[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 138 (Wednesday, July 20, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43253-43255]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-15486]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Notice of Virtual Listening Session

AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD).

ACTION: Notice; announcement of virtual listening session.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Defense Internal Review Team on Racial 
Disparities in the Investigative and Military Justice Systems will host 
a virtual listening session on July 27, 2022. The purpose of this 
session is to receive oral feedback from a variety of groups on topics 
of general interest to the Internal Review Team. Target respondent 
groups include: (1) racial affinity groups with an interest in criminal 
justice, law enforcement, or racial equity in the military; (2) 
professional organizations representing criminal justice or law 
enforcement personnel, advocacy groups focused on the military justice 
system, and organizations focused on issues relating to race, justice, 
and the law; (3) members of Congress and staff of the Committees on 
Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and 
interested House Caucuses; (4) components of other Federal agencies, 
Congressionally-chartered organizations, and Federally Funded Research 
and Development Centers; and (5) ``think tanks'' and members of 
academia with significant experience in issues at the intersection of 
race and policing, criminal justice, or the military justice system. 
Groups and other interested members of the public may also attend the 
virtual listening session on a ``view/listen only'' basis. Groups and 
interested members of the public are also invited to submit written 
feedback, including related data and research. For more information on 
this event see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this 
announcement.

DATES: The Internal Review Team on Racial Disparities in the 
Investigative and Military Justice Systems will host a virtual 
listening session on July 27, 2022. The virtual listening session will 
be conducted via live webcast and will be open to participation by a 
variety of groups interested in providing oral feedback. In addition, 
groups and interested members of the public may participate in all or 
part of the virtual listening session in a ``view/listen only'' mode. 
The session will start at 10:00 a.m. eastern time (ET) and will end no 
later than 2:00 p.m. ET. Virtual check-in for the event will begin at 
9:00 a.m. ET. The deadline for groups to register

[[Page 43254]]

to provide oral feedback during the session is 12:00 p.m. ET on July 
20, 2022. The deadline for groups and interested members of the public 
to register to participate in a ``view/listen only'' mode is 12:00 p.m. 
ET on July 22, 2022. The deadline for groups and interested members of 
the public to submit written feedback for consideration by the Internal 
Review Team is 12:00 p.m. ET on July 22, 2022; written feedback 
received after the deadline will not be reviewed. Instructions on 
registration and the submission of oral and written feedback are set 
forth in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this announcement.

ADDRESSES: The virtual listening session can be accessed via the 
internet and/or telephone. Access information and codes will be 
provided to those groups and interested members of the public who 
register for the event. The total number of participants in the virtual 
listening session will be limited to the maximum allowed by the live 
webcast platform.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Katrina Logan, IRT Executive 
Secretary, at (703) 839-5173 (this is not a toll free number) or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    In May 2019, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued its 
report, DoD and the Coast Guard Need to Improve their Capabilities to 
Assess Racial and Gender Disparities (GAO-19-344). GAO analyzed all 
offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and found that 
Black and Hispanic servicemembers were more likely than white 
servicemembers to be the subjects of investigations in all of the 
Military Services and were more likely to be tried by court-martial in 
the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. GAO recommended that the 
Secretary of Defense take steps to identify and address the causes of 
disparities in these systems.
    On May 3, 2022, the Deputy Secretary of Defense directed the 
establishment of the Internal Review Team on Racial Disparities in the 
Investigative and Military Justice Systems to provide actionable 
recommendations the Department can implement to improve strategies, 
programs, policies, processes, and resources to address racial 
disparities in the investigative and military justice systems. The 
Internal Review Team comprises military General Officers and members of 
the Department of Defense Senior Executive Service who, with the 
support of subject matter experts, will focus their full-time efforts 
on this review. The Internal Review Team began its work on June 1, 
2022, and is charged to provide its findings and recommendations to the 
Deputy Secretary not later than August 24, 2022.

II. Oral and Written Feedback Requested

    The Internal Review Team will host a virtual listening session to 
obtain oral feedback from a variety of groups on topics of general 
interest to the Internal Review Team. Target respondent groups include: 
(1) racial affinity groups with an interest in criminal justice, law 
enforcement, or racial equity in the military; (2) professional 
organizations representing criminal justice or law enforcement 
personnel, advocacy groups focused on the military justice system, and 
organizations focused on issues relating to race, justice, and the law; 
(3) members of Congress and staff of the Committees on Armed Services 
of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and interested House 
Caucuses; (4) components of other Federal agencies, Congressionally-
chartered organizations, and Federally Funded Research and Development 
Centers; and (5) ``think tanks'' and members of academia with 
significant experience in issues at the intersection of race and 
policing, criminal justice, or the military justice system. Groups and 
other interested members of the public may also participate in the 
virtual listening session on a ``view/listen only'' basis. Regardless 
of participation in the virtual listening session, groups and 
interested members of the public are invited to submit written 
feedback, including data and research. The Internal Review Team intends 
to consider feedback received prior to and during the session to inform 
its findings and recommendations to the Deputy Secretary of Defense.

