[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 245 (Monday, December 22, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76308-76309]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29790]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committees

AGENCY: DoD.

ACTION: Renewal of Federal Advisory Committee.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Defense (DoD) is publishing this notice to 
announce that it is renewing the charter for the Vietnam War 
Commemoration Advisory Committee (``the Committee'').

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Freeman, Advisory Committee 
Management Officer for the Department of Defense, 703-692-5952.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This committee's charter is being renewed in 
accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (5 U.S.C. 
Appendix, as amended), the Government in the Sunshine Act of 1976 (5 
U.S.C. 552b) (``the Sunshine Act''), and 41 CFR 102-3.50(a).
    The Committee is a discretionary Federal advisory committee that 
shall provide independent advice and recommendations to the Secretary 
of Defense and the Deputy Secretary of Defense, through the Deputy 
Chief Management Officer (DCMO) on how to best achieve the following 
objectives in commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War, as 
referenced in section 598(c) of Pub. L. 110-181:
    a. Thank and honor veterans of the Vietnam War, including personnel 
who were held as prisoners of war or listed as missing in action, for 
their service and sacrifice on behalf of the United States and to thank 
and honor the families of these veterans;
    b. Highlight the service of the Armed Forces during the Vietnam War 
and the contributions of Federal agencies and governmental and non-
governmental organizations that served with, or in support of, the 
Armed Forces;
    c. Pay tribute to the contributions made on the home front by the 
people of the United States during the Vietnam War;
    d. Highlight the advances in technology, science, and medicine 
related to military research conducted during the Vietnam War; and
    e. Recognize the contributions and sacrifices made by the allies of 
the United States during the Vietnam War.
    The Committee shall be composed of no more than 20 members, who are 
appointed by the Secretary of Defense or the Deputy Secretary of 
Defense. These members shall represent Vietnam Veterans, their 
families, and the American public. Candidates for the Committee shall 
be selected from the Military Services (both retired veterans and 
active members who served during the Vietnam era), the Department of 
Defense, the Department of State, the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
and the Intelligence Community. In addition, candidates from 
nongovernmental organizations that support veterans or contribute to 
the public's understanding of the Vietnam War shall be selected.
    The Committee Chair shall be appointed by the Secretary of Defense 
or the Deputy Secretary of Defense. Any leadership appointment shall 
not exceed the individual member's approved term of service.
    Committee members who are not full-time or permanent part-time 
Federal officers or employees shall be appointed as experts or 
consultants, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 3109, to serve as special government 
employee (SGE) members. Committee members who are full-time or 
permanent part-time Federal employees shall be appointed, pursuant to 
41 CFR 102-3.130(a), to serve as regular government employee (RGE) 
members.
    Each Committee member is appointed to provide advice to the 
government on the basis of his or her best judgment without 
representing any particular point of view and in a manner that is free 
from conflict of interest. With the exception of reimbursement for 
official Committee-related travel and per diem, Committee members shall 
serve without compensation.
    The Secretary of Defense, or the Deputy Secretary of Defense, may 
approve the appointment of Committee members for one-to-four year terms 
of service with annual renewals. However, no member, unless authorized 
by the Secretary of Defense or the Deputy Secretary of Defense, may 
serve more than two consecutive terms of service. This same term of 
service limitation also applies to any DoD authorized subcommittees.
    The Secretary of Defense, through the DCMO and pursuant to DoD 
policies and procedures, may appoint, as deemed necessary, non-voting 
consultants as subject matter experts (SMEs) to provide special 
expertise to the Committee. These SMEs, if not full-time or part-time 
government employees, shall be appointed pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 3109 as 
SGEs, shall be appointed on an intermittent basis to work specific 
Committee-related efforts, shall have no voting rights whatsoever on 
the Committee or any of its subcommittees, shall not participate in the 
Committee's deliberations, and shall not count toward the Committee's 
total membership. All experts or consultants shall serve terms of 
appointments as determined by the DCMO, and those appointments may be 
renewed, as appropriate.
    The DoD, when necessary and consistent with the Committee's mission 
and DoD policies and procedures, may establish subcommittees, task 
forces, or working groups to support the Committee. Establishment of 
subcommittees will be based upon a written determination, to include 
terms of reference, by the Secretary of Defense, the Deputy Secretary 
of Defense, or the DCMO, as the DoD sponsor.
    Such subcommittees shall not work independently of the Committee 
and shall report all of their recommendations and advice solely to the 
Committee for full and open deliberation and discussion. Subcommittees, 
task forces, or working groups have no authority to make decisions and 
recommendations, verbally or in writing, on behalf of the Committee. No 
subcommittee or its members can update or report, verbally or in 
writing, on behalf of the Committee, directly to the DoD or to any 
Federal officer or employee.
    The Secretary of Defense or the Deputy Secretary of Defense will 
appoint subcommittee members to a term of service of one-to-four years, 
with annual renewals, even if the member in question is already a 
member of the Committee.
    Subcommittee members, if not full-time or part-time Federal 
officers or employees, shall be appointed as experts and consultants, 
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 3109, to serve as SGE members.
    Subcommittee members who are full-time or permanent part-time 
Federal officers or employees will serve as RGE members, pursuant to 41 
CFR 102-3.130(a).
    Each subcommittee member is appointed to provide advice to the 
government on the basis of his or her best judgment without 
representing any particular point of view and in a manner that is free 
from conflict of interest. With the exception of reimbursement for 
official Committee-related travel and per diem, subcommittee members 
shall serve without compensation.
    All subcommittees operate under the provisions of FACA, the 
Sunshine Act, governing Federal statutes and regulations, and 
established DoD policies and procedures.

[[Page 76309]]

    The estimated number of Committee meetings is two per year.
    The Committee's Designated Federal Officer (DFO), pursuant to DoD 
policy, shall be a full-time or permanent part-time DoD employee 
appointed in accordance with governing DoD policies and procedures.
    The Committee's DFO is required to be in attendance at all meetings 
of the Committee and any of its subcommittees for the entire duration 
of each and every meeting. However, in the absence of the Committee's 
DFO, a properly approved Alternate DFO, duly appointed to the Committee 
according to established DoD policies and procedures, shall attend the 
entire duration of the Committee or any subcommittee meeting.
    The DFO, or the Alternate DFO, shall call all meetings of the 
Committee and its subcommittees; prepare and approve all meeting 
agendas; and adjourn any meeting when the DFO, or the Alternate DFO, 
determines adjournment to be in the public interest or required by 
governing regulations or DoD policies and procedures.
    Pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.105(j) and 102-3.140, the public or 
interested organizations may submit written statements to Vietnam War 
Commemoration Advisory Committee membership about the Committee's 
mission and functions. Written statements may be submitted at any time 
or in response to the stated agenda of planned meeting of the Vietnam 
War Commemoration Advisory Committee.
    All written statements shall be submitted to the DFO for the 
Vietnam War Commemoration Advisory Committee, and this individual will 
ensure that the written statements are provided to the membership for 
their consideration. Contact information for the Vietnam War 
Commemoration Advisory Committee DFO can be obtained from the GSA's 
FACA Database--http://www.facadatabase.gov/.
    The DFO, pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.150, will announce planned 
meetings of the Vietnam War Commemoration Advisory Committee. The DFO, 
at that time, may provide additional guidance on the submission of 
written statements that are in response to the stated agenda for the 
planned meeting in question.

    Dated: December 16, 2014.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2014-29790 Filed 12-19-14; 8:45 am]
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