PROCESSING DOD ISSUANCES: DoD ISSUANCES

• Revised issuances will keep their number. For new issuances, the action officer must select the basic 4-digit number (the digits to the left of the decimal point). The number of an issuance is determined by its subject. Review the DoD ISSUANCE NUMBERING SYSTEM and identify which subject group applies to the issuance.

• (1) For New Issuances


• (a)Review DoD ISSUANCES DEFINED and determine which type of issuance best suits your purpose.


• (b)Select the corresponding TEMPLATE and STANDARD and save to your personal files. Use of the templates is mandatory. Do not write over a prior version of the issuance.

Templates and Standards

• DoDD Template
• DoDI Template
• DoDM Template
• DTM Template
• DoDD Standards
• DoDI Standards
• DoDM Standards
• DTM Standards

• (a)Print out the WRITING STYLE GUIDE, ISSUANCE PROCESS CHECKLIST, and SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS CHECKLIST or save them to your personal files.


• (b)Draft the issuance, coordinate it within your OSD Component, and adjudicate any internal comments you receive. Refer to the resources available on the SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS page for more information. Your Component Directives Focal Point is also available to assist you during all stages of the process. Focal Point contact information is available from the Directives Division at doddirectives@whs.mil.


• c.Determine External Coordination Requirements. See block 15 of the SD FORM 106, “DoD DIRECTIVES PROGRAM COORDINATION RECORD,” to determine primary and collateral external coordinators.


• d.Prepare the SD Form 106. Use the instructions on the back of the form and do not obtain a signature on the SD Form 106 at this stage.

E-mail the unsigned SD Form 106 and a clean Microsoft (MS) Word copy of the issuance to Directives Division (DD) for review. The precoordination edit includes a subjective review, a technical review, and a review of the SD Form 106. Directive-Type Memorandums, because of their urgency, will be edited and returned to the AO in 2 workdays, as a rule.

• Unclassified Issuances: DoDDirectives@whs.mil


• Classified Issuances: DoDDirectives@whs.smil.mil

Upon receipt of the precoordination edit, revise the issuance, accepting or rejecting changes and recommendations as appropriate. Delete all comments and remove all editorial markings from the draft. If rejecting changes or recommendations, coordinate these with the DD editor.

Submit a clean copy of the issuance and an unsigned SD Form 106, through your Focal Point or designated authority, to the Office of the General Counsel, DoD (OGC) via the Directives Portal System (hereafter referred to as "the Portal") for a legal objection review. 

• (1) The DD editor shall review the issuance before it is released to OGC and will work with the Action Officer to resolve any outstanding issues.


• (2) OGC shall identify the issuance as "NOT LEGALLY OBJECTIONABLE" or "LEGALLY OBJECTIONABLE". If the issuance is legally objectionable, OGC will provide instructions to bring it into compliance with law. See paragraph 8.a. of Enclosure 3 of DoD Instruction 5025.01 for complete instructions regarding the legal objection review.

After adjudicating OGC's recommendations (if any), follow your Component's procedures to obtain the signature of the appropriate official in block 14 of the SD Form 106. See the LIST OF SIGNATURE AUTHORITIES for guidance on who can sign the SD Form 106. Do not make any changes to the DoD issuance other than those requested by OGC.

• (1) Follow the Directives Portal System User Guide to submit the signed SD Form 106 and a clean Microsoft Word copy of the issuance, through your Focal Point or designated authority, to the Portal. You can also contact the Portal Manager for assistance at directivesprogramportal@whs.mil.


• (2) The Directives Division (DD) editor shall review the issuance and SD Form 106 before they are posted to the Portal to ensure that any changes required by the Office of the General Counsel, DoD (OGC) have been made. 


• (3) Upon release of the task for coordination, the Portal will send an e-mail to the action officer (AO) advising that the task has been posted.

