What did the declassified documents reveal?

Document: DoD Directive S-3600.1 (declassified) Agency: Department of Defense Date: December 9, 1996 Notable: Formerly-classified directive released under FOIA, providing insight into the Department of Defense's information operations policy during the 1990s. The Black Vault's entry on this document can be found at https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/osd/DODDirectiveS36001.pdf. This directive was released to The Black Vault through a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request, as part of Executive Order 13526. The document was declassified in part, with certain information exempt from disclosure under Executive Order 13526, section 3.3 (b)(1), (5), and (8). Department of Defense Directive S-3600.1, issued on December 9, 1996, reissues and updates previous directives on information operations and information warfare policy within the Department of Defense. The directive applies to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Military Departments, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Combatant Commands, the Inspector General of the Department of Defense, the Defense Agencies, and the DoD Field Activities. The directive defines terms used in this document in the enclosure. The policy of the Department of Defense is to be prepared for missions from peace to war, including military operations other than war, such as peace-keeping and humanitarian operations. To meet this challenge, DoD activities shall be organized, trained, equipped, and supported to plan and execute information operations. The goal of information operations is to secure peacetime national security objectives, deter conflict, protect DoD information and information systems, and to shape the information environment. If deterrence fails, the goal of IO is to achieve U.S. information superiority to attain specific objectives against potential adversaries in time of crisis and/or conflict. The directive establishes the requirement that information operations activities support and are supported by other military activities and are considered in all appropriate contexts. Information operations are controlled through an approval process appropriate to the sensitivity of the specific activity in question. This directive was declassified in full on December 15, 2020, by the Chief, Records & Declassification Division, WHS, as part of the Mandatory Declassification Review case 20-0-0537. This is what the public record looks like at its most ordinary. The document can be found at https://documents2.theblackvault.com/documents/osd/DODDirectiveS36001.pdf.

Why was this case declassified?

This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process.

Case · DAILY-036

DoD Directive S-3600.1 (declassified)

JUL 5 · 2026Narrated by daily-declassified-dod-directive-s-3600-1-declassified3 minLast updated July 5, 2026

The short version

1 (declassified) Agency: Department of Defense Date: December 9, 1996 Notable: Formerly-classified directive released under FOIA, providing insight into the Department of Defense's information operations policy during the 1990s. pdf. This directive was released to The Black Vault through a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request, as part of Executive Order 13526.

Date: JUL 5 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)

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Episode notes

Document: DoD Directive S-3600.1 (declassified) Agency: Department of Defense Date: December 9, 1996 Notable: Formerly-classified directive released under FOIA, providing insight into the Department of Defense's information operations policy during the 1990s. The Black Vault's entry on this…

Questions about this case

What was DoD Directive S-3600.1 (declassified) about?: 1 (declassified) Agency: Department of Defense Date: December 9, 1996 Notable: Formerly-classified directive released under FOIA, providing insight into the Department of Defense's information operations policy during the 1990s. pdf. This directive was released to The Black Vault through a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) request, as part of Executive Order 13526.
Why was this case declassified?: This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. Storyflo narrates it directly from the public release.

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