Army, Navy and Marine Corps to share military personnel records
A military court has ordered the release of more than a million documents related to military personnel services in the U.S. military, according to a statement from the Office of the Special Counsel, which is investigating the matter.
The documents are among about 4 million documents that were previously kept secret from the public, including the identities of servicemembers, as well as details of their work, their medical histories and their medical benefits, the statement said.
They are the most extensive records of military personnel held by the Department of Defense, according the statement.
The information, which includes names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers, birth certificates, and other information, was kept secret because the Department had not yet decided on the number of records that would be released.
The release of the documents comes as the Senate Armed Services Committee is considering the nomination of retired Gen. James Mattis, a candidate for secretary of defense, as defense secretary.
The House of Representatives is expected to take up the nomination Tuesday.
Mattis has not yet been nominated.
The military records are among the largest of the hundreds of thousands of documents that have been withheld from public release since a 2014 military court ruling that declared all records should be released in order to protect national security and to protect the rights of individuals.
The court ruled that the secrecy of military records violated the Constitution and the law.
The court ordered the records released in 2016.
In a letter sent to Army Secretary Eric Fanning and the U:P.O., the special counsel said the release is an essential step toward improving transparency and accountability in the military.
“While the Department and its contractors continue to work with the Special Master to expedite the process, the Special Committee is committed to working with the Department to ensure this important information is made available to the public,” said James F. Womack Jr., a former acting U.N. Special Envoy on Torture, who is serving as a member of the special committee.
The records will be released under a public records act.