US SecNav FOIA website - 15 new documents uploaded

Secretary of the US Navy

The US Department of Defence, Secretary of the Navy's FOIA website has had a number of responses to FOIA requests on it, for quite a while now. However, many researchers, including myself, have had a number of outstanding FOIA requests, with the US Navy, which remain open. I make it a practice of checking the website every day for any new material. One reason for doing so, is that some time ago, the US Navy advised in a final response, that they had found a responsive document to my request for a copy of the Security Classification Guide regarding UAP. It was therefore of great interest that I noted, that yesterday, 15 new documents had been uploaded, including the responsive document which I had been after.

What has been uploaded?

1. A 155 page ship's deck log for the USS America for the period 13-31 July 2019.

2.A 237 page ship's deck log for the USS John Finn for the period 13-31 July 2019.

3. Multi page ship's deck log for the USS Ralph Johnson for the period 13-31 July 2019 (I couldn't get this PDF to load.)

4. A 273 page ship's deck log for the USS Russell for the period 13-31 July 2019.

5. A 147 page ship's deck log for the USS Spruance for the period 13-31 July 2019.

6. A 20 page CIC log for the USS Rafael Peralta for the period 14-16 July 2019.

7. A 27 page CIC log for the USS Spruance for the period 15-19 July 2019.

8. A 50 page ship's deck log for the USS Comstock for the period 29-31 July 2019.

9. A 167 page ship's deck log for the USS Russell for the period 1-16 July 2019.

10. A 214 page ship's deck log for the USS Russell for the period 17-31 July 2019.

Comment:

The above 10 items were no doubt sought by a number of unnamed researchers who have been looking into the July 2019 "drone swarm" incident, involving a number of US ships in training ranges, off the coast of California.

11. A 10 page Security Classification Guide, Naval Intelligence Activity, regarding the subject of UAP. 

Comment:

In December 2021, John Greenewald advised that, in response to an FOIA request, he had received a copy of a Security Classification Guide, Naval Intelligence Activity, on UAP. It would therefore, be of interest to do a close comparison of these two released documents, to determine if they are exactly the same. For background on what a Security Classification Guide is, and a look at why I submitted my FOIA request for a copy of it, click here. 

12. A 2 page PDF labelled "FLIR Photo brief" regarding the 17 July 2019 USS Paul Hamilton's interaction with UAS. 

Comment: 

On 10 February 2022, The Drive's Adam Keyhoe and Marc Cecotti, published an article about the 17 July 2019 incident involving the USS Paul Hamilton, which was illustrated by the same briefing slide. However their copy contained an unredacted "timeline" of the events, whereas the just released PDF has the "timeline" redacted.

13. 27 page PDF labelled "Khan appeal response." 

14. A 1 page document titled "RANGEFOULERDeflatedballoon."

Comment:

13. This document contains a number of what are called "Range Fouler Debrief Forms." Each appears to be a copy of an electronically submit report which describes an encounter with "something." The total number of separate forms is 19. Looking for exactly what a "range fouler" is I found that the term was contained in an October 2020 document titled "Student Guide/MCS Operating Manual" generated by the US Naval Air Training Command. It suggests that a "range fouler" is something which shouldn't be there, and which might cause a problem to aircraft operating in the area. 

I don't recall ever seeing copies of these particular forms before. We have seen the SecNav website upload copies of US Navy "Hazard reports" which researchers discussed at the time of their release, as possible UAP sightings.  However, there are still only eight of these "Hazard reports" on the current SecNav FOIA website. So, it would pay us to give these 20 "Range fouler" forms a close inspection. Although they are heavily redacted, something may be gleaned. 

14. The title suggests that this "range fouler" was a deflated balloon. Observant readers will no doubt recall that the one identified UAP mentioned in the June 2021 Office of the Director of National Intelligence's "Preliminary Asessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena"  was stated as "We were able to identify one reported UAP with high confidence. In that case, we identified the object as a large deflating balloon."

