E8-12173. Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) (Military Personnel Policy). DoD.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) (Military Personnel Policy) announces the following proposed extension of a public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on:

(a) 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;

(b) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden of the proposed information collection;

(c) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(d) 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 August 1, 2008.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by docket number and title, by any of the following methods:

• Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Federal Docket Management System Office, 1160 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-1160.

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 the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness) (Military Personnel Policy), ATTN: Major Eric A. Martinez, 4000 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-4000 or call at [phone].

Title, Associated Form, and OMB Control Number: Request for Reference, DD Form 370, OMB Number 0704-0167.

Needs and Uses: This information collection requirement is necessary to obtain personal reference data, in order to request a waiver, on a military applicant who has committed a civil or criminal offense and would otherwise be disqualified for entry into the Armed Forces of the United States. The DD Form 370 is used to obtain references information evaluating the character, work habits, and attitudes of an applicant from a person of authority or standing within the community.

Affected Public: Individuals or households, business or other for-profit; not-for-profit institutions; State, local, or tribal government. Normally, this form would be completed by responsible community leaders such as school officials, ministers and law enforcement officials.

Annual Burden Hours: 8,350.

Number of Respondents: 50,000.

Responses per Respondent: 1.

Average Burden per Response: .167 hour (10 minutes).

Frequency: On occasion.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Summary of Information Collection

This information is collected to provide Armed Services with specific background information on an applicant. History of criminal activity, arrests, or confinement is disqualifying for military service. An applicant, with such a disqualifier, is required to submit references from community leaders who will attest to his or her character, attitudes or work habits. The DD Form 370 is the method of information collection which requests an evaluation and reference from a specific individual, within the community, who has the knowledge of the applicant's habits, behavior, personality and character. The information will be used to determine suitability of the applicant for military service and the issuance of a waiver for acceptance.

Dated: May 23, 2008.

Patricia L. Toppings,

OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.