If you entered coordinators on the SD Form 106 that do not have access to the Portal (this includes other Federal agencies such as the Department of State), you are responsible for sending the issuance, the SD Form 106, and the SD Form 818: COMMENTS MATRIX FOR DOD ISSUANCES to them and for obtaining their responses.

• (1) Throughout the coordination period, the Portal will e-mail you each time a coordination response is received, and will e-mail reminders of upcoming and overdue suspenses to those Components that have not yet posted their coordinations to the Portal. Only coordinators that have access to the Portal shall receive reminders from the Portal. Administrative comments should not be included on the consolidated SD Form 818, but corrections should be made in the document as appropriate.


• (2) Review and adjudicate the responses as they are received, including confirming that the coordination is signed at the appropriate level according to the LIST OF SIGNATURE AUTHORITIES. Document coordination comments and their resolution on the SD FORM 818. If there are conflicts, make every effort to resolve them at the lowest level; involve your Directives Focal Point in reconciling differences; address unresolved nonconcurrences, in the action memo in accordance with paragraph e(1).


• (3) If comments are received that touch upon a legal issue or for which OGC input may be appropriate, initiate contact via e-mail with the Associate Deputy General Counsel (DGC) who provided the legal objection review in Stage 2. The Associate DGC shall reply with advice and assistance specific to legal issues and/or to other issues specifically identified by the AO. See paragraph 8.b. of Enclosure 3 of DoD Instruction 5025.01 for complete instructions regarding the adjudication review.


• (4) Revise the issuance consistent with adjudication of comments received and the results of the OGC comment reviews.

When all responding coordinating agencies’ comments have been adjudicated and incorporated into the issuance as appropriate, provide the complete, final SD Form 818 and a clean Microsoft Word copy of the issuance with comments incorporated to the Associate DGC for review. The Associate DGC shall inform the AO of any outstanding or new legal issues and shall confirm when all legal issues have been satisfactorily addressed.

They include:

• (1) An action memo with separate Microsoft Word attachments as stated below. Prepare the action memo according to the appropriate sample ACTION MEMO for the type of issuance and action. Action memos must address unresolved issues (nonconcur, non-response of a primary coordinator, late coordinations) and justify signature of the document despite these issues.



Action Memorandum:

• DoDD Memo
• DoDD to DoDI Memo
• DoDI Memo
• DoDM Memo
• DTM Memo
• Substantive Change Memos
• Conforming Change Memos
• Cancellation Memo


• (a)TAB A: The final draft of the new, revised, or changed issuance
• (b)TAB B: SD Form 818
• (c)TAB D: List of Coordinating Officials (legal sufficiency review will be TAB C)


• (2) Coordinations and comments from coordinators that do not have access to the Portal. The AO is responsible for obtaining these materials and must provide electronic copies of their coordinations, including comments, with the materials for presignature. Their critical and substantive comments must be included on the SD Form 818.


• (3) E-mail from OGC confirming completion of adjudication review or AO confirmation that OGC did not respond to AO requests.

E-mail the materials for presignature as described in Stage 3 to Directives Division (DD) for review. The DD editor will contact you to provide an estimated review completion date. The presignature review includes a subjective review and a technical review of the issuance, the list of coordinating officials, and the action memorandum, as well as a review of the coordinations and the manner in which any comments received were addressed in the issuance.

• Unclassified Issuances: DoDDirectives@whs.mil
• Classified Issuances: DoDDirectives@whs.smil.mil

Revise the edited issuance and other final package contents according to the presignature review. If rejecting changes or recommendations, coordinate these with the DD editor.

Submit a clean copy of the final package, through your Focal Point or designated authority, to the Office of the General Counsel, DoD (OGC) via the Portal for a legal sufficiency review. The General Counsel, DoD, Principal Deputy, or Deputy General Counsel will perform this review. OGC will identify the issuance as “LEGALLY SUFFICIENT” or “NOT LEGALLY SUFFICIENT”. If the issuance is not legally sufficient, OGC will provide instructions to bring it into compliance with law. See paragraph 8.c. of Enclosure 3 of DoD Instruction 5025.01 for complete instructions regarding the legal sufficiency review.

