On April 20, 2022, the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) met in executive session at the National Archives and Records Administration’s Archives 1, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. The day-long session was led by PIDB Chair Ezra Cohen, and included briefings on the Marshall Islands Declassification Feasibility Study required under the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, and on the issue of over-classification. The executive session was attended by PIDB Members Carter Burwell, Paul-Noel Chretien, Laura DeBonis, Trey Gowdy, Michael Lawrence, Ben Powerll, Alissa Starzak, and John Tierney.
Panelists briefing the PIDB on the Marshall Islands Declassification Feasibility Study included Department of Defense representatives Paul K. Blake and John Smith; Department of Energy representatives Edie Chalk, Kevin Dressman, and Mishelle Hugues; and the Director of the National Declassification Center, William Fischer.
From the British Embassy, Defense Attaché and Counselor Edward Ferguson, and Air Wing Commander Sean Langrish, briefed the PIDB on the effect of over-classification on allies of the United States. Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) Vice President John Galer, and representatives of AIA member Companies Doug Hassebrock (Lockheed Martin), Jason Mellare (Umbra Space), and Darin Smith (Northrop Grumman), briefed the PIDB on the effect of over-classification on the aerospace industry.
The agenda for the April 20, 2022, PIDB Executive Session is now available on the PIDB’s website: https://www.archives.gov/declassification/pidb/meetings/pidb2022.