UPDATE: On June 25, 2010, we issued an update to our Open Government Plan. You can read the newest version here.
For a printable, PDF version of the entire first version of the plan, click here, or read below.
April 7, 2010
In the four months since the Office of Management and Budget issued an Open Government Directive, the Department of Defense has demonstrated its commitment to improve transparency, participation and collaboration. Improved transparency can enable the public to better understand goals and activities of the Department and facilitate analysis of data never before shared publicly. Broader participation can serve to lower barriers between the Federal Government and public citizens. Finally, greater collaboration can foster an open exchange of ideas between federal employees, public interest groups and the interagency community to maximize creation of best practices and new initiatives. Embracing Open Government at the Department of Defense will generate new ideas benefiting both the Warfighter and U.S. citizens.
The Department met all milestones contained in the Directive: the appointment of a senior level official to verify all federal spending data at the Department; the publication of high-value datasets on Data.gov; the establishment of a central Web site at www.defense.gov/open where information for the public can be displayed in one location and the status of the Open Government initiative can be tracked; and the documentation of the Department’s strategic roadmap for increasing transparency, participation and collaboration in the form of an Open Government Plan, which follows.
The Open Government Plan was developed through active, multifaceted consultation among all Office of the Secretary of Defense Components, Defense Agencies and the Military Departments. The Department’s Open Government leadership team launched a significant outreach effort and worked with a variety of stakeholders (employees, subject matter experts, the general public and interagency working groups) to formulate this plan. This document is a guide to how we will disseminate information about the Department’s core mission and priorities while balancing national security and privacy concerns. This flagship initiative highlights our partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs to share data at unprecedented levels in order to improve healthcare delivery to our service members, veterans and their families.
The Department looks forward to strengthening the pillars of Open Government in the months and years to come.
Elizabeth A. McGrath
Assistant Deputy Chief Management Officer