Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operations and Casualties during President Trump's Administration (U.S. Africa Command)
Tracking # |
2023-184 |
Multi Request | Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operations and Casualties during President Trump's Administration |
Submitted | April 15, 2023 |
Due | May 15, 2023 |
Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Jordan Lassiter
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
Related to the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones during President Trump’s administration in Yemen, Somalia, Philippines, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Please note that this is a multi-agency request, and I am also seeking interagency documents pertaining to the matter.
Specifically, I am seeking:
Drone readiness documents, including but not limited to: mission plans, flight logs, and maintenance records.
Inspection records, including but not limited to: pre-flight inspections, post-flight inspections, and accident reports.
Information on drone operations, including but not limited to: the number of drones in operation, the types of missions they were used for, and the duration of the missions.
Casualties, including but not limited to: the number of people killed or injured by drone strikes, and any collateral damage caused by the strikes.
Any other documents or records related to the use of drones in the aforementioned countries during President Trump’s administration, including interagency communications, agreements, or collaborations.
Please note that I am seeking access to both classified and unclassified materials. If any of the requested materials are classified, I request that they be reviewed for declassification.
I would like to bring to your attention several cases that have set important precedents for FOIA requests:
National Security Archive v. CIA, No. 1:15-cv-00224 (D.D.C. 2015): This case held that the CIA could not withhold drone-related documents solely based on a "Glomar" response.
New York Times Co. v. Department of Justice, No. 13-422 (2d Cir. 2014): This case held that the Department of Justice could not withhold a legal memorandum addressing the scope of the authority to conduct targeted killings of U.S. citizens abroad using drones.
Given these legal precedents, I kindly request that you do not withhold, redact, or delete any responsive records without proper justification under FOIA exemptions. In the event that certain records or parts thereof are withheld, please provide a detailed explanation for each instance of withholding, including reference to the specific exemption(s) claimed.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Jordan Lassiter
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on April 18, 2023. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Jordan Lassiter
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:
Related to the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones during President Trump’s administration in Yemen, Somalia, Philippines, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Please note that this is a multi-agency request, and I am also seeking interagency documents pertaining to the matter.
Specifically, I am seeking:
Drone readiness documents, including but not limited to: mission plans, flight logs, and maintenance records.
Inspection records, including but not limited to: pre-flight inspections, post-flight inspections, and accident reports.
Information on drone operations, including but not limited to: the number of drones in operation, the types of missions they were used for, and the duration of the missions.
Casualties, including but not limited to: the number of people killed or injured by drone strikes, and any collateral damage caused by the strikes.
Any other documents or records related to the use of drones in the aforementioned countries during President Trump’s administration, including interagency communications, agreements, or collaborations.
Please note that I am seeking access to both classified and unclassified materials. If any of the requested materials are classified, I request that they be reviewed for declassification.
I would like to bring to your attention several cases that have set important precedents for FOIA requests:
National Security Archive v. CIA, No. 1:15-cv-00224 (D.D.C. 2015): This case held that the CIA could not withhold drone-related documents solely based on a "Glomar" response.
New York Times Co. v. Department of Justice, No. 13-422 (2d Cir. 2014): This case held that the Department of Justice could not withhold a legal memorandum addressing the scope of the authority to conduct targeted killings of U.S. citizens abroad using drones.
Given these legal precedents, I kindly request that you do not withhold, redact, or delete any responsive records without proper justification under FOIA exemptions. In the event that certain records or parts thereof are withheld, please provide a detailed explanation for each instance of withholding, including reference to the specific exemption(s) claimed.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Jordan Lassiter
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on April 18, 2023. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: U.S. Africa Command
Dear Mr. Lassiter,
USAFRICOM is in receipt of your request below. Your request has been assigned case number 2023-184.
You have been placed in the "all others" requester category. Please provide a statement of your willingness to pay for the time needed to review records in
excess of two hours, and any reproduction of the records in excess of 100 pages. This amount must sufficient to pay for the replication of all pages in
excess of 100. The cost of review is $48 for professional search, review, and coordination to $100 per hour for executive review and coordination. There is
no charge for the first two hours of search and review for "all other" requesters. Although we will provide the records electronically, because of how our cases are processed, each must be printed, so the cost of replication for any page in excess of 100 is $.15 per page. Administrative fees will vary depending on the need to consult with external agencies regarding the individual cases involved in this request. We kindly request a statement of maximum amount you are
willing to pay within 10 business days.
Sincerely,
USASFRICOM FOIA Office
From: U.S. Africa Command
Dear Mr. Lassiter,
USAFRICOM is in receipt of your request below. Your request has been assigned case number 2023-184.
You have been placed in the "all others" requester category. Please provide a statement of your willingness to pay for the time needed to review records in
excess of two hours, and any reproduction of the records in excess of 100 pages. This amount must sufficient to pay for the replication of all pages in
excess of 100. The cost of review is $48 for professional search, review, and coordination to $100 per hour for executive review and coordination. There is
no charge for the first two hours of search and review for "all other" requesters. Although we will provide the records electronically, because of how our cases are processed, each must be printed, so the cost of replication for any page in excess of 100 is $.15 per page. Administrative fees will vary depending on the need to consult with external agencies regarding the individual cases involved in this request. We kindly request a statement of maximum amount you are
willing to pay within 10 business days.
Sincerely,
USASFRICOM FOIA Office
From: Jordan Lassiter
Hello I accept all fees which may be acquired