Atlantic Coast Warning Areas, Whiskey Safety Reports 2007-2013

This message is to confirm your request submission to the FOIAonline application: View Request. Request information is as follows: (https://foiaonline.gov/foiaonline/action/public/submissionDetails?trackingNumber=DON-NAVY-2022-007354&type=request)

* Tracking Number: DON-NAVY-2022-007354
* Requester Name:
Matthew Phelan
* Date Submitted: 04/19/2022
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

Any and all complaints to the Navy Safety Office by U.S. Navy, Marine, U.S. Air Force, or U.S. Air National Guard aviators — as well as U.S. Navy submarine personnel — regarding encounters with Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Unidentified Submerged Objects (USO), and/or RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) observed in the air (or waters) within the following regions of the Atlantic coast between the years 2007 and 2013:

- Virginia Capes Operating Area (VACAPES OPAREA or VCOA), including the following overlapping regions: Warning Area 72 (W-72); Warning Area 50 (W-50); Warning Area 110 (W-110); Warning Area 386 (W-386); Warning Area 387 (W-387); Hatteras ATCAA; and Pamlico MOA.

- Jacksonville (JAX) OPAREA, including the following overlapping regions: Warning Areas W-157, W-158, and W-159; Gator Low MOA; Live Oak MOA; as well as Palatka MOA One and Two.

- Charleston OPAREA, including the following overlapping regions: Warning Areas W-132, W-133, W-134, W-74, W-161, W-177; and submarine OPAREAS.

- Navy Cherry Point OPAREA, including: Warning Area 122 (W-122); R-5306C; Hatteras F MOA; and Neuse ATCAA.

- Atlantic City OPAREA-Areas 1-14 and Warning Area 107 (W-107).

PLEASE NOTE: I am a freelance reporter and would request that the relevant fees be waived. My past work has appeared at Slate.com, the New Republic, the New York Review of Books, Inverse.com, Scienceline.org, Gawker, Earther, Chemical Engineering magazine, and elsewhere. I am also asking for a staggered release schedule if certain material will take significantly longer to collect and release than the rest of the requested records.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Matthew Phelan

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/

Mr. Phelan,

The Office of the Chief of Naval Personnel partially referred your three FOIA requests and Fee Waivers (DON-NAVY-2022-007352 (22-363), DON-NAVY-2022-007353 (22-364), and DON-NAVY-2022-007354 (22-365)) for information relating to the U.S. Navy Aviators, U.S. Marine Corps Aviators and the U.S. Navy Submarine incidents involving encounters with Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Unidentified Submerged Objects (USO) and RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems) observed in the air or waters within the following regions of the Atlantic coast between the years of 2000 – 2007 (request 22-363) 2007 – 2013 (request 22-364) and 2013 – present (request 22-365): Virginia Capes Operating Area (VACAPES OPAREA or VCAOA), including the following overlapping regions: Warning Area 72 (W-72); Warning Area 50 (W-50); Warning Area 110 (W-110); Warning Area 386 (W-386); Warning Area 387 W-387); Hatteras ATCAA and Pamlico MOA – Jacksonville (JAX) OPAREA, including the following overlapping regions: Waning Areas W-157, W-158, and W-159; Gator Low MOA; Live Oak MOA; as well as Palatka MOA one and Two – Charleston OPAREA, including the following overlapping regions Warning Areas W-132, W-133, W-134, W-74, W-161, W-177 and submarine OPAREAS– Navy Cherry Point OPAREA, including: Warning Area 122 (W-122); R-530C; Hatteras F MOA; and Neuse ATCAA – Atlantic City OPAREA Areas 1 – 14 and Warning Area 107 (W-107) to the Naval Safety Command.

The Naval Safety Command is the custodian and release authority for information relating to Safety Investigation Reports only and our response will be limited to that portion of your request. The portion of your request for the above documents from the U.S. Air Force and U. S. Air National Guard communities and fee waivers for those documents, were partially referred to those commands by the Office of the Chief of Naval Personnel for their action and direct response to you.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NSC has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of our staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving a substantive response to your request. We may be unable to promptly satisfy your request within the normal time as specified under the FOIA due to limited working hours and access to files; the need to examine a substantial number of documents and the large backlog of FOIA requests at this command. While I cannot give you an estimated date of delivery of the responsive information until the documents are gathered and reviewed, we can estimate completion will take approximately two (2) to three (3) months. I can however, assure you that we are working each request as quickly as we possibly can. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience. Be assured, your request will be processed as quickly as possible.

If you have any questions or concerns or want to discuss any aspect of this request, you may contact our office at (757) 444-3520 ext. 6025 or our group email at: <mailto:safe-foia@navy.mil> safe-foia@navy.mil, as well as the Navy’s FOIA Public Liaison, Mr. Christopher Julka, at <mailto:christopher.a.julka@navy.mil> christopher.a.julka@navy.mil; <mailto:DONFOIAPublicLiaison@navy.mil> DONFOIAPublicLiaison@navy.mil or (703) 697-0031. 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, Maryland 20740-6001, e-mail at <mailto:ogis@nara.gov> ogis@nara.gov; telephone at (202) 741-5770; toll free at (877) 684-6448; or facsimile at (202) 741-5769.

