NSSC 3.23.23

Dear FOIA officer:

You are receiving this correspondence as a request under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. subsection 552. I am requesting the following:

Copies of records for award IDs N0002420F8124 and N0002421F8162, for contracts given to the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, LLC in the research area of "directed energy bio effects." These contracts have action dates of August 4, 2020 and August 31, 2021 respectively and were awarded by the Department of Defense through the Naval Sea Systems Command. This request includes, but is not limited to:

- Requests for Proposals

- Requests for Information

- Statements of Work

- Memorandum(s) of Understanding

- Letters of Interest

- Award Letters

- Task Letters

- Privacy Impact Assessments

- Invoices

- Purchase and/or Change Orders

- Project Budgets and/or Budget Proposals

- Evaluation Reports

- Presentations by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, LLC

I am asking you waive any fees associated with this request. I am a member of the news media and request classification as such. My bylines, which include Creem Magazine, Covert Action Magazine, and Philly Voice, can be found in both print and electronic publications. Please take note of the Office of Management and Budget guidelines published March 27, 1987 (52 FR 10012) that include electronic publications and other nontraditional publishers as representatives of the news media.

A fee waiver is appropriate in situations where "disclosure of the requested information is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations and activities of the government, and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester,” 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(iii). This request would contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations and activities of government with regard to its research into the subject of directed energy, as currently there is a concern among the members of the media and the public about so-called anomalous health incidents.

Anomalous health incidents, also known as Havana Syndrome, are events occurring between 2016 and the present day that have resulted in a condition, or a series of related conditions, afflicting intelligence agents and diplomats working for the governments of the United States and Canada. In 2016, the Associated Press reported on a number of such incidents that happened in Cuba that led to the United States pulling staff from its embassy in that country. Since that time, anomalous health incidents have continued to generate media attention in major new outlets, with stories focusing on the national security implications appearing in the New York Times and The New Yorker, among many other publications. Speculation presently focuses on the use of directed energy weapons, or ranged weapons that attack a target with electromagnetic energy like ultra-high frequency radio waves, as one possible cause for anomalous health incidents.

As of 2023, there have been over 200 reported anomalous health incidents, with many of the victims stating they were subject to attacks by directed energy weapons. Given that most of these individuals have been identified as high-ranking officials across multiple federal agencies, any programs that may be investigating anomalous health incidents and/or the effects of directed energy on humans would be the subject of considerable public interest. This is especially important in light of the fact that both Congress and the President approved compensation, in the range of $140,000 or $187,000 per person, to individuals diagnosed as suffering from anomalous health incidents as part of the implementation of the HAVANA Act of 2021.

This request is not being made for commercial purposes. All documents will be provided to the general public without charge.

In the event that there are fees, I am willing to pay up to $100. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

I look forward to your response within 20 working days, as the statute requires. If access to the records I am requesting will take longer, please contact me with information about when I might expect copies or the ability to inspect the requested records.

If you deny any or all of this request, please cite each specific exemption you feel justifies the refusal to release the information and notify me of the appeal procedures available to me under the law.

Sincerely,

Robert Skvarla, Jr.

To Whom It May Concern:

BACKGROUND

On March 24, 2023, I submitted the attached request under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. subsection 552, for copies of records for award IDs N0002420F8124 and N0002421F8162. These IDs are connected to contracts awarded by Naval Sea Systems Command to the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, LLC (UEI: C1HBCJ9RMBV3) in 2020 and 2021, respectively, for research in the area of "directed energy bio effects."

CONTEXT

I have received no acknowledgement of my request and it has not been given a final determination nor have I been furnished an estimated completion date as of the time of this correspondence, on September 4, 2023.

APPEAL

By law, 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(i), agencies are required to make a determination within 20 working days of a request. As this time has elapsed without a substantive determination, I am appealing the constructive denial of my request, and asking for a determination that the agency must respond to my request, providing the documents or outlining reasons that they are exempt.

I am also renewing a request for a fee waiver. I am a member of the news media and request classification as such. My bylines, which include Unicorn Riot, the Geopolitical Economy Report, and Creem Magazine, can be found in both print and electronic publications. Please take note of the Office of Management and Budget guidelines published March 27, 1987 (52 FR 10012) that include electronic publications and other nontraditional publishers as representatives of the news media.

A fee waiver is appropriate in situations where "disclosure of the requested information is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations and activities of the government, and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester,” 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(4)(iii). This request would contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations and activities of government with regard to its research into the physical effects of directed energy attacks, as currently there is a concern among the members of the media and the public about so-called anomalous health incidents, aka Havana Syndrome.

Sincerely,
Robert Skvarla, Jr.