For issuances with unlimited releasability, upon incorporating changes from OGC, e-mail a clean copy of the issuance, the legal sufficiency review, the list of coordinating officials, and a completed, signed DD Form 1910, “Clearance Request for Public Release of Department of Defense Information,” to OSR at secrev1@whs.mil for approval to publish the issuance on the unclassified DoD Issuances Website. OSR approval is mandatory for release on the unclassified Internet.

Revise the issuance and other final package contents if required by the OSR review. Your Focal Point is available to assist with resolution of any outstanding issues. Assemble the final package as described inStage 3 for signature. If OSR review required changes, OGC legal sufficiency review is invalid and must be renewed. Do not make any changes other than those required by OGC and OSR.

• DoD Issuances are processed differently in Stage 5 depending on who is signing the issuance.


• (1)Signed by the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of Defense


• (a)Follow your OSD Component’s internal procedures to obtain Action Memo signature and submit the original hard copy final package to the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of Defense.


• (b)E-mail to Directives Division (DD) a Microsoft Word (MS) copy of the version of the issuance that was sent for signature, the SD Form 818, the list of coordinating officials, and the OSR approval, if applicable.


• Unclassified Issuances: DoDDirectives@whs.mil
• Classified Issuances: DoDDirectives@whs.smil.mil


• (2)Signed by the OSD Component PSA


• (a)Follow your OSD Component’s internal procedures to submit the original hard copy final package to your PSA.


• (b)After the issuance has been signed, e-mail to DD on MS Word copy of the version of the issuance that was sent for signature, and the OSR approval, if applicable.


• (c)Submit the original hard copy final package (signed issuance, signed action memo, the final SD Form 818, etc.) to DD via the OSD mailroom or courier. DO NOT send via the U.S. Postal Service.

• (1) For issuances that are releasable, DD will post the issuance to the NIPRNET and SIPRNET DoD Issuances Website and notify the action officer and the Component Directives Focal Point of the posting. Classified issuances approved for release on SIPRNET will be posted there.


• (2) For issuances that are not releasable via the DoD Issuances Website, DD will return an electronic copy of the signed version of the issuance to the action officer for final distribution.

• (1) A change amends an existing DoD issuance and has the full authority of the issuance. A changed issuance retains its original date (initial publication or last coordinated revision) and its original signature.


• (2) Changes to DoD issuances are permitted and encouraged during their respective life cycles (5 years for Directives, Instructions, and Manuals, 7 years for these issuances certified as current; 180 days for DTMs)


• (3) If more than 25 percent of an issuance requires change, the entire issuance must be revised, coordinated, and reissued with a new date and signature.

To draft a change:

• (1) Download the most current version of the issuance from the DoD Issuances Website. Save the Rich Text Format (RTF) file as an Microsoft (MS) Word document. If no RTF file is available, contact the Directives Division for assistance.


• (2) Use the “Format Font” tools in MS Word to identify deleted information in red font with a red strike-through and to insert new information into the issuance in red italics. DO NOT use “Track Changes” for this function. ALWAYS show deleted text first, placing new text after the deleted text, if applicable. See CHANGES AND CANCELLATIONS in the “Training” section of the SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS complete instructions.

Releasability statements must be included in all DoD issuances posted to the NIPRNET (see PROCESSING DOD ISSUANCES). For guidance on determining releasability, go to DoDD 5230.09, DoDI 5230.29, and SECDEF MESSAGE: INFORMATION SECURITY/ WEBSITE ALERT.

An administrative change alters only nonsubstantive portions of an issuance such as titles and dates of references, and organizational names and symbols.

• (1) Administrative changes do not require formal coordination. They do require an OGC legal sufficiency review (for Directives only) and, if applicable, a security review by the Office of Security Review (OSR).


