[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 151 (Tuesday, August 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63924-63925]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-17209]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Docket ID: DoD-2024-OS-0091]


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 
OUSD(P&R) 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 October 
7, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and 
title, by any of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
    Mail: Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant to the 
Secretary of Defense for Privacy, Civil Liberties, and Transparency, 
Regulatory Directorate, 4800 Mark Center Drive, Mailbox #24, Suite 
05F16, Alexandria, VA 22350-1700.

[[Page 63925]]

    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 http://www.regulations.gov 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 Rachel Lipari, (703) 
309-6714, 4800 Mark Center Dr., Suite 06E22, Alexandria, VA 22311 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: At the direction of President Biden, the 
Secretary of Defense ordered a 90-Day Independent Review Commission 
(IRC) on Sexual Assault in the Military. The IRC recommended that the 
DoD establish a ``pulse survey'' tool that would enable unit-level 
commanders to collect real-time climate data from Service members in 
their units between required administrations of the Defense 
Organizational Climate Survey (DEOCS), the command climate assessment 
tool used by the DoD. A subsequent September 2021 memo from the 
Secretary of Defense directed the OUSD(P&R) to develop the survey tool 
to augment the DEOCS command climate assessment program required under 
Section 572 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2013. OUSD(P&R) developed the Defense Organizational Climate Pulse 
(DOCP) to meet this directive and launched the DOCP survey in early 
2024.
    The DOCP provides DoD leaders in active duty and reserve component 
units and DoD civilian personnel organizations an annual opportunity to 
assess concerns identified in the DEOCS and/or to support a change of 
command. Also included in the DOCP population are active duty and 
reserve component members of the Coast Guard and foreign national 
employees working for the DoD. The survey is web-based and is a census 
of the commander's unit. The survey includes core demographic questions 
and up to 16 questions selected from a curated bank of survey items 
that include topics related to (1) unit experiences, (2) ratings of 
leadership, and (3) personal experiences and/or behaviors. OUSD(P&R) 
will be updating curated set of questions for the 2025 DEOCS (planned 
fielding in early 2025).
    Title; Associated Form; and OMB Number: Defense Organizational 
Climate Pulse (DOCP); OMB Control Number 0704-0669.
    Needs and Uses: The DOCP is fielded in response to a September 2021 
memo from Secretary of Defense directing the OUSD (P&R) to develop the 
survey pulse tool. The information gathered from DOCP surveys will be 
used by commanders, integrated primary prevention workforce personnel, 
equal opportunity officers, survey administrators, and other leaders to 
assess changes in the unit's command climate, gather additional 
information related to risk and protective factors measured on the 
DOECS and/or other outcomes of interest (e.g., sexual assault, gender 
issues, race/ethnic issues, suicide, readiness, retention, 
retaliation,). The DOCP requirements were further codified in December 
2022 in the DoD Instruction 6400.11, which specified that unit 
commanders may optionally field only one DOCP annually, and not within 
90 days of fielding a DEOCS. Based on the DOCP results; commanders, 
leaders, and their survey administrators will refine the action plans 
developed after the administration of a DEOCS to positively impact 
their organization's leadership climate. The survey results are 
provided to the commander/leader and their survey administrator. Survey 
responses could also be used in future analyses.
    Affected Public: Individuals and households.
    Annual Burden Hours: 18,540.
    Number of Respondents: 158,910.
    Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Annual Responses: 158,910.
    Average Burden per Response: 7 minutes.
    Frequency: As required.
    Unit commanders and organizational leaders may choose to administer 
a DOCP, 90 days before or after their most recent DEOCS. The DEOCS is a 
required administration for unit commanders. In contrast, the DOCP is a 
voluntary data collection unit commanders may request. The DOCP will be 
a confidential data collection.

    Dated: July 31, 2024.
Aaron T. Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2024-17209 Filed 8-5-24; 8:45 am]
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