​Army ​National Guard Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)/Privacy Act (PA) Office

Army ​National Guard Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)/Privacy Act (PA) Office 

 

Welcome to the Army National Guard  FOIA Page.  This page was designed to assist the public in making FOIA requests for Army National Guard records.

The FOIA, known by its legal cite as Title 5 U.S.C. § 552, along with the Department of Defense (DoD) Regulation 5400.7, and Army Regulation 25-55 governs how FOIA requests will be processed within the Army National Guard.

How to file a FOIA or Privacy Request

Please note that the filing of a FOIA or Privacy request is a personal matter. Military personnel and Federal Government Employees may not use government time or equipment, to include their government email address or government stationary to make such requests.

Essential Elements of a FOIA Request Letter:

  • Provide your full name and contact information
  • Provide a reasonable description of the record(s) requested
  • Provide a statement of your fee category and your willingness to pay applicable fees
  • Send your request to the applicable FOIA Office (see below)

Fee Categories:

  • Educational, noncommercial, scientific and media: Any accredited U.S. educational or research institution or instructor of an institution, or representative of the news media using the information in a scholarly or analytical work contributing to public knowledge and disseminated to the public.
  • Commercial: Increases the commercial interest of the requestor.
  • All Others: All other requestors

Fees:

The FOIA provides for the collection of fees for:

  • Searches: Time spent in looking for and retrieving material, either paper or electronic files, that are responsive to the request to include personnel hours (clerical and professional) and computer time.
  • Reviews: Time spent to determine if the record is releasable under legal guidelines, excluding resolution of legal or policy issues. This does include time spent excising text that is exempt under FOIA.
  • Reproduction: Generating a copy of a requested record in the appropriate medium, for example paper or computer file.

 

Fees rates and schedules can be found in DoD 5400.7, DoD Freedom of Information Act Program (http://dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/540007p.pdf) and on the DD 2086, Record of FOI Costs (http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/forms/eforms/dd2086.pdf).

For more information about the Freedom of Information Act, please see the DoD FOIA Handbook:  http://www.justice.gov/oip/doj-guide-freedom-information-act-0

Army National Guard (ARNG) Records

If you are seeking records within the ARNG you should direct your request to the appropriate ARNG FOIA Officer within the 54 States, Territories, and District of Columbia using the attached directory .  Records of the Army National Guard Readiness Center are part of the National Guard Bureau (NGB), the structure of which is defined in the NGB Charter, and requests should be directed to the NGB FOIA Requestor Service Center.

If you are seeking records about yourself under the Privacy Act that are filed within a Privacy Act System of Record, you should direct your request to appropriate Privacy Act System Manager.  A listing of all Privacy Act System of Records Notices and contact information to write for access to records covered by the notices can be found  on the DoD Privacy Office Website, http://dpcld.defense.gov/Privacy/ComponentPrivacyPOCs.aspx.

Most contracts within the National Guard are Army National Guard records and are held by the United States Property and Fiscal Officer within the state where the contract was initiated. If you have the contract number, you may use this chart to find the appropriate FOIA office to handle your request.

Other Commonly Requested Records 

For inquiries on background investigations and personnel records for former NGB, ARNG and ANG Federal employees, please reference (Office of Personnel Management for Investigations):  http://www.opm.gov/information-management/freedom-of-information-act/#url=Contacts

For inquiries on retired, separated, and deceased military personnel records (including Army and Air National Guardsmen), please reference (National Archives and Records Administration): http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/

For inquiries on Department of the Army (non-guard) records, please reference (Department of the Army FOIA Policy Office): https://www.rmda.army.mil/foia/RMDA-FOIA-Division.html

For inquiries on all Air National Guard , please reference (Air National Guard FOIA Requestor Service Center): http://www.ang.af.mil/foia/index.asp

For inquiries on National Guard Bureau (Joint DoD Activity) records, please visit (National Guard Bureau FOIA Requestor Service Center): http://www.nationalguard.mil/Resources/FOIA.aspx

For pay information, including contract payments, please visit (Defense Finance and Accounting Service):  http://www.dfas.mil/

Office of Secretary of Defense FOIA Requestor Service Center, please visit:  http://www.dod.gov/pubs/foi/

You may also find records previously released by the Department of the Army, including the Army National Guard, by visiting the Department of the Army Reading Room:  https://www.foia.army.mil/ReadingRoom/

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