15. 146 pages of emails between various US Navy and other parties pertaining to a range of briefings conducted by the Office of Naval Intelligence for Congress etc. 

Comment:

Again, I don't recall seeing these before, so a close reading of them is in order. 

Updates: 5 March 2022

1. In a 4 March 2022 Tweet, US researcher Dave Beaty advised that he had submitted an FOIA request for "Range Fouler and Whiskey Alert" documents to the US Navy. However, he also advised that "...mine was denied almost fully" and "The one in the Reading Room is from another researcher's request not mine." As the response file title is "Khan appeal response" it seems reasonable to deduce that the other researcher's surname is "Khan."

2. On further investigation of the term "Range Fouler" I came across a mention of it in the 25 June 2021 Office of the Director of National Intelligence's "Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena." On page 8 - under "Definition of key terms - UAP Report" we find:

"UAP Report: Documentation of a UAP event, including verified chains of custody and basic information such as the time, date, location, and description of the UAP. UAP reports include Range Fouler (1) reports and other reporting."

Foot note (1) reads:

"U.S. Navy aviators define a "range fouler" as an activity or object that interrupts pre-planned training or other military actvity in a military operating area or restricted airspace."

3. In a further Tweet Dave Beaty provided details of his 30 March 2021 FOIA request which included the term "range fouler." Dave advised "I was handed 4 pages previously released to @MC05A. No Range Fouler docs were ever released and 90 pages were 'classified exempt.'"

The search for the U.S. DoD Security Classification Guide for UAP

 Background

In a blog post dated 20 March 2021, I posed the question "what security classification level does the U.S. Department of Defense assign to information about UAP?" In a post on his blog, dated 13 March 2021 , French researcher Marc Cecotti, revealed details of internal U.S. Department of Defense emails, arising from his Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request re UAP; which partially answered my question.

In one email, dated 10 July 2020, from Joseph Gradisher, N2N6 Strategic Engagements U.S. Navy, to Jeffrey Jones COMNAVSAFECEN, Deputy Director for Safety Priorities, part of the email read:

"Additionally, there is now a Security Classification Guidance document (at the SECRET) level that addresses the UAP issue and what may/may not be discussed publicly."

What is a Security Classification Guide?

On the Internet I located a PDF document titled "Security Classification Guidance, Student Guide" a course designed for those who need to write/know about these guides.  

Part of this document reads:

"When an Original Classification Authority or OCA, determines that information must be classified, he or she must also develop security classification guidance to communicate that determination to others."

FOIA request

On 21 March 2021 I submitted an FOIA request to the U.S. Department of Defense requesting a copy of the SCG that addresses the UAP issue. Today, I received a "Final Disposition" letter relating to my FOIA request DON-NAVY-2021-004751. Part of the response read:

"...we contacted the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare (N2N6) to conduct a search for responsive records regarding the subject of your request. The N2N6 office conducted a search of their electronic and hard file folders and they advised this office that they had located responsive records to your request.

Due to the public interest in these records, our office will review and post releasable records publicly as they become available on our FOIA Reading Room....Please note, those records will not be sent to individual requesters..."

I immediately went to their reading room, but there are no responsible records posted there at the moment.  It seems, it is now a matter of simply waiting for such records to be placed in the reading room.

I am aware that U.S. researcher John Greenewald submitted an FOIA back in January 2021 for the same SCG. I am not aware of any response that he may have received. There may have been a number of other researchers who also have sought the same document, thus resulting in the way in which the U.S. Navy have decided to respond to my FOIA. 

Update: 24 December 2021

Yesterday, John Greenewald advised he had received a copy of the SCG under the FOIA. Click here for details.

What security classification level does the U.S. Department of Defense assign to information about UAP?