• (2) Follow established procedures within your Component to coordinate the draft changed issuance internally. Revise the issuance consistent with any internal coordination comments received, then assemble a package that includes:


• (a) Unsigned Action Memo


• 1. For DoDDs use the Administrative Change Action MEMO template addressed to the Deputy Secretary from your Component Head.


• 2. For DoDIs, DoDMs, and DoD Publications use the Administrative Change Action MEMO template addressed to the DA&M from your Component approving official.


• (b) Attachments. At Tab A, the final draft of the changed issuance.


• (3) Follow the standard procedures in Stage 2 to submit the package to DD for review. When following the standard procedures, the action memo will replace the SD Form 106.


• (4) Upon receiving the review and incorporating changes and comments as appropriate, submit the issuance to OGC (Directives only) for a legal sufficiency review.


• (5) Obtain a security review from OSR, if applicable.


• (6) After the OSR review is complete, send the original hard copy package to your Component Head for signature on the action memo.


• (7) When the DD, OGC, and the OSR (if applicable) reviews are complete, follow the standard procedures in Stage 5 to post the changed issuance to the DoD Issuances Website.

All conforming changes to DoD issuances shall require formal coordination with the mandatory agencies (DoD Inspector General and the Director Administration and Management (DA&M)), OGC legal reviews and, if applicable, a security review by OSR. Follow established procedures within your Component to coordinate the draft changed issuance internally; then follow the standard procedures in Stages 2, 3, 4 and 5 to finalize the action.

All substantive changes to DoD issuances shall be fully coordinated and shall require OGC legal reviews and, if applicable, a security review by OSR. Process substantive changes according to Standard Procedures in Stages 1 through 5.

If, during review of a DoD issuance or at any other time, the owning Component determines the issuance has served its purpose, is no longer needed, and is not appropriate for incorporation into a new or existing issuance, the Component shall initiate its cancellation.

• (1) All cancellations shall be fully coordinated.


• (2) An issuance is cancelled by the original signing authority. The action memo must be signed at the same level at which the issuance was signed.


• (3) Follow established procedures within your OSD Component to coordinate the cancellation internally.


• (4) Submit the unsigned SD Form 106 to Directives Division (DD) for review.


• (5) Upon receiving the edited SD Form 106, follow established procedures within your OSD Component to obtain signature on the SD Form 106.


• (6) Submit the signed SD Form 106 and a copy of the issuance to be canceled, through your Focal Point or designated authority, in .pdf format to the Portal to initiate formal coordination.


• (7) Adjudicate any comments received during formal coordination and make a final package consisting of an action memo, list of coordinating officials, and an SD Form 818. The action memo will be signed by the OSD Component Head. Use the CANCELLATION MEMO template to draft the action memo.


• (8) Submit the action memo, list of coordinating officials, and the SD Form 818 to DD for a presignature review.


• (9) Upon receiving the presignature review, make any changes required by DD. Submit the action memo, list of coordinating officials, consolidated SD 818, and a .pdf of the issuance to be cancelled, through your Focal Point or designated authority, to OGC on the Portal for a legal sufficiency review.


• (10) For issuances signed by the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of Defense


• (a) Upon receiving the sufficiency review, follow your OSD Component’s internal procedures to obtain the signature of the OSD Component Head on the Action Memo and forward signed package to the Secretary or Deputy Secretary of Defense.


• (b) The final package will be sent back to DD after it is approved, at which time DD will remove the canceled issuance from the DoD Issuances Website(s), update the Cancelled DoD Issuances Search database, and notify the AO and the Component Directives Focal Point.


• (11) For issuances not signed by the Secretary or Deputy Secretary, upon receiving the OGC legal sufficiency review:


• (a) Follow your OSD Component’s internal procedures to obtain signature on the action memo.


• (b) Upon receiving the signed action memorandum requesting the cancellation,
  provide the final package (hard copy and electronic) to DD. DD will remove the cancelled issuance from the DoD Issuances Website(s), update the Cancelled DoD Issuances Search database, and notify the AO and the Component Directives Focal Point.