DoD Instruction 6055.07

DoD Instruction 6055.07.

DoD Instruction 6055.07 is a Department of Defense instruction that addresses explosive safety policy, procedures, and responsibilities across the United States Department of Defense, aligning with standards used by the Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and international partners such as North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The instruction integrates doctrine from the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Air Force, and United States Space Force to manage hazards associated with munitions, ordnance, and energetic materials in support of operations and installations.

Overview and Purpose

The primary purpose is to establish consistent explosive safety policy and risk-management frameworks for the protection of personnel, facilities, and materiel across the Pentagon, Camp Lejeune, Fort Bragg, Naval Base San Diego, and Edwards Air Force Base. It codifies responsibilities derived from historical incidents such as the USS Forrestal fire, the Port Chicago disaster, and lessons learned from the Gulf War to prevent mishaps and harmonize with standards from the International Civil Aviation Organization, United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. The instruction supports interoperability with agencies like the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Environmental Protection Agency for emergency response, remediation, and public safety coordination.

Scope and Applicability

Applicability extends to Department of Defense components including combatant commands such as United States European Command, United States Indo-Pacific Command, United States Central Command, and staff elements across the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It covers activities from storage and handling at depots like the Blue Grass Army Depot to transport modalities governed by the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, Military Sealift Command, and aviation movements regulated by the Air Mobility Command. The instruction applies to programs involving contractors from firms such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon Technologies, and General Dynamics, and to international cooperative logistics with partners such as Australia, United Kingdom, Japan, and South Korea under status-of-forces agreements and reciprocal logistics arrangements.

Key Requirements and Responsibilities

Leaders at echelon retain accountability for implementing explosive safety standards drawn from manuals used by the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps, Naval Sea Systems Command, and Air Force Materiel Command. Requirements include hazard classification protocols consistent with the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, siting and quantity-distance criteria modeled after lessons from the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, and ordnance lifecycle management coordinating with the Defense Logistics Agency and Arsenal Systems Command. The instruction mandates training requirements that reference curricula from the Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal, the Army Ordnance Corps School, and the Air Force Institute of Technology, and establishes inspection, reporting, and mishap-investigation responsibilities involving the Defense Safety Oversight Council, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, and service safety centers.

Implementation and Compliance

Implementation requires component directives mirroring policy guidance issued by the Secretary of Defense, with oversight mechanisms similar to processes used by the Defense Contract Management Agency, Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense, and the Government Accountability Office. Components must produce explosive safety submissions and waivers coordinated through chains that include the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations and Environment, and the Joint Staff. Compliance is validated through periodic reviews, readiness exercises akin to those run by U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Transportation Command, and corrective-action plans that reference lessons from reviews such as the Iraq Inquiry, the 9/11 Commission Report, and Congressional hearings on munition mishaps.

Related Directives and References

The instruction is implemented in conjunction with directives and regulations such as Department of Defense issuances on safety, logistics, and acquisition, and is coordinated with standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the International Organization for Standardization, and the American National Standards Institute. It complements service-specific regulations including the Army Regulation 385-10, Navy Safety and Environmental Protection Manual, and the Air Force Instruction 91-202, while aligning with international agreements involving the NATO Standardization Office and treaties like the Ottawa Treaty where applicable. For doctrinal consistency it cross-references publications from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Defense Health Agency, and the Armed Forces Transportation Command.

Category:United States Department of Defense instructions