The Freedom of Information Act Program allows the general public including foreign citizens, military and civilian personnel acting as private citizens, to request records electronically or in writing from the Federal Government. Some records are released to the public under the Freedom of Information Act, and may therefore reflect deletion of some information in accordance with the FOIA's nine statutory exemptions or two law enforcement record exclusions. A consolidated list of such records is on

Defense Link and the U.S. Air Force FOIA Library. Currently the law allows 20 working days to process a FOIA request upon receipt of the request in the FOIA office.

Members of the public, including foreign citizens, military and civilian personnel acting as private citizens, organizations and businesses, and individual members of the Congress for themselves or constituents, may request records in writing. It is important to remember that the Freedom of Information Act applies only to federal agencies. It does not create a right of access to records held by Congress, the courts, state or local government agencies, or by private businesses or individuals. Each state has its own public access laws that should by consulted for access to state and local records.
 

Fees are assessed depending on which group the request falls into:

Category 1: Commercial. Requesters pay all search, review, and duplication.

Category 2: Educational or Noncommercial Scientific Institution or News Media. Requesters get the first 100 copies free and pay for additional copies.

Category 3: Others. Requesters get the first two hours of search and the first 100 copies free.

If you are only seeking a copy of a record or records that are currently classified, and would like the record reviewed for appropriate declassification and release, you should file a Mandatory Declassification Review request. Mandatory Declassification Review is a provision of Presidential Executive Order 13526 that allows members of the public to request a mandatory declassification review of a classified document in order to obtain a releasable version of the document. The desired document requested must be specified in sufficient detail that it can be readily located. The record in question may not be the subject of litigation. The mandatory declassification review process can be a very timely and in-depth, due to the classification of materials being reviewed by internal and outside agencies.  MDR decisions can be administratively appealed to the Headquarters Air Force/AAII (Mandatory Declassification Review) or Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP). 

Requests for review and release of classified records under the MDR process can be made to:

Headquarters Air Force/AAII
(Mandatory Declassification Review)
1000 Air Force Pentagon
Washington, DC 20330-1000
Phone: (703) 695-2226
Email: usaf.pentagon.saf-aa.mbx.mdr-workflow@mail.mil
 

To mail or fax a request, send to:

FOIA Requester Service Center (RSC)
30 SCS/SCXF (FOIA Office)
867 Washington Ave
Vandenberg AFB CA 93437-6120
foia@us.af.mil
Comm: 805.606.7006 / DSN: 276-7006

Please ensure you mention "FOIA" and indicate a willingness to pay fees associated with the processing of your request or why a waiver of fees may be appropriate. All requests must have a mailing address included since it may not be practical to provide a substantive response electronically.