Christian Lambright

Blog readers may recall, that back in 2019 U.S. researcher Christian Lambright submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) for documents relating to the November 2004 U.S.S. Nimitz incidents. Later that year, Christian received a final response from ONI, which in part read:

"We have discovered certain briefing slides that are classified TOP SECRET...We have also determined that ONI possesses a video classified SECRET that ONI is not the Original Classification Authority for. ONI has forwarded your request to Naval Air Systems Command to make a determination on releasability..."

So, at least in relation to the 2004 Nimitz incidents, certain briefing slides are classified TOP SECRET and one video is SECRET. Below are images of part of the ONI response letter. 

Unclassified

On 27 April 2020, the DoD released copies of three declassified videos, namely FLIR, Gimbal and Go Fast. The official DoD release, in part, read:

"The Department of Defense has authorized the release of three unclassified Navy videos, one taken in November 2004 and the other two in January 2015. The released videos can be found at the Naval Air Systems Command FOIA Reading Room."

Note 

In order to release these three videos the DoD would have looked at their previous security classification system and declassified them, to "unclassified." Note that the OCA is Naval Air Systems Command, the same location in the Navy specified in the 2019 ONI statement, where it stated that it had located a video classified SECRET relating to the U.S.S. Nimitiz 2004 incident. Could it be that this SECRET video is in fact one of either FLIR, Gimbal or Go Fast? Or is it yet another Navy video? We just don't know. 

Marc Cecotti's research 

In a 13 March 2021 blog post, French researcher Marc Cecotti revealed details of internal U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) emails concerning Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests about UAP.

In one email, dated 10 July 2020, from Joseph Gradisher, N2N6 Strategic Engagements U.S. Navy; to Jeffrey Jones COMNAVSAFECEN, Deputy Director for Safety Priorities; part of the email read:

"Additionally, there is now a Security Classification Guidance document (at the SECRET) level, that addresses the UAP issue and what may/may not be discussed publicly."

What is a Security Classification Guidance document?

On the Internet I located a PDF document titled "Security Classification Guidance, Student Guide" a course designed for this who need to write/know about these guides. I will cite relevant portions of this document.

"When an Original Classification Authority or OCA, determines that information must be classified, he or she must also develop security classification guidance to communicate that determination to others."

"Develop clear and precise security classification guidance is critical because it ensures that all users of the information treat it consistently and protect it properly."

"Security classification guidance is any instruction or source that sets out the classification of a system, plan, program, mission or project."

Documents you can read 

The U.S. DoD has DoD Instruction 5200.01"DoD Information Security Program and Protection of Sensitive Compartmented Information" or SCI which establishes the general framework and responsibilities for DoD implementers of national policy a on classified national security information.

DoD manual 5200.01 Volumes one through three "DoD Information Security Program" is authorized from the above instruction.

DoD Manual 5200.45 "Instructions for Developing Security Classification Guides" provides detailed information on how to develop Security Classification guidance.

Back to the student guide

"The original classification decision is communicated through a Security Classification Guide or SCG. The SCG covers the specific item requiring classification, the classification level assigned, reason for classification and declassification instructions."

Speaking about SCG's it goes on to say that:

"To maximize usability for the greatest number of individuals, the guide should be unclassified...For some programs, however, they may need to be classified..."

Note

Gradisher's email dated 10 July 2020 to Jeffrey Jones states "...there is now a Security Classification Guidance document (at the SECRET) level..." Thus it would appear that this particular SCG is not unclassified, and is in fact classified at the SECRET level.

The Black Vault

In an article on The Black Vault dated, 13 March 2021,  about this UAP SCG,  John Greenewald wrote:

"The other great revelation with the email is the admission that a "Security Classification Guide" or SCG exists for the UAP topic. On a hunch, The Black Vault filed for this very document back in January 2021, and requests for the SCG remain open to both the Navy and OSD."

I am aware of at least one other, non-American, researcher who has submitted an FOIA request for this SCG.

We await the results of the FOIA requests for a copy of the DoD SCG which relates to UAP. 

Update: 24 December 2021

Yesterday, John Greenewald advised that he had received a copy of the CSG. Click here for details.