WHS Directives

This is a mirror of a Defense Department Website that was recently removed from public view. It contains hundreds of directives governing the Defense Department. Although these directives are unclassified, the DOD—in keeping with the post-9/11 tendency to take government secrecy to new heights—decided that the site will now be available only to authorized military and governmental users. (For more detail, see this issue of Secrecy News.) The Memory Hole captured this mirror on 11 June 2003 and posted it on 13 Oct 2003.

UPDATE: On 16 Oct, the Defense Department reinstated public access its directives Website. Apparently it was influened by two things: 1) The Federation of American Scientists was threatening legal action to force the site back online, and 2) The Memory Hole already had a mirror of the site online, showing the futility of trying to take this material out of public view. (See this issue of Secrecy News.)

Therefore, The Memory Hole is now taking down its mirror of the site, since it is no longer necessary. We still have copies of it, though, and will repost if the Defense Department restricts or deletes their directives again.

For the Website as it now stands, click here.

Mission Statement

Please be advised that this site is to be used for reference purposes only. Inquiries about access to official personnel files, records, or actions shall be addressed to the appropriate Agency or Military Service.

ONLY send inquiries concerning DoD issuances written or sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and Washington Headquarters Service (WHS) staff. All other issuance inquiries shall be addressed to the appropriate Agency or Military Service.

This office does NOT handle Joint Publications, Service Publications, or other Internal or Federal Agency Publications.

Send inquiries concerning DoD forms to the Directorate for Information, Operations, and Reports, Washington Headquarters Services.

The mission of the Directives Section is to administer and operate the DoD Directives System. The DoD Directives System was established to provide a single, uniform system of DoD issuances and directive-type memorandums used to convey DoD policies, responsibilities, and procedures. The DoD Directives System provides for the orderly processing, approval, publication, distribution, internal review, and records management of DoD Directives, DoD Instructions, and DoD Publications. The DoD Directives System also includes the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Federal Register System.

The Records Section's mission is to oversee the operation of the records disposition and privacy programs for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the OSD Components and Field Operating Agencies. The records disposition program provides life-cycle management of all OSD records, regardless of form or content from creation to destruction for temporary materials or transfer to the custody of the National Archives for permanent material.

The privacy program provides for the protection of personal information maintained by any OSD component or office.


About DoD Issuances
Writing an Issuance
Subject Groups
Procedures Manual (DoD 5025.1-M)
Directives (1000.1-4999.99)
Directives (5000.1-8999.99)
Instructions (1000.1-8999.99)
Publications (Regs, Manuals, etc.)
Administrative Instructions
Directive-type Memoranda
FOIA A2 Files
Records Management (AI 15)
Privacy Program (AI 81)

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What's New \| Comments?
Mission Statement Please be advised that this site is to be used for reference purposes only. Inquiries about access to official personnel files, records, or actions shall be addressed to the appropriate Agency or Military Service. ONLY send inquiries concerning DoD issuances written or sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and Washington Headquarters Service (WHS) staff. All other issuance inquiries shall be addressed to the appropriate Agency or Military Service. This office does NOT handle Joint Publications, Service Publications, or other Internal or Federal Agency Publications. Send inquiries concerning DoD forms to the Directorate for Information, Operations, and Reports, Washington Headquarters Services. The mission of the Directives Section is to administer and operate the DoD Directives System. The DoD Directives System was established to provide a single, uniform system of DoD issuances and directive-type memorandums used to convey DoD policies, responsibilities, and procedures. The DoD Directives System provides for the orderly processing, approval, publication, distribution, internal review, and records management of DoD Directives, DoD Instructions, and DoD Publications. The DoD Directives System also includes the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Federal Register System. The Records Section's mission is to oversee the operation of the records disposition and privacy programs for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the OSD Components and Field Operating Agencies. The records disposition program provides life-cycle management of all OSD records, regardless of form or content from creation to destruction for temporary materials or transfer to the custody of the National Archives for permanent material. The privacy program provides for the protection of personal information maintained by any OSD component or office.