III. Instructions for Registration and Participation in the Virtual 
Listening Session

    Recording: The virtual listening session will be recorded and a 
copy maintained in the records of the Internal Review Team.
    Oral Feedback: Groups that wish to provide oral feedback during the 
virtual listening session must register to do so not later than 12:00 
p.m. ET, on July 20, 2022.
    To register to provide oral feedback, groups must send an email to 
the Internal Review Team electronic ``drop box'' at 
[email protected]. The registration email must include: (1) 
the sender's name and the name of the group the sender represents; (2) 
a statement that the group wishes to provide oral feedback during the 
virtual listening session; and (3) a valid email address to which the 
Internal Review Team can send additional administrative information, 
including virtual listening session access codes. The virtual listening 
session will be conducted informally. Each group that has registered to 
provide oral feedback should be represented during the virtual 
listening session by no more than two persons. There will be no 
opportunity for audio-visual presentations during the session. A 
group's oral feedback will be limited to 10 minutes per group 
(regardless of the number of people representing the group). To enable 
the participation of as many groups as possible, these time limits will 
be strictly enforced. At the expiration of the 10 minutes allotted for 
each group, the group will be expected to cede the floor to the next 
presenter, and may be ``cut off'' by the session administrator, if 
required. Groups will be scheduled to provide oral feedback in the 
order in which their completed registration email (including all 
required information) was received in the IRT electronic ``drop box'' 
at [email protected]. Each registered group will be invited 
to provide feedback, in the prescribed order, until the four hours 
allotted for the virtual listening session expires. Not later than 
12:00 p.m. ET on July 25, 2022, registered groups will be informed of 
the order in which each will present during the virtual listening 
session. At the expiration of the four-hour session, no further oral 
feedback will be accepted from any group, even if properly registered. 
Groups registering to provide oral feedback are also welcomed to 
provide written copies of their expected remarks, but any written 
material must be received by 12:00 p.m. ET on July 22, 2022. 
Participating members of the Internal Review Team will be in a 
``listening and learning'' posture during the virtual session, but may 
ask a participating group to clarify or expand on its presentation. Due 
to the deliberative nature of the Internal Review Team's work, members 
of the Team are unable to discuss their thoughts, plans, or intentions 
for specific recommendations that will ultimately be made to the Deputy 
Secretary of Defense.
    ``View/Listen Only'' Registration: The deadline for groups and 
interested members of the public to register to participate in the 
virtual listening session in a ``view/listen only'' mode is

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12:00 p.m. ET, on July 22, 2022. To register for the ``view/listen 
only'' option, groups and interested members of the public must send an 
email to the Internal Review Team electronic ``drop box'' at 
[email protected]. The email must include: (1) the 
statement, ``We are/I am registering for the `view/listen only' 
option''; and (2) a valid email address to which the Internal Review 
Team can send any additional administrative information, including 
session access codes. ``View/Listen Only'' participants will not be 
able to present, ask questions, or provide commentary orally or through 
written means during the virtual listening session; their microphones/
phones/audio lines will be muted, and no chat function will be 
available.
    Written Feedback: Regardless of participation in the virtual 
listening session, groups and interested members of the public are 
invited to submit written feedback to the Internal Review Team, 
including data and research. The deadline for submission of written 
feedback for consideration by the Team is 12:00 p.m. ET, on July 22, 
2022. Written feedback received after the deadline will not be 
reviewed. Written feedback must be submitted via email to the Internal 
Review Team electronic ``drop box'' at [email protected]. 
Written feedback may include attachments and should include a cover 
sheet referencing the total number of pages of written feedback 
submitted and the date and page number of this issue of the Federal 
Register.
    General Instructions for Oral and Written Feedback: Groups and 
interested members of the public are encouraged to provide oral and/or 
written feedback (as indicated above) in regard to some or all of the 
four topics of general interest to the Internal Review Team set forth 
below, but may provide other relevant feedback for consideration. Both 
oral and written feedback may be structured as the submitter sees fit. 
Oral or written feedback should not include: (1) proprietary or 
copyrighted information or (2) personally identifiable information 
beyond that minimally necessary for self-identification (e.g., name of 
individual and title within organization, if applicable).
    Virtual Accommodations: If you are a group that will provide oral 
feedback during the virtual session or a group or any interested member 
of the public who will participate in ``view/listen only'' mode and 
require a reasonable accommodation, please make requests for sign 
language interpretation or other reasonable accommodation in advance, 
by including your request in the registration email sent to the 
Internal Review Team electronic ``drop box'' at 
[email protected], not later than 12:00 p.m. on July 22, 
2022. Decisions regarding reasonable accommodation requests will be 
made on a case-by-case basis.
    Cancellation: Should it be necessary to cancel the virtual 
listening session due to technical issues, an emergency, or for other 
reasons, the Internal Review Team will take available measures to 
notify registered groups and persons.

IV. Topics of General Interest to the Internal Review Team

    (1) The root causes of racial disparities in the investigative and 
military justice systems of the Department of Defense.
    (2) In considering actions to address the root causes of racial 
disparities in the DoD investigative and military justice systems, the 
specific actions that would have the most significant effects in the 
short term and specific actions that will require the Department's 
long-term engagement and commitment.
    (3) Performance factors or metrics the DoD could apply to measure 
progress in mitigating or eliminating racial disparities in its 
investigative and military justice systems.
    (4) Best practices for addressing racial disparities in other 
contexts that should be considered to address racial disparities in the 
investigative and military justice systems of the Department of 
Defense.

    Dated: July 15, 2022.
Aaron T. Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2022-15486 Filed 7-19-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P