Because this request may not be processed within the statutory 20 working day time period, you have the right to appeal this determination in writing to the designee of the Secretary of the Navy under the above statute. An appeal, should she choose to submit one, should be addressed to:

The Office of the Judge Advocate General (Code 14)

1322 Patterson Ave., S.E., Suite 3000

Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5066

Telephone: (202)685-5450 Fax: (202)685-5472

The appeal must be postmarked or electronically transmitted within 90 days from the date of this letter. A copy of your request and a copy of this email must accompany the appeal. The appeal should be marked "FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT APPEAL" both on the envelope and on the face of the letter. In order to expedite the appellate process and ensure full consideration of your request, your appeal should contain a brief statement of the reasons you believe this initial decision to be in error. The official responsible for the partial denial of your request is:

Fredrick R. Luchtman

Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy

Commander, Naval Safety Command

Should you agree to await our substantive determination on your request, your right to appeal any denial of information, in whole or in part, will not be prejudiced. In that event, your appeal of our determination would have to be received by the Office of the Judge Advocate General (Code 14) within 90 days from the date of our substantive determination.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me at the number listed below.

V/R

Lisa Ellis-Shooks

Government Information Specialist

Naval Safety Command

375 A Street

Norfolk, VA 23511

NSC FOIA Group phone: 757-444-3520 ext. 6055

NSC FOIA Group email: <mailto:safe-foia@navy.mil> safe-foia@navy.mil

“CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION / PRIVACY SENSITIVE / ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT - The information contained in this e-mail and/or accompanying documents was sent by the legal office of the Naval Safety Command and is intended for the exclusive use of the individuals to whom it is addressed. It may contain information that is pre-decisional, privileged or protected from release under the Privacy Act, HIPAA, FOIA, Navy and Marine Corps safety instructions or other applicable laws. If you are not the intended recipient, you are on notice that copying, disclosure or any distribution of this message, in any form, is prohibited. Any misuse or unauthorized disclosure can result in both civil and criminal penalties.​ Please ensure that required safeguarding and handling procedures are observed.”

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Your request for Fee Waiver for the FOIA request DON-NAVY-2022-007354 has been
fully granted.

* Fee Waiver Original Justification:
I am a freelance reporter and would request that the relevant fees be waived. My past work has appeared at Slate.com, the New Republic, the New York Review of Books, Inverse.com, Scienceline.org, Gawker, Earther, Chemical Engineering magazine, and elsewhere. I am also asking for a staggered release schedule if certain material will take significantly longer to collect and release than the rest of the requested records.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
* Fee Waiver Disposition Reason:
N/A

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ELLIS-SHOOKS.LISA.GALE <lisa.g.ellis-shooks.civ@us.navy.mil> has dropped off 20 files for you.
IF YOU TRUST THE SENDER, and are expecting to receive a file from them, you may choose to retrieve the drop-off by clicking the following link (or copying and pasting it into your web browser):
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1 of 2 DoD Safe
FOIA 22-363/364/365
Matthew Phelan (Media)

Full information about the drop-off:
Claim ID: PkGxHdggorQnv5FY Recipient Code: ZCUJi8
Claim Passcode: B6Hx8kMGyebtCSyQ Drop-off Submitted: 2022-12-21 17:40:15 UTC Drop-off Completed: 2022-12-21 17:40:20 UTC
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Thank you.

*** DO NOT FORWARD ***

This is an automated message sent to you by the DoD SAFE service.
ELLIS-SHOOKS.LISA.GALE <lisa.g.ellis-shooks.civ@us.navy.mil> has dropped off 17 files for you.
IF YOU TRUST THE SENDER, and are expecting to receive a file from them, you may choose to retrieve the drop-off by clicking the following link (or copying and pasting it into your web browser):
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The sender has left you a note:
2 of 2
Matthew Phelan
22-363/364/365

Full information about the drop-off:
Claim ID: ipGKiuC2GnEcBikz Recipient Code: i8GQbv
Claim Passcode: m7G3HQyJoMaqQy6M Drop-off Submitted: 2022-12-21 17:44:06 UTC Drop-off Completed: 2022-12-21 17:44:10 UTC
-- Sender --
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Thank you.

Mr. Phelan,

I have had major issues with my email. I thought our response was sent to you on December 13, 2022 however, it did leave my outbox. Please know that your appeal time starts from today vice the date of the response letter.

Please find attached your three FOIA requests and our final response. The documents were too large to send via email so I am sending them to you via DoD Safe. You should be receiving an email from them (NoReplyTo@mail.mil <mailto:NoReplyTo@mail.mil> ) with the website and password you will need to retrieve the documents. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me at the number listed below. Thank you.

V/R

Lisa Ellis-Shooks

Government Information Specialist

Naval Safety Command

375 A Street

Norfolk, VA 23511

NSC FOIA Group phone: 757-444-3520 ext. 6055

NSC FOIA Group email: <mailto:safe-foia@navy.mil> safe-foia@navy.mil

“CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION / PRIVACY SENSITIVE / ATTORNEY WORK PRODUCT - The information contained in this e-mail and/or accompanying documents was sent by the legal office of the Naval Safety Command and is intended for the exclusive use of the individuals to whom it is addressed. It may contain information that is pre-decisional, privileged or protected from release under the Privacy Act, HIPAA, FOIA, Navy and Marine Corps safety instructions or other applicable laws. If you are not the intended recipient, you are on notice that copying, disclosure or any distribution of this message, in any form, is prohibited. Any misuse or unauthorized disclosure can result in both civil and criminal penalties.​ Please ensure that required safeguarding and handling procedures are observed.”

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