Pentagon tightens control of personnel data

In a March 29 memorandum, Defense Undersecretary for Personnel and Readiness David Chu asked OPM not to release lists of names and related information about Defense employees and to refer requests for such information to the Defense Department's Office of Freedom of Information and Security. Under the new policy, names and street and e-mail addresses of Defense employees will no longer be released.

But OPM also is clearing requests for general statistics from the Central Personnel Data File through Defense, a process that has caused backlogs and delays and slowed responses to Freedom of Information Act requests, an OPM official said.

A request from Government Executive for general statistics about federal managers was delayed for a week earlier this month as it underwent Defense review. The information, which included general statistics about the number of federal managers, their racial breakdown, average salary and length of service, was eventually granted.

A Pentagon spokesman confirmed that Defense is vetting requests for personnel information sent to OPM and deciding whether to release the data.

The March 29 policy is an expansion of one adopted after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that denies FOIA requests about specific Defense employees, or redacts such information when it would be revealed by another request. The original policy was implemented, according to an October 2001 memo, "because of the heightened interest in the personal privacy of [Defense] personnel that is consistent with the increased security awareness demanded in times of national security."

The policy was broadened last month to include requests for information from the Central Personnel Data File-the government's repository of statistics about the federal workforce-because FOIA guidelines are used to determine what information from the repository is released, according to the Pentagon spokesman.