Director of Operations, Planning and Development for Military Commissions

Director of Operations, Planning and Development for Military Commissions

The Military Commissions are a national priority. Providing fair,just, and transparent Commissions is a top legal services priority within the Department of Defense. This requires immediate focus, constant attention, and single-minded intensity.

Effective immediately, the position of Director of Operations, Planning and Development for Military Commissions (DOO-Commissions) is established. This position shall be filled by a general/flag officer or SES equivalent.

The DOO-Commissions will be responsible for:

•	Developing and implementing overall Military Commissions planning. In this regard, the DOO-Commissions will be the lead agent within the Department of Defense responsible for the initiation, review, staffing, coordination and execution of all planning and development matters relating to Military Commissions, including organizational, systems and legal policy improvements to the commission process. All requests for guidance concerning Military Commissions planning and development from any source will be directed from the requesting agency to the DOD-Commissions. To ensure immediacy of reaction, entities requesting guidance or policy determinations on Military Commissions planning and development, while notifying normal chains of command, will concurrently notify the DOO-Commissions of the request.
•	Advising the Deputy Secretary of Defense weekly on all major issues affecting the Commissions process.
•	Coordinating key Commissions planning functions with impacted staff functions in order to achieve final decisions, including but not necessarily limited to, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, the General Counsel of the Department of Defense (GC 000), the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Director, the Office of the Director Administration and Management (DA&M), and such other officials as the Deputy Secretary of Defense may designate.
•	Keeping key Executive Branch agencies infonned of major Military Commissions activities. This is an information function only.
•	Coordinating with and supporting the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs.
•	Continually reviewing and proposing amendments, as needed, to the Manual for Military Commissions and Regulation for Military Commissions.
•	Identifying and prioritizing requirements for all Military Commissions support functions, including facilities allocation, SCIFs. personnel management, information technology, contracting, logistics, systems, security, intelligence, information protection, transportation, litigation support, Expeditionary Legal Complex operations, courtroom operation and maintenance, and other non-trial operational matters, whether in the United States or Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The DOD-Commissions will serve as the Military Commissions liaison to the Director, Washington Headquarters Service (WHS), under the DA&M, who is responsible for support as outlined in the Deputy Secretary of Defense Memorandum, dated May 14, 2008, Subject: "Personnel Resources and Administrative Support for the Office ofMilitary Commissions (OMC}-and Related Matters."
•	Coordinating the assignment of trained and skilled personnel to the OMC with the Director, WHS, under the DA&M, The Judge Advocates General, and the GC DoD.
•	Serving as the lead contact within DoD for administration transition related to the Military Commissions (in coordination with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy which has the lead for administration transition on all detamee related issues).
•	Otherwise developing, coordinating, and executing such initiatives as are necessary to fulfill DoD's responsibilities associated with Military Commissions.

The DOD will report to the General Counsel of the Department of Defense.

The DOO will remain in close coordination with the Convening Authority/Director of the Office of Military Commissions.

The current DOO is Mr. Ward K. Johnson III, who was appointed to the post in the Fall of 2009.