FOIA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Am I in the right place?
FOIA requests to OJAG or NLSC should relate to those matters or issues under the cognizance of the Judge Advocate General. Requests should be submitted directly to the OJAG division, Naval Legal Services Office (NLSO) or Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) having cognizance over the records you are seeking. Contact information for the Office of the Judge Advocate General, NLSOs and RLSOs under the “Contact Us” tab.
For a list of other types of records with points of contact, please refer to “What are the types of FOIA records and their custodians?” below.
How do I make a FOIA request?
Your request:
- Must be in writing and signed by the requester;
- Must state that the request is being made pursuant to the FOIA;
- Must reasonably describe the records being requested;
- Must state the category of the requester for fee purposes (i.e., commercial, media, educational or other);
- Must contain an agreement to pay all fees that might be incurred;
- Must state whether a copy of the record is desired, or inspection of records only.
Who is the custodian of other types of FOIA records?
The following table lists types of FOIA records and their custodians.
Directions:
To aid your search for information within the table, the table below has a few key features:
- Table Sort: Click on a column heading to sort the table by that column.
- Highlight: Click on any row to highlight the information.
- Search: You can search any column for specific information. Choose a column name in the drop down box, enter your query and click the Search button. You can clear the search results using the Rest button.
| Records | Contact |
|---|---|
| Command Investigations Conducted Prior to December 1995 |
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| Command Investigations Conducted After December 1995 | Addresses are listed in the Standard Navy Distribution List (SNDL). Requests should be made to the Navy or Marine Corps General Court Martial Convening Authority for this investigation. |
| Investigations into the Compromise of Classified Material Flight Regulations |
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| The Criminal Law and Military Justice Division (Code 20) processes FOIA requests concerning the military justice system and individual courts-martial; and responds to requests for records of trial. |
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| After action reports and Deck logs more than 30 years old but after 1941 |
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| Deck logs prior to 1941 |
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| Marine Corps Investigations pertaining to injuries or death of Marine Corps personnel after June 1995 and unit diaries (unit transaction register) |
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| Marine Corps Command Chronologies and Daily Activity Reports |
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| Navy Criminal Investigations and Incident Reports |
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| Navy military personnel and nonjudicial punishment records of discharged veterans, 1998 to present |
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| Marine Corps Service Records of discharged personnel, 1998 to present |
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| Military Personnel and Medical Records (Navy / Marine Corps) of Discharged Veterans prior to 1998 |
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| Military Personnel and Disability Law, Selection Board Precepts and Article 138 Complaints |
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| Physical Evaluation and Medical Boards |
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| Navy contracts, ethics, fiscal law, intellectual property law, civilian personnel law, environmental records other than environmental torts |
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| Asbestos Records |
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| Department of the Army Records |
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| Department of the Air Force Records |
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| U.S. Coast Guard Records |
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