Welcome to the National Guard Bureau's FOIA Requester Service Center and Privacy Office.
As a Joint Activity of the Department of Defense, the National Guard Bureau FOIA Requestor Service Center processes requests from the public for records created under the seal of the Chief, National Guard Bureau as authorized by DoD Directive 5105.77, paragraph E2.1.1.

The NGB FOIA Requestor Service Center only processes requests for records created by the Chief, National Guard Bureau's Joint Staff, Personal Staff, and Special Staff. A directory of the staff that is serviced by this requestor service center can be found here.

The FOIA, known by its legal cite as Title 5 U.S.C. § 552, along with the Department of Defense (DoD) Regulation 5400.7, governs how FOIA requests will be processed within the National Guard.

NGB FOIA Office (NGB/JA-OIP)
111 South George Mason Drive, AH2
Arlington, VA 22204-1373
[email protected]

To inquire on the status of your request, you may contact the NGB FOIA Office at (844) 573-2939 or e-mail [email protected].

As a result of increases in the Health Protection Condition (HPCON) level, our offices are limited to mission-essential personnel only and maximizing the use of telework for other personnel. This means that we are unable to handle requests or responses sent via traditional methods and can only respond to electronic inquiries while under elevated HPCON levels. If you have questions regarding your request, please contact our office by [email protected].

Any customers who have concerns about the service received from the NGB Requestor Service Center may contact the DoD FOIA Public Liaison:
Defense Freedom of Information Policy Office
Attn: Ms. Melissa Walker
1155 Defense Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301-1155
(571) 372-0462
[email protected]

If you are seeking records on yourself under the Privacy Act, you should contact the Privacy Act System of Records Notice Manager directly to obtain your records. Your request should include a signed letter indicating the specific records you are seeking, and comply with any other requirements outlined in the System Notice. The National Guard Bureau does not have any unique System Notices at this time as all records maintained are covered by existing notices issued within DoD components. A listing of all DoD notices can be found here: Department of Defense Component System of Records Notices.

• Cite that you are requesting records under the FOIA
• Provide your full name and contact information, to include e-mail address to expedite communications
• Provide a reasonable description of the record(s) requested as well as the office(s) you believe are most likely to have the records sought. A listing of the offices serviced by this requestor service center can be found here.
• Provide a statement of your fee category and indicate your willingness to pay applicable fees for processing. You may include a dollar amount you are willing to pay up to, or you may leave the amount you are willing to pay open-ended.

Please note that the filing of an FOIA or Privacy request is a personal matter. By Air Force and Army FOIA Regulations, government time and equipment to include government e-mail, may not be used to make or inquire about FOIA requests.

Educational, Noncommercial, Scientific, and Media:

Any accredited U.S. educational or research institution or instructor of an institution, or representative of the news media using the information in a scholarly or analytical work contributing to public knowledge and disseminated to the public.

Commercial:

Increases the commercial interest of the requestor.

All Others:

All other requestors

The FOIA provides for the collection of fees for:

• Searches: Time spent in looking for and retrieving material, either paper or electronic files, that are responsive to the request to include personnel hours (clerical and professional) and computer time.
• Reviews: Time spent to determine if the record is releasable under legal guidelines, excluding resolution of legal or policy issues. This does include time spent excising text that is exempt under FOIA.
• Reproduction: Generating a copy of a requested record in the appropriate medium, for example paper or computer file.
  
  

  Fees rates and schedules can be found in 32 Code of Federal Regulations, part 286, DoD Freedom of Information Act Program, Subpart E and on the Department of Defense Form 2086, Record of Freedom of Information Processing Costs.

If you are seeking Army National Guard records please make your request directly to the appropriate Army National Guard FOIA Requestor Service Center.

If you are seeking Air National Guard records, please make your request through the Air Force Public Access Link.

If you are seeking verification of military service for either the Air or Army National Guard to comply with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), please visit the DoD SCRA Website.

If you are seeking records on former military service members for either the Air or Army National Guard, please visit the National Archives website, Veterans’ Service Records section. Go to the Civilian Personnel Records, Services for Federal Agencies section for civilian records. These records are not processed by our office.

If you are seeking records regarding pay or verification of employment visit: Defense Finance and Accounting Service.