What did the declassified documents reveal?

COLD OPEN: This is a declassified Freedom of Information Act release from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, dated June 18, 2025, and obtained by The Black Vault. The release, part of FOIA case number 20-F-1095, contains 263 pages of responsive documents related to a 2020 request by John Greenewald Jr. The documents are now available on The Black Vault's website, courtesy of the Office of the Secretary of Defense/Joint Staff Freedom of Information Act Requester Service Center. PROVENANCE: The release was made possible through a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by John Greenewald Jr. on May 16, 2020. The Office of the Secretary of Defense/Joint Staff Freedom of Information Act Requester Service Center received the request on May 18, 2020, and assigned it FOIA case number 20-F-1095. The release was made on June 18, 2025, by Pamela Andrews, Chief, FOIA. THE DOCUMENT: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE/JOINT STAFF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION 1155 DEFENSE PENTAGON WASHINGTON, DC 20301-1155 Ref: 20-F-1095 June 18, 2025 M r. John Greenewald The Black Vault, Inc. 27305 W. Live Oak Rd., Suite #1203 Castaic, CA 91384 D ear Mr. Greenewald: T his is a final response to your May 16, 2020 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, a copy of which is enclosed for your convenience. The Office of the Secretary of Defense/Joint Staff (OSD/JS) FOIA Requester Service Center received your request on May 18, 2020, and assigned it FOIA case number 20-F-1095. We ask that you use this number when referring to your request. T he Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, a component of OSD, conducted a search of their records systems and located 263 pages determined to be responsive to your request. Ms. Tanya Rose, IM Director, Public Affairs; Mr. Paul Plescow, Chief of Staff, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security; Mr. C.C. Davison, Chief, Records and Open Government, Defense Intelligence Agency; and Mr. Richard Strong, Navy FOIA/PA Program Office, in their capacity as Initial Denial Authorities, has determined that portions of the 263 responsive pages are exempt from release pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552: ( b)(3), information specifically exempted by a statute establishing particular criteria for withholding, applying 10 U.S.C § 424, which pertains to the protection of organizational and personnel information for DIA, NRO, and NIMA; (b )(5), inter- and intra- agency memoranda which are deliberative in nature; this exemption is appropriate for internal documents which are part of the decision-making process, and contain subjective evaluations, opinions and recommendations; and ( b)(6), information which, if disclosed, would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of the personal privacy of individuals. A specific email, dated February 10, 2021, was located during the search. The email, sent by an unknown sender, contains links to various online sources discussing Unidentified…

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-005

OSD/Joint Staff FOIA release (case 20-F-1095)

JUL 5 · 2026Narrated by daily-declassified-osd-joint-staff-foia-release-case-20-f-10955 minLast updated July 5, 2026

The short version

COLD OPEN: This is a declassified Freedom of Information Act release from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, dated June 18, 2025, and obtained by The Black Vault. The release, part of FOIA case number 20-F-1095, contains 263 pages of responsive documents related to a 2020 request by John Greenewald Jr.

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

↯ Dispatch — press play

0:005:16

↯ Share

X in r/

Episode notes

Questions about this case

What was OSD/Joint Staff FOIA release (case 20-F-1095) about?: COLD OPEN: This is a declassified Freedom of Information Act release from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, dated June 18, 2025, and obtained by The Black Vault. The release, part of FOIA case number 20-F-1095, contains 263 pages of responsive documents related to a 2020 request by John Greenewald Jr.
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.

✉ Dispatches

A short dispatch when a new file is released — narrated, answer-first, and linked straight to the primary source. No spam; unsubscribe anytime.

↯ Subscribe to the feed

RSS feed Browse all cases

Questions about this case

Get the next declassified case in your inbox