DR Capstone Brief March 1998

1
DIA Declassification Program Overview


James Claxton December 15, 2006
This briefing is classified UNCLASSIFIED
2
DIA Mission

• To provide timely, objective, and cogent
  intelligence to the war fighters, defense
  planners, and defense and national security
  policy makers

3
BACKGROUND

• Mandatory Declassification Review
• Soviet, Chinese, Cuban Forces Handbooks 1970s
• Soviet Military Power 1980s
• Gulf War and Post War Declassification Efforts
• Executive Order 12958
• Special declassification efforts directed by
  President, Congress, senior officials
• Responses to real-world requirements for
  declassified intelligence

4
FOIA/DECLASSIFICATION EFFORTS

• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests at DIA
  present declassification challenges
• - Growth in complexity and volume of requests
• - Extensive referrals to agency analysts and
  external
• sources
• - Receive approx. 750 cases per year close
  approx
• 500
• - DIA is making a concerted effort to reduce
  backlog

5
HISTORICAL RECORDS DECLASSIFICATION PROGRAM

• 25-Year Declassification under Executive Order
  12958
• - DIA has met first deadline of the Order
• - Reviewed over 3 million pages
• - Released 1.3 million pages
• - Will refer 430k to other agencies
• - Employ DIA-created declassification guide
• Reviewed over 40,000 pages of Presidential
  Library material
• Reviewed over 200,000 pages of CIA referrals
• Next challenges referrals, special media

6
SYSTEMATIC DECLASSIFICATION EFFORTS

• Collaboration with DIA Historian
• Collaboration with CIA Cold War
• Human rights violations
• Kennedy assassination records
• Nazi and Imperial Japanese war crimes
• Collaboration with CIA STAR GATE program

7
MANDATORY DECLASSIFICATION

• Mandatory Declassification Review requests 150
  per year
• Requests consist of generally older information
• Conduct reviews internally if at all possible
• Aim for low administrative overhead, quick
  turn-around

8
ON DEMAND DECLASSIFICATION

• Real-world support to
• Global War on Terrorism
• Foreign policy
• International and federal legal cases
• Counter-proliferation
• Border protection
• Humanitarian assistance
• Iraq War effort
• Part of DIA intelligence support mission

9
SUMMARY

• DIA is proud of its declassification efforts
• DIA is committed to maximized output of
  declassified information while preserving
  national security.