[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 248 (Thursday, December 30, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74408-74409]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-28364]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Docket ID: DoD-2021-OS-0129]


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and 
Readiness (USD(P&R)), Department of Defense (DoD).

ACTION: Emergency information collection notice.

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SUMMARY: Consistent with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and its 
implementing regulations, this document provides notice DoD is 
submitting an Information Collection Request to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) to collect information on barriers and 
facilitators to minority participation in special operations and other 
identified units, as congressionally directed in the Fiscal Year (FY) 
2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). DoD requests emergency 
processing and OMB authorization to collect the information after 
publication of this Notice for a period of six months.

DATES: Comments must be received by January 31, 2022.

ADDRESSES: The Department has requested emergency processing from OMB 
for this information collection request by 30 days after publication of 
this notice. Interested parties can access the supporting materials and 
collection instrument as well as submit comments and recommendations to 
OMB at www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Comments 
submitted in response to this notice will be

[[Page 74409]]

summarized and included in the request for OMB approval of this 
information collection. They will also become a matter of public 
record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Angela Duncan, 571-372-7574, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 557 of the Fiscal Year 2021 National 
Defense Authorization Act requires USD(P&R) to sponsor a federally 
funded research and development center to assess existing barriers to 
minority participation in elite units, including Special Operations 
Forces (SOF) and pilot and navigator military occupational specialties. 
A RAND study, published in 1999, found that ethnic/racial minorities 
are underrepresented in SOF, compared to their representation in other 
military specialties, and recommended a range of actions DoD could take 
to address the barriers minorities face in securing equal participation 
in these units. Section 557 calls for a reexamination of minority 
representation in SOF and an expansion of past research to assess 
additional elite units (pilot/navigator specialties) and gender 
representation now that combat restrictions for women have been 
eliminated.
    For this effort, focus groups will be conducted on topics that 
include recruitment, accession and training, culture and climate, and 
career progression; a small set of closed-ended and open-ended survey 
questions completed individually at the end of the session will also be 
included. Some focus groups will be conducted on military bases where 
members of the identified units serve and some focus groups will be 
conducted using an online platform that meets government compliance and 
security standards (Microsoft Teams or Zoom for Government, and 
Qualtrics, which has met the security standards required for government 
use (i.e., Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program)). This 
study will inform DoD on how to enhance operational capabilities of 
these units by promoting diversity and inclusion.
    Title; Associated Form; and OMB Number: Study on Reducing Barriers 
to Minority Participation in Elite Units in the Armed Services; 0704-
RBMP.
    Type of Request: New.
    Number of Respondents: 500.
    Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Annual Responses: 500.
    Average Burden per Response: 1 hour.
    Annual Burden Hours: 500 hours.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Frequency: Once.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Request for Comments: Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of DoD, including whether the information 
collected has practical utility; (2) the accuracy of DoD's estimate of 
the burden (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of 
information; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of 
the collection of information on respondents, including automated 
collection techniques or the use of other forms of information 
technology.

    Dated: December 27, 2021.
Kayyonne T. Marston,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2021-28364 Filed 12-29-21; 8:45 am]
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