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Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) FOIA Office is responsible for processing requests for AFSOC records under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. The AFSOC FOIA Office also processes FOIA requests/consults as a combatant command under the United States Special Operations Command. Written requests may be received by postal service, facsimile at (850) 884-2360, or submitted electronically online to our Requester Service Centers (RSC). Requests received by facsimile or electronically must have a mailing address included since it may not be practical to provide a substantive response electronically.

Air Force FOIA Library

The Air Force has posted many frequently requested records on a central electronic library located on Air Force Freedom of Information Act .

What is the FOIA?

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) generally provides that any person has a right, enforceable in court, to obtain access to federal agency records, except to the extent that such records (or portions of them) are protected from public disclosure by one of nine exemptions, or by one of three special law enforcement record exclusions. You can find a consolidated list of exemptions and exclusions at Secretary of Defense FOIA and at Air Force FOIA.

Who can submit?

Members of the public, including foreign citizens, military and civilian personnel acting as private citizens, organizations and businesses, and individual members of the Congress for themselves or constituents, may request records in writing. It is important to remember that the Freedom of Information Act applies only to federal agencies.

It does not create a right of access to records held by Congress, the courts, state or local government agencies, or by private businesses or individuals. Each state has its own public access laws that should be consulted for access to state and local records.

how to make a foia request

By facsimile at (850) 884-2360, or submitted electronically online to our Requester Service Centers (RSC). Requests received by facsimile or electronically must have a mailing address included since it may not be practical to provide a substantive response electronically.

Written requests may be sent by postal service to:
HQ AFSOC/A6XP (FOIA Office)
100 Bartley Street, Suite 137E
Hurlburt Field, Florida 32544-5273

Please mark your request and envelope "FOIA" and indicate a willingness to pay fees associated with the processing of your request or in the alternative, why a waiver of fees may be appropriate. Currently the law allows 20 working days to process a FOIA request upon receipt of the request in the responsive FOIA office.

If dissatisfied with the response received from the Requester Service Center, you may contact the Air Force FOIA Public Liaison Office at Air Force FOIA Public Liaison Office, Ms. Anh Trinh, at usaf.pentagon.saf-cio-a6.mbx.af-foia@mail.mil or call (703) 614-8500.

Seeking a Classified Record?

If you are only seeking a copy of a record or records that are currently classified, and would like the record reviewed for appropriate declassification and release, you should file a Mandatory Declassification Review request. Mandatory Declassification Review is a provision of Presidential Executive Order 13526 that allows members of the public to request a mandatory declassification review of a classified document in order to obtain a releasable version of the document. The desired document requested must be specified in sufficient detail that it can be readily located. The record in question may not be the subject of litigation. The mandatory declassification review process can be a very timely and in-depth, due to the classification of materials being reviewed by internal and outside agencies. MDR decisions can be administratively appealed to the Headquarters Air Force/AAII (Mandatory Declassification Review) or Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP). Requests for review and release of classified records under the MDR process can be made to:

  Headquarters Air Force/AAII (Mandatory Declassification Review)
  1000 Air Force Pentagon
  Washington, DC 20330-1000
  Email: usaf.pentagon.saf-aa.mbx.mdr-workflow@mail.mil
  Telephone: 703-695-2226

Contact

HQ AFSOC/A6XP (FOIA Office)
100 Bartley Street, Suite 137E
Hurlburt Field, Florida 32544-5273
COMM: 850-884-2290
DSN: 579-2290
FAX COMM: 850-884-2360
E-mail: AFSOC.A6.FOIA@us.af.mil

 

Links

Fees

Costs are assessed depending on which group the request falls into:

Category 1: Commercial. Requesters pay all search, review and duplication fees.

Category 2: Educational or Noncommercial Scientific Institution or News Media. Requesters get the first 100 copies free and pay for additional copies.

Category 3: Others. Requesters get the first two hours of search fees and the first 100 copies free.