The Public Interest Declassification Board (the Board) has transmitted its Annual Report to Congress for calendar year 2025 (CY 2025). This report is directed by the Public Interest Declassification Act of 2000, as amended (P.L. 106-567), reflecting the Board’s core function as an advisory body to Congress and the President on matters related to classification, declassification, and public access to historically valuable national security information. The Board’s mandate is to promote the fullest possible public access to a thorough, accurate, and reliable documentary record of U.S. national security decisions and activities.
The CY 2025 annual report provides a detailed account of the Board’s activities during the year, which centered on evaluating opportunities for structural reform in the management of classified national security information, the advancement of AI-enabled declassification initiatives, and pursuit of the declassification and public release of historically significant classified records relating to the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001.
The Board enacted a number of administrative changes over the course of the year, onboarding three members in January 2025 and two additional members in May 2025. The Board transitioned to a monthly, in-person meeting cycle for its Executive Sessions, and amended its bylaws to streamline administrative processes and revise its leadership structure.
Efforts undertaken by the Board in 2025 set the stage for a highly successful public meeting in January 2026 and substantial engagement with Members of Congress in the new year, with the Board currently fielding declassification review requests from both chambers, emerging from its CY2025 outreach.