285.3—Policy.
It is DoD policy to:
(a)
Promote public trust by making the maximum amount of information available to the public, in both hard copy and electronic formats, on the operation and activities of the Department of Defense, consistent with the DoD responsibility to protect national security and other sensitive DoD information.
(b)
Allow a requester to obtain records from the Department of Defense that are available through other public information services without invoking the FOIA.
(c)
Make available, according to the procedures established by DoD 32 CFR part 286, DoD records requested by a member of the public who explicitly or implicitly cites the FOIA.
(d)
Answer promptly all other requests for DoD information and records under established procedures and practices.
(e)
Release DoD records to the public unless those records are exempt from disclosure as outlined in 5 U.S.C. 552.
(f)
Process requests by individuals for access to records about themselves contained in a Privacy Act system of records according to the procedures set forth in 32 CFR part 310 and this part, as amplified by DoD 32 CFR part 286.
(g)
Provide FOIA requesters with citizen-centered ways to learn about the FOIA process, about DoD records that are publicly available, and about the status of a FOIA request and appropriate information about the DoD response.