JA Kramer/Cramer performance reviews and misconduct complaints

Dear Mr. Musgrave,

This responds to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, as stated below. Your request was received in this office and assigned FOIA case number 14-F-0138.

As you may not be aware, there is no central FOIA processing point for the entire Department of Defense (DoD). Within DoD, each of the Military Services and DoD components are responsible for processing requests for records related to their own organization. This office, for example, only processes requests for records related to the Office of Secretary of Defense and the Joint Staff (OSD/JS). You have not provided enough information to determine a connection between the records you seek and the OSD/JS. For example, you have not identified any OSD/JS office that would have the requested record, the circumstances of how or why that OSD/JS office would have such record, or the time frame of the record. Thus, your request cannot be processed by this office, as it is not reasonably described to support processing by this office, and therefore is not a proper FOIA request.

The FOIA requires requesters to clearly identify the records sought. It does not require agencies to conduct research, draw conclusions, answer questions, or otherwise render subjective evaluations in order to respond to a request. This includes doing research in order to determine if or where the information may be located. The FOIA only requires agencies to provide specifically identified records, subject to itemized exemptions, which contain information responsive to a request. Generally, a record is not reasonably described unless the description contains sufficient information to permit an organized nonrandom search based on filing arrangements and existing retrieval systems, or unless the request contains sufficient information to permit inference of the elements needed to conduct a search. Descriptive information may be provided in these ways: 1) file-related information such as the type of record sought, the title, index citation, subject area, date the record was created, and the originator of the record; and/or 2) event-related information such as the circumstances that resulted in the record being created and/or the date and circumstances surrounding the event that the record covers.

Your request is not reasonably described to support processing by this office, and is thus not a proper FOIA request. This action closes your request with this office.

If you are not satisfied with this action, you may appeal to the appellate authority, the Director of Administration and Management, Office of the Secretary of Defense, by writing directly to the Defense Freedom of Information Policy Office, Attn: Mr. James Hogan, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 20301-1155. Your appeal should be postmarked within 60 calendar days of the date of this letter, should cite case number 14-F-0138, and should be clearly marked "Freedom of Information Act Appeal."

Respectfully,

Susan Aldorfer
Senior Advisor
Department of Defense
Information and Privacy
1155 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1155
(571) 372-0437