Department of War FOIA Final Response Letter Ref: 25-F-3827
Summary
This document is a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) final response letter addressed to John Greenewald, Jr. of The Black Vault regarding FOIA request case number 25-F-3827. The Office of the Secretary of War/Joint Staff informs the requester that following coordination with the DoW Special Access Program Coordination (DoW SAPCO), no search was conducted because the subject matter itself does not exist. It provides contact information, mediation details through OGIS, and formal appellate rights.
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DEPARTMENT OF WAR OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR/JOINT STAFF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION 1155 DEFENSE PENTAGON WASHINGTON, DC 20301-1155
Ref: 25-F-3827 January 26, 2026
Mr. John Greenewald, Jr. The Black Vault, Inc. 27305 W. Live Oak Rd. Suite #1203 Castaic, CA 91384
Dear Mr. Greenewald:
This is a final response to your July 25, 2025, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, a copy of which is enclosed for your convenience. The Office of the Secretary of War/Joint Staff (OSW/JS) FOIA Requester Service Center received your request on July 26, 2025, and assigned it FOIA case number 25-F-3827. We ask that you use this number when referring to your request.
Per coordination with the DoW Special Access Program Coordination (DoW SAPCO), a component of OSW, a search was not conducted as they confirmed the subject matter itself does not exist, and an extensive email search on the custodian would not yield responsive records. However, if you have additional event or file-related information that indicates that we should have such information or that could assist us in conducting a further search for responsive records, please provide that information to us at your earliest convenience.
In this instance, fees for processing your request were below the threshold for requiring payment. Please note that fees may be assessed on future requests. If you have questions about the foregoing, please do not hesitate to contact the Action Officer assigned to your request, Jalisa Harden, at [email protected] or 571-372-0428. Additionally, if you have concerns about service provided by our office, please contact a member of our Leadership Team at 571-372-0498 or Toll Free at 866-574-4970.
Should you wish to inquire about mediation services, you may contact the OSW/JS FOIA Public Liaison, Virginia Burke, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 571-372-0462. You may also contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administration to inquire about the FOIA mediation services they offer. The contact information for OGIS is as follows:
Office of Government Information Services National Archives and Records Administration 8601 Adelphi Road-OGIS College Park, MD 20740 E-mail: [email protected] Telephone: 202-741-5770 Fax: 202-741-5769 Toll-free: 1-877-684-6448
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You have the right to appeal to the appellate authority, Mr. Michael Kremlacek, Acting Principal Deputy to the Secretary of War for Privacy, Civil Liberties, and Transparency (PCLT), Office of the Secretary of War, at: 4800 Mark Center Drive, ATTN: PCLFD, FOIA Appeals, Mailbox #24, Alexandria, VA 22350-1700. Your appeal must be postmarked within 90 calendar days of the date of this response. Alternatively, you may email your appeal to [email protected]. If you use email, please include the words “FOIA Appeal” in the subject of the email. Please also reference FOIA case number 25-F-3827 in any appeal correspondence.
We appreciate your patience in the processing of your request. As stated previously, please contact the Action Officer assigned to your request, Jalisa Harden, and reference FOIA case number 25-F-3827, if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Pamela Andrews Chief, FOIA
Enclosure: As stated