2012-7537. Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committees

AGENCY:

Department of Defense, DoD.

ACTION:

Renewal of Federal Advisory Committee.

SUMMARY:

Under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, (5 U.S.C. Appendix), the Government in the Sunshine Act of 1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b), and 41 CFR 102-3.50(d), the Department of Defense gives notice that it is renewing the charter for the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (hereafter referred to as “the Committee”). The Committee is a discretionary federal advisory committee that shall provide the Secretary of Defense through the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, independent, advice and recommendations on matters and policies relating to women in the Armed Forces of the United States.

The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness may act upon the Committee's advice and recommendations.

The Committee shall be comprised of no more 20 members appointed by the Secretary of Defense who have experience with the military or with women's workforce issues. The Secretary of Defense shall select and appoint the Committee's chairperson from the total membership. All Committee member appointments must be renewed by the Secretary of Defense on an annual basis.

The Secretary of Defense may appoint the Director of the Center for Women Veterans for the Department of Veterans Affairs to serve as a non-voting, ex-officio member, who participates in the Committee's deliberations. If appointed, he or she will not count toward the Committee's total membership, or to determine whether a quorum exists.

The Under Secretary may request the appointment of additional experts and consultants to advise the Committee as subject matter experts. If approved by the Secretary of Defense, these experts and consultants, appointed under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 3109, shall have no voting rights on the Committee or its subcommittees, shall not count toward the Committee's total membership, and shall not engage in Committee deliberations.

Committee members, who are not full-time or permanent part-time Federal officers or employees, shall be appointed to serve as experts and consultants under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 3109 and shall serve as special government employee members. With the exception of travel and per diem for official Committee related travel, Committee members shall serve without compensation.

The Secretary of Defense may approve the appointment of Committee members for one to four year terms of service; however, no member, unless authorized by the 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. To the extent possible, approximately one-third of the membership should rotate on an annual basis.

Each Committee member is appointed to provide advice on behalf of 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.

The Department, when necessary, and consistent with the Committee's mission and DoD policies and procedures, may establish subcommittees deemed necessary 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 advisory committee's sponsor.

Such subcommittees shall not work independently of the chartered Committee, and shall report all their recommendations and advice to the Committee for full deliberation and discussion. Subcommittees have no authority to make decisions on behalf of the chartered Committee; nor can any subcommittee or its members update or report directly to the DoD or any Federal officers or employees. Subcommittees shall comply with FACA.

All subcommittee members shall be appointed in the same manner as the Committee members; that is, the Secretary of Defense shall appoint subcommittee members even if the member in question is already a Committee member. Subcommittee members, with the approval of the Secretary of Defense, may serve a term of service on the subcommittee of one to four years; however, no member shall serve more than two consecutive terms of service on the subcommittee.

Subcommittee members, if not full-time or part-time government employees, shall be appointed to serve as experts and consultants under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 3109, and shall serve as special government employees, whose appointments must be renewed by the Secretary of Defense on an annual basis. With the exception of travel and per diem for official Committee related travel, subcommittee members shall serve without compensation.

All subcommittees operate under the provisions of FACA, the Government in the Sunshine Act of 1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b), governing Federal statutes and regulations, and governing DoD policies/procedures.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jim Freeman, Deputy Advisory Committee Management Officer for the Department of Defense, 703-692-5952.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Committee shall meet at the call of the Committee's Designated Federal Officer, in consultation with the Committee's Chairperson. The estimated number of Committee meetings is four per year.

In addition, the Designated Federal Officer is required to be in attendance at all Committee and subcommittee meetings for the entire duration of each and every meeting; however, in the absence of the Designated Federal Officer, the Alternate Designated Federal Officer shall attend the entire duration of the Committee or subcommittee meeting.

Pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.105(j) and 102-3.140, the public or interested organizations may submit written statements to Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services' 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 Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.

All written statements shall be submitted to the Designated Federal Officer for the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, and this individual will ensure that the written statements are provided to the membership for their consideration. Contact information for the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services Designated Federal Officer can be obtained from the GSA's FACA Database—https://www.fido.gov/​facadatabase/​public.asp. The Designated Federal Officer, pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.150, will announce planned meetings of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. The Designated Federal Officer, 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: March 26, 2012.

Aaron Siegel,

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.