2.6: Declassification
Increase the speed and efficiency of declassifying historical records. Other Information:
DECLASSIFICATION OF DEPARTMENT INFORMATION - In December 2009, President Obama issued an Executive Order to increase the speed
and efficiency of declassifying over 400 million pages of historical records across the government, many of which involve
the Department of Defense and are of interest to academia, the media and the public at large. For example, in late 2009, the
National Archives released 63 cubic feet (about 60 boxes) of previously classified records of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff
from 1959 through 1965, as well as various Navy and Army records. Background. The Department is the single largest declassifying
organization (in terms of number of pages released) in the federal government. Each one of the Department’s Components maintains
its own program to meet declassification timelines for executing automatic and mandatory declassification reviews delineated
in President Obama’s December 2009 Executive Order 13526, “Classified National Security Information” (document available at
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/E9-31418.pdf). The Department adopts a framework of centralized oversight with decentralized
execution of declassification activities across the Department. This allows for a risk-based approach to balancing the imperatives
of public transparency and protection of national security. Summary. Our declassification approach includes: • Supporting
structured reviews within the business process reengineering effort to standardize declassification processes and ensure they
are optimized for future operations; • Establishing a capability for prioritizing information that is informed by the National
Archives and Records Administration outreach to, and interface with, the public interest declassification community and the
American people; • Establishing the Department of Defense Joint Referral Center, to ensure a central mechanism for rapid coordination
across all Department Components to clear permanently valuable records slated for declassification; • Collaborating closely
with the National Archives and Records Administration on their National Declassification Center Strategic Communications campaign,
including providing essential content and articles for their Web site; and • Publishing an expedited update during calendar
year 2010 to key Department regulations (DoDI 5200.01, “DoD Information Security Program and Protection of Sensitive Compartmented
Information,” and DoD 5200.1-R, “Information Security Program”), which implement requirements of President Obama’s December
2009 Executive Order.
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