convenience of the requester community, our new toll-free telephone number is on our website. This number can be used by requesters to obtain information about the processing status on cases they've submitted to our office, and to aid them in directing their requests to the proper DoD FOIA office or other Federal agency.