SUPPORTING STATEMENT - PART A
AARO Contact Form for Authorized Reporting
1. Need for the Information Collection
The AARO Contact Form for Authorized Reporting information collection will be used to gather contact information, to include Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from members of the public. The collection is necessary to enable the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), Office of the Secretary of Defense, Department of Defense, to meet its statutory requirements.
The proposed information collection, AARO Contact Form for Authorized Reporting, enables AARO to comply with Section 1673 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23 NDAA), which directs AARO to establish a secure mechanism for authorized reporting of U.S. Government programs and activities related unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). The form will collect contact information from current and former U.S. Government employees, service members, and contractors who wish to make an authorized report to AARO. The collection is necessary to enable persons wanting to make a report to contact AARO directly.
The AARO Contact Form for Authorized Reporting also supports Section 1683 of the FY23 NDAA, which directs AARO to produce a Historical Record Report (HRR) on U.S. Government activities and events related to UAP from 1945 to present. Oral history interviews, records of the National Archive, open source research, and all records and documents from U.S. Government agencies are the foundational pillars of information supporting the HRR. The AARO Contact Form for Authorized Reporting enables AARO to contact individuals to schedule oral history interviews.
2. Use of the Information
The respondents are current and former U.S. Government employees, service members, and contractors who want to contact AARO in furtherance of providing authorized reporting regarding potential U.S. Governments activities and events related to UAP. The respondents will be asked to voluntarily provide their contact information by completing fields and using drop down menus on a page within AARO’s website (www.aaro.mil). This form is the only collection instrument, is 100 percent electronic, and is accessible by any web browser, via both desktop and mobile device. The collection is sent to AARO once the respondent clicks the “Submit” button on the website. No other communications are sent to the respondents that solicit responses. The Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs will notify the public when AARO’s contact form is available for use.
Information, including PII, collected from the public will be processed and stored in an electronic environment accredited to handle and secure PII. AARO will then review submitted information to prioritize potential oral history interviews of persons so that they might make an authorized report. The end result of the information collection is the successful ability of individuals to contact AARO, provide a report, and contribute to the HRR, and for AARO to meet its statutory requirements.
3. Use of Information Technology
Responses will be collected entirely by electronic means via AARO’s website at www.aaro.mil. Information will be entered into text fields and with the use of drop-down menus prior to being submitted to AARO electronically. A screenshot of the proposed form is included, although the visual depictions of the information collection fields may differ upon publication, dependent upon the backend computer application used to appropriately collect PII. Regardless of the backend application and secure environment, the information collected will not change and the drop-down menus will remain for ease of use by the public.
4. Non-duplication
The information obtained through this collection is unique and is not already available for use or adaptation from another cleared source.
5. Burden on Small Businesses
This information collection does not impose a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small businesses or entities.
6. Less Frequent Collection
This is a one-time information collection per respondent, and thereby, infrequent.
7. Paperwork Reduction Act Guidelines
This collection of information does not require collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the guidelines delineated in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2).
8. Consultation and Public Comments
AARO is seeking an emergency approval. A 60- and 30-Day Federal Register Notice will be published subsequent to emergency approval.
Part B: CONSULTATION
No additional consultation apart from soliciting public comments through the Federal Register was conducted for this submission.
9. Gifts or Payment
No payments or gifts are being offered to respondents as an incentive to participate in the collection.
10. Confidentiality
PII will be collected, and a Privacy Act Statement is required. The Privacy Act Statement will be prominently displayed on AARO’s website and accessible to the public prior to any contact information collection.
The SORN (Privacy and Civil Liberties Complaints and General Correspondence Records,” DoD-0017, will be used to support this information collection.
11. Sensitive Questions
No questions considered sensitive are being asked in this collection.
12. Respondent Burden and its Labor Costs
Part A: ESTIMATION OF RESPONDENT BURDEN
AARO Contact Form for Authorized Reporting
Number of Respondents:2500
Number of Responses Per Respondent: 1
Number of Total Annual Responses: 2500
Response Time: 5 minutes
Respondent Burden Hours: 208 hours
Total Submission Burden (Summation or average based on collection)
Total Number of Respondents: 2500
Total Number of Annual Responses: 2500
Total Respondent Burden Hours: 208
Part B: LABOR COST OF RESPONDENT BURDEN
AARO Contact Form for Authorized Reporting
Number of Total Annual Responses: 2500
Response Time: 5 minutes
Respondent Hourly Wage: $22.26
Labor Burden per Response: $1.86
Total Labor Burden: $4650.00
Overall Labor Burden
Total Number of Annual Responses: 2500
Total Labor Burden: $4650.00
The Respondent hourly wage was determined by using the [Bureau of Labor Statistics Wage Estimate Website] ([https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm]). Respondents are anticipated to be employed in a variety of sectors and the hourly mean wage for May 2022 was used to estimate the burdens.
13. Respondent Costs Other Than Burden Hour Costs
There are no annualized costs to respondents other than the labor burden costs addressed in Section 12 of this document to complete this collection.
14. Cost to the Federal Government
Part A: LABOR COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
AARO Contact Form for Authorized Reporting
Number of Total Annual Responses: 2500
Processing Time per Response: 5 minutes
Hourly Wage of Worker(s) Processing Responses: $37.08
Cost to Process Each Response: $3.09
Total Cost to Process Responses: $7725.00
Overall Labor Burden to the Federal Government
Total Number of Annual Responses: 2500
Total Labor Burden: $7725.00
Hourly wage was determined by using the [Bureau of Labor Statistics Wage Estimate Website] ([https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm]). The mean hourly wage for Federal Executive Branch was used for May 2022.
Part B: OPERATIONAL AND MAINTENANCE COSTS
Cost Categories
Equipment: $2000.00
Printing: $0.00
Postage: $0.00
Software Purchases: $0.00
Licensing Costs: $7200.00
Other: $1500.00
Total Operational and Maintenance Cost: $10,700
Part C: TOTAL COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Total Labor Cost to the Federal Government: $7725.00
Total Operational and Maintenance Costs: $10,700
Total Cost to the Federal Government: $18,425.00
15. Reasons for Change in Burden
This is a new collection with a new associated burden.
16. Publication of Results
The results of this information collection will not be published.
17. Non-Display of OMB Expiration Date
We are not seeking approval to omit the display of the expiration date of the OMB approval on the collection instrument.
18. Exceptions to “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Submissions”
We are not requesting any exemptions to the provisions stated in 5 CFR 1320.9.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Kaitlin Chiarelli |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2023-09-29 |