Vigilant Defender 23 Information (US ARMY)

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

According to this article (https://www.usar.army.mil/News/Article/3503100/army-counterintelligence-agents-train-in-puerto-rico-during-vigilant-defender-23/) published on the US Army Reserve official website, Vigilant Defender 23 took place between July 8-21, 2023 in Puerto Rico and involved the 752nd Military Intelligence Battalion (Counterintelligence), Interrogation Group, Military Intelligence Readiness Command. The article also notes that Army Reserve's 1st Mission Support Command supported training and that Col. Carlos Caceres, commander of the 1st Mission Support Command, "brought in all his local contacts with the state police, Army Reserve, National Guard, FBI. He invited whoever was out there to come meet with us to discuss our event.” The article says "approximately 200 personnel participated."

Therefore, I request the following records:

1) All instructional materials, presentations and presentation materials related to and used during Vigilant Defender 23. This includes A) any notes taken during meetings that discussed Vigilant Defender 23, B) any notes taken during meetings that took place during Vigilant Defender 23 training, and C) any other documents related to Vigilant Defender 23, including internal documentation, public relations materials, and executive summaries.

2) Any messages, emails, and associated attachments shared with local, state, and federal agencies to promote "situational awareness" of the Vigilant Defender 23 military training and the presence of counterintelligence agents in Puerto Rico. These emails, messages, and associated attachments can include but are not limited to A) communications inviting local, state, and federal agencies to participate in training exercises and B) communications letting local, state, and federal agencies know about activities taking place during the military training.

3) Any internal or external organizational charts created during the lead up to Vigilant Defender 23 showing the command structure to be followed during the military training exercise.

4) Any attendance sheets produced during the course of the Vigilant Defender 23 military training exercise.

5) To the extent possible, any emails and associated attachments that mention Vigilant Defender 23.

To help limit the extent of the responsive documents, please limit search from Jan 1, 2023 through the time this request is processed. Please deliver these documents on a rolling basis as responsive documents are found. You can treat #5 (emails) as a separate request because I suspect there will be many more responsive documents there.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes. It will be used in the course of reporting for Marea Ecologista, an independent journalism outlet. (https://mareaecologista.com/)

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,

Carlos Berríos Polanco

Dear FOIA Officer,

I hope this letter finds you well. On March 12, 2024, I submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request regarding Vigilant Defender 23, which took place in Puerto Rico in 2023. The request sought records including after-action reports, evaluations, planning documents, correspondence, contracts, and briefing materials related to the exercise.

As of today, June 12, 2024, I have not received a response to my FOIA request nor any communication regarding the status of the request. Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(A)(i), agencies are generally required to respond to FOIA requests within 20 business days from the date of receipt. It has now been significantly beyond that timeframe.

Given the statutory requirements and the absence of any notification regarding an extension or the status of my request, I am concerned about the delay in processing my FOIA request. I respectfully request an immediate update on the status of my request and an estimated timeline for when I can expect to receive the responsive records.

If there are any issues or additional information needed to process my request, please do not hesitate to contact me at [Your Phone Number] or [Your Email Address]. As a reminder, I am willing to pay reasonable fees associated with this request.

Please treat this communication as a formal follow-up to my original FOIA request. If I do not receive a response within a reasonable timeframe, I may consider pursuing appropriate legal remedies, including but not limited to filing a lawsuit to compel the agency's compliance with the FOIA.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your timely response.

Sincerely,

Carlos Berríos Polanco

Hello,

Hope your day is going well.

In the case that I file another FOIA request with another office, do you know which office would be the best one to file for this specific request? I have filed similar requests with other Army FOIA departments but have not received a response.

Thank you for your help!

Best wishes,
Carlos