Notice2023-21542
Proposed Collection; Comment Request
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 29, 2023
Issuing agencies
Defense Department
Abstract
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness announces a proposed public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 188 (Friday, September 29, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 188 (Friday, September 29, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67260-67261]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-21542]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
[Docket ID: DOD-2023-OS-0092]
Proposed Collection; Comment Request
AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and
Readiness (OUSD(P&R)), Department of Defense (DoD).
ACTION: 60-Day information collection notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
announces a proposed public information collection and seeks public
comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: whether the
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the
information shall have practical utility; the accuracy of the agency's
estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be
collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the information
collection on respondents, including through the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by November
28, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and
title, by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Department of Defense, Office of the Director of
Administration and Management, Directorate for Oversight and
Compliance, 4800 Mark Center Drive, Mailbox #24, Suite 08D09,
Alexandria, VA 22350-1700.
[[Page 67261]]
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency
name, docket number and title for this Federal Register document. The
general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the
public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the
internet at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> as they are received without
change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on this
proposed information collection or to obtain a copy of the proposal and
associated collection instruments, please write to Defense Human
Resources Activity, 4800 Mark Center Drive, Suite 08F05, Alexandria, VA
22350, LaTarsha Yeargins, 571-372-2089.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 572 of the National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 required commanders
of each military command to conduct a climate assessment of the command
or unit for purposes of preventing and responding to sexual assaults. A
subsequent November 2015 memo from the Acting Under Secretary of
Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD P&R) designated the DEOCS as
the survey tool to support the NDAA requirement for a DoD command
climate assessment program. As outlined in DoD Instruction (DoDI)
6400.11, all active duty and Reserve component commanders and DoD
civilian organization leaders are required to administer a DEOCS to
their unit or organization annually. Also included in the DEOCS
population are active duty and Reserve component members of the Coast
Guard, students at the U.S. Military Service Academies, U.S. Coast
Guard Academy, and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and foreign nationals
working for the DoD. The survey is web-based and is a census of the
commander's unit. The core survey questions are organized into three
main categories that include (1) unit experience, (2) leadership, and
(3) behaviors and personal experience. To fulfill the requirement
outlined in DoDI 1350.02 of fielding a survey to assess racial and
ethnic relations in the military, a sample of active duty and Reserve
component members who take the DEOCS in 2024 will be provided
additional questions on racial and ethnic issues.
Title; Associated Form; and OMB Number: Defense Organizational
Climate Survey (DEOCS)--Version 5.1; OMB Control Number 0704-0659.
Needs and Uses: The DEOCS is fielded in response to Section 572 of
the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY)
2013. A May 2019 memo from the Acting Secretary of Defense directed
that the goals of the DEOCS include developing and providing leaders
with assessment tools ``that help them with developing an appropriate
course of action from a suite of interventions and provide them with
feedback on their impact of their efforts.'' The information gathered
from the DEOCS will be used by commanders, prevention workforce
personnel, equal opportunity officers (EOAs), survey administrators,
and other leaders to assess the unit's command climate and measure the
risk and protective factors associated with the six strategic target
outcomes (sexual assault, sexual harassment, racial/ethnic
discrimination, suicide, readiness, and retention). Based on the DEOCS
results, commanders/leaders, their command climate administrator, and
their Integrated Primary Prevention Workforce (IPPW) personnel will
develop a Comprehensive Integrated Primary Prevention (CIPP) plan to
positively impact their organization's leadership climate. The survey
results are provided to the commander/leader, their command climate
administrator, and their IPPW personnel. Survey responses could also be
used in future analyses.
The statutory and policy requirements for the DEOCS can be found in
the following:
<bullet> FY13 NDAA, Section 572
<bullet> FY14 NDAA, Section 1721
<bullet> DoD Instruction (DoDI) 6400.11, ``DoD Integrated Primary
Prevention Policy for Prevention Workforce and Leaders''
<bullet> DoD Instruction (DoDI) 1350.02, ``DoD Military Equal
Opportunity Program'' Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for
Personnel and Readiness. (2018).
Realignment of force resiliency elements of the Office of the Under
Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness [Memorandum]. The
DEOCS fielded in 2024 will also include items that meet the requirement
to collect information on racial and ethnic issues among active duty
and Reserve component members. To reduce survey burden, the Department
identified the DEOCS as the most appropriate existing survey vehicle to
collect this information. The statutory and policy requirements for
collecting information on racial and ethnic issues among active duty
and Reserve component members can be found in the following:
<bullet> Immediate Actions to Improve Diversity & Inclusion (Esper,
2020)
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Annual Burden Hours: 926,973.
Number of Respondents: 1,589,098.
Responses per Respondent: 1.
Annual Responses: 1,589,098.
Average Burden per Response: 35 minutes.
Frequency: As required.
Unit commanders and organizational leaders must administer a DEOCS
during the Annual Force-wide administration. There is not a
standardized method for defining at which level in the hierarchy units
are required to take the DEOCS, how to define a unit, or how to define
unit membership. As a result, there may be overlap between DEOCS units
resulting in individuals taking more than one DEOCS. The additional
survey items included on the DEOCS to meet the requirement to gather
information on racial and ethnic issues among active duty and Reserve
component members is collected biennially (i.e. every other year).
Dated: September 26, 2023.
Natalie M. Ragland,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2023-21542 Filed 9-28-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P
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