Freedom of Information Act
The Freedom of Information and Privacy Act Office is responsible for the management
oversight of the implementation of Army FOIA and PA programs in accordance with
5 USC, and Public Law 106-554.
The Freedom of Information Act generally provides that any person has a right, enforceable
in court, to obtain access to federal agency records, except to the extent that
such records (or portions of them) are protected from disclosure by one of nine
exemptions or by one of three special law enforcement record exclusions.
Enacted in 1966, the FOIA established for the first time an effective statutory
right of access to government information. The principles of government openness
and accountability underlying the FOIA, however, are inherent in the democratic
ideal: "The basic purpose of [the] FOIA is to ensure an informed citizenry, vital
to the functioning of a democratic society, needed to check against corruption and
to hold the governors accountable to the governed." The Supreme Court has emphasized
that "official information that sheds light on an agency's performance of its statutory
duties falls squarely within that statutory purpose."
This was emphasized also in the statement of FOIA policy issued by President Clinton
on Oct. 4, 1993, in which he called upon all federal agencies to renew their commitment
to the Act and to enhance its effectiveness as a vital mechanism of government openness
and accountability:
"For more than a quarter century now, the Freedom of Information Act has played
a unique role in strengthening our democratic form of government. The statute was
enacted based upon the fundamental principle that an informed citizenry is essential
to the democratic process and that the more the American people know about their
government the better they will be governed. Openness in government is essential
to accountability and the Act has become an integral part of that process."
Attn: FOIA Officer
Directorate of Human Resources
Administrative Services Division
Building 750 Ayers Avenue, Room 207
Schofield Barracks, HI 96857
Phone: 808-655-0107
E-mail:
usaghifoia1.usaghifoia2@us.army.mil