Vigilant Defender 23 (US Army Forces Command (FORSCOM))

To Whom It May Concern:

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

I am requesting any and all internal organizaitonal charts concerning the "Vigilant Defender 23" military training exercise conducted in San Juan, Puerto Rico during July 8-21, 2023. This request is for all records produced between January 1, 2023 and August 30, 2023.

Keywords Include: Vigilant Defender, Defender 23, Field Officer, Counterintelligence, Intelligence, Field Exercise, Cross-Agency Collaboration, Cross-Collaboration, and/or Information.

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 February 11, 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 787-449-4731 or carlosBP@protonmail.com. 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