The Department of Defense may not be required, when conducting a special search, to compile or organize records that have already been declassified and placed into the public domain.

For the purpose of this section, the term “special search” means the response of the Department of Defense to any of the following:

(1) A statutory requirement to conduct a declassification review on a specified set of agency records.

(2) An Executive order to conduct a declassification review on a specified set of agency records.

(3) An order from the President or an official with delegated authority from the President to conduct a declassification review on a specified set of agency records.

(Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A], title X, § 1075], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A–280.)