DoD OIG report DODOIG-2025-000932

COLD OPEN: This is a Freedom of Information Act request response from the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, dated January 7, 2026. The case number is DODOIG-2025-000932, and it was released to the public through The Black Vault. The response is a result of a FOIA request from John Greenewald, Jr., seeking Inspector General complaints and reprisal investigations related to UAP programs within the Department of Defense or Intelligence Community. PROVENANCE: The document was released on January 1, 2025, as part of a recent FOIA release from the DoD Office of Inspector General. The case was assigned the number DODOIG-2025-000932, and the response was sent via email to Mr. Greenewald. The release was made available through The Black Vault's online archive. THE DOCUMENT: OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 4800 MARK CENTER DRIVE ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA 22350-1500 January 7, 2026 Ref: DODOIG-2025-000932 SENT VIA EMAIL TO: john@greenewald.com Mr. John Greenewald, Jr. The Black Vault, Inc. 27305 W. Live Oak Road, Suite 1203 Castaic, CA 91384 Dear Mr. Greenewald: This responds to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for “all Inspector General complaints, reprisal investigations, threat assessments, or disciplinary communications created from January 1, 2021, to present referencing whistleblowers within the Department of Defense or Intelligence Community who reported UAP-related programs or technologies. This includes, but is not limited to, complaints referencing retaliation for disclosures made to Congress or the media.” We received your request on May 1, 2025, and assigned it case number DODOIG-2025-000932. For your information, Congress excluded three discrete categories of law enforcement and national security records from the requirements of the FOIA. See 5 U.S.C. 552(c). This response is limited to those records that are subject to the requirements of the FOIA. This is a standard notification that is given to all our requesters and should not be taken as an indication that excluded records do, or do not, exist. The Administrative Investigations Component, which includes the Department of Defense Hotline, conducted a search and located records responsive to your request. Upon review, we determined that the enclosed 63 pages are appropriate for release in part pursuant to the following FOIA exemptions: • (b)(3), which pertains to information exempted from release by statute, in this instance 5 U.S.C. § 407, which protects the confidentiality of employee complaints to the Inspector General. • (b)(5), which pertains to certain inter-and intra-agency communications protected by the attorney-client privilege and the deliberative process privilege. • (b)(6), which pertains to information, the release of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. • (b)(7)(C), which pertains to records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes, the release of which could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. January 7, 2026 Ref: DODOIG-2025-000932 2 • (b)(7)(E), which protects sensitive law enforcement information that could reasonably be expected to risk circumvention of the law. In coordination with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), we determined that an additional 44 pages are exempt from release in their entirety pursuant to the following FOIA exemptions: • (b)(3), which pertains to information exempted from release by statute, in this instance: o 50 U.S.C. § 3024(i)(1), which mandates the protection of intelligence sources and methods from unauthorized disclosure; o 50 U.S.C. § 3024(m), which protects the names and identifying information of ODNI personnel; and o 5 U.S.C. § 407, which protects the confidentiality of employee complaints to the Inspector General. • (b)(5), which pertains to certain inter-and intra-agency communications protected by the deliberative process privilege. • (b)(6), which pertains to information, the release of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. • (b)(7)(C), which pertains to records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes, the release of which could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. • (b)(7)(D), which pertains to records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes, the release of which could reasonably be expected to disclose the identity of a confidential source. • (b)(7)(E), which protects sensitive law enforcement information that could reasonably be expected to risk circumvention of the law. Our review included consideration of the foreseeable harm standard, as stated in DoDM 5400.07. Under this standard, the content of a particular record should be reviewed and a determination made as to whether the DoD Component reasonably foresees that disclosing it, given its age, content, and character, would harm an interest protected by an applicable exemption. If you consider this an adverse determination, you may submit an appeal. Your appeal, if any, must be postmarked within 90 days of the date of this letter, clearly identify the determination that you would like to appeal, and reference to the FOIA case number above. Send your appeal via mail to the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, ATTN: FOIA Appellate Authority, Suite 10B24, 4800 Mark Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 22350-1500, January 7, 2026 Ref: DODO