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 22297-22298

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

FR Doc No: 2012-8938

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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 10 U.S.C 5024, 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(c), the Department of Defense gives notice that it is renewing the charter for the Naval Research Advisory Committee (hereafter referred to as ``the Committee'').

The Naval Research Advisory Committee, pursuant to 41 CFR 102-

3.50(c), is a discretionary Federal advisory committee established to provide the Secretary of the Navy, the Chief of Naval Operations and the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, independent advice and recommendations on scientific, technical, and research and development matters confronting the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

The Committee shall report to the Secretary of the Navy, through the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisitions. The Secretary of the Navy may act upon the Committee's advice and recommendations.

The Committee shall be comprised of no more than 15 members who are preeminent authorities in the fields of science, research, and development. Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 5024(a), one member of the Committee shall be from the field of medicine.

Committee members appointed by the Secretary of Defense, 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. 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.

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

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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 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, 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 Office of the Secretary of the Navy and 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, a properly approved Alternate Designated Federal Officer shall attend the entire duration of the Committee or subcommittee meeting.

The Designated Federal Officer, or the Alternate Designated Federal Officer, shall call all of the Committee'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 Committee reports.

Pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.105(j) and 102-3.140, the public or interested organizations may submit written statements to Naval Research Advisory Committee's 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 Naval Research Advisory Committee. All written statements shall be submitted to the Designated Federal Officer for the Naval Research Advisory Committee, and this individual will ensure that the written statements are provided to the membership for their consideration. Contact information for the Naval Research Advisory Committee 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 Naval Research Advisory Committee. 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. 2012-8938 Filed 4-12-12; 8:45 am

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