Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committees

Federal Register, Volume 77 Issue 72 (Friday, April 13, 2012)

Federal Register Volume 77, Number 72 (Friday, April 13, 2012)

Notices

Pages 22292-22293

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office www.gpo.gov

FR Doc No: 2012-8939

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

Renewal of Department of Defense Federal Advisory Committees

AGENCY: DoD.

ACTION: Renewal of Federal Advisory Committee.

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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 U.S. Army Science Board (hereafter referred to as ``the Board'').

The Board shall provide independent advice and recommendations on matters relating to the Army's scientific, technical, manufacturing, acquisition, logistics, and business management functions, and other Department of the Army related matters as determined by the Secretary of the Army.

The U.S. Army Science Board, pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.50(d), is a discretionary Federal advisory committee established to provide independent advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Defense; the Secretary of the Army; the Under Secretary of the Army and Department of the Army Chief Management Officer; the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology; and as requested, other Army organizations as determined by the Office of the Secretary of the Army.

No matter shall be assigned to the Board for its consideration that would require any Board member to participate personally and substantially in the conduct of any specific procurement or place him or her in the position of acting as a contracting or procurement official.

The Board shall be comprised of no more than 60 members who are eminent authorities in one or more of the following disciplines: Science, technology, manufacturing, acquisition, logistics, business management functions, and other matters of special interest to the Department of the Army.

Board members shall be appointed by the Secretary of Defense, and their appointments will be renewed on an annual basis. Board members who are not full-time or permanent part-time Federal 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.

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The Secretary of Defense may approve the appointment of Board members for three 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.

Appointments normally will be staggered among the Board membership to ensure balance and an orderly turnover of the Board's overall composition on a periodic basis. The Secretary of the Army shall designate the Board's Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from the total Board membership.

With the exception of travel and per diem for official Board related travel, Board members shall serve without compensation. The Secretary of the Army may authorize compensation for Board members when the circumstances warrant.

The Secretary of the Army, pursuant to DoD policies and procedures, may appoint, as deemed necessary, non-voting consultants to provide special expertise to the Board. However, no more than 41 experts and consultants may be appointed to advise the Board. These experts and consultants, if not full-time or part-time government employees, shall be appointed under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 3109, shall serve as special government employees, shall be appointed on an intermittent basis to work specific Board-related efforts, shall have no voting rights whatsoever on the Board or any of its subcommittees, and shall not count toward the Board's total membership. Six of the 41 experts and consultants shall be designated ``Senior Army Science Board Fellows'' and shall be former Board members. All 41 experts and consultants shall serve terms of appointments as determined by the Secretary of the Army, and those appointments shall be renewed as appropriate.

Each Board 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 Board's mission and DoD policies and procedures, may establish subcommittees deemed necessary to support the Board. 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 Board, and shall report all their recommendations and advice to the Board for full deliberation and discussion.

Subcommittees have no authority to make decisions on behalf of the chartered Board; nor can any subcommittee or its members update or report directly to the Department of Defense or any Federal officers or employees.

All subcommittee members shall be appointed in the same manner as the Board members; that is, the Secretary of Defense shall appoint subcommittee members even if the member in question is already a Board member. Subcommittee members, with the approval of the Secretary of Defense, may serve a term of service on the subcommittee of three 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 Board related travel, subcommittee members shall serve without compensation. The Secretary of the Army may authorize compensation for Board members when the circumstances warrant. 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, Advisory Committee Management Officer for the Department of Defense, 703-692-5952.

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

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

The Designated Federal Officer, or the Alternate Designated Federal Officer, shall call all of the Board's and subcommittees' meetings; prepare and approve all meeting agendas; adjourn any meeting when the Designated Federal Officer, or the Alternate Designated Federal Officer, determines adjournment to be in the public interest or required by governing regulations or DoD policies/procedures; and chair meetings when directed to do so by the official to whom the Board reports.

Pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.105(j) and 102-3.140, the public or interested organizations may submit written statements to U.S. Army Science Board's membership about the Board's mission and functions. Written statements may be submitted at any time or in response to the stated agenda of planned meeting of U.S. Army Science Board.

All written statements shall be submitted to the Designated Federal Officer for the U.S. Army Science Board, and this individual will ensure that the written statements are provided to the membership for their consideration. Contact information for the U.S. Army Science Board 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 U.S. Army Science Board. 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: April 10, 2012.

Aaron Siegel,

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.

FR Doc. 2012-8939 Filed 4-12-12; 8:45 am

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