What is mandatory declassification review (MDR)?

Mandatory declassification review (MDR) is one of the three main pathways for declassifying U.S. national security information. Under Executive Order 13526, it gives any member of the public the right to ask an agency to review a specific classified record and declassify whatever portion no longer requires protection.

How it works

The requester identifies a particular record or set of records with enough specificity that the agency can locate them with a reasonable effort. The agency then reviews the records and releases any information that no longer meets the standards for continued classification, redacting only what must remain protected. If other agencies have an interest (an equity) in the information, the records are referred to them for review as well.

If the requester is dissatisfied with the result, MDR includes appeal rights, ultimately to the Interagency Security Classification Appeals Panel (ISCAP), an independent body that can overrule an agency’s decision to keep information classified.

MDR versus FOIA

MDR and the Freedom of Information Act overlap but differ. Both can be used to seek classified records, but:

• MDR is specifically for classified national security information and goes through the classification system’s own review and appeal process (including ISCAP).
• FOIA is broader, covers all kinds of records, and has its own exemptions and appeal track.

Researchers often choose MDR when they want a focused review of particular documents and access to the ISCAP appeal route.

MDR among the three pathways

MDR is the request-driven pathway. It sits alongside automatic declassification (which releases most permanently valuable classified records at 25 years unless exempt) and systematic review (an agency’s proactive program for reviewing its classified holdings). Together these mechanisms steadily open the historical record while protecting information that genuinely still requires it. See the declassification hub for the full picture.