On behalf of the Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Defense, we welcome you to DefenseLINK. DefenseLINK is the official web site for the Department of Defense and the starting point for finding U.S. military information online. The home page for this site is located at http://www.defenselink.mil/.
The mission of the Department of Defense is to provide the military forces needed to deter war and to protect the security of our country. The department's headquarters is at the Pentagon.
The mission of DefenseLINK is to support the overall mission of the Department of Defense by providing official, timely and accurate information about defense policies, organizations, functions and operations. Also, DefenseLINK is the single, unified starting point for finding military information online.
This mission is consistent with the DoD Principles of Information, which outline the Department's policy for providing information to military members, DoD civilians, military family members, the American public, the Congress, and the news media. The information you find here is cleared for public release in accordance with applicable DoD policies.
Department of Defense web sites are operated and maintained in accordance with published DoD web policies.
One of the missions of DefenseLINK, the official web site for the Department of Defense, is to serve as the starting point for finding U.S. military information online. These DoD Sites pages contribute to that mission by providing these services:
DoD Sites are considered for inclusion based on the importance and timeliness of the information they contain and on the frequency the information from them is requested by DefenseLINK visitors. Selected non-DoD Sites may be included if the information they contain contributes to the overall DoD Sites mission. Also see the external links disclaimer.
Send suggestions for DoD Sites to the sites administrator at: erms@defenselink.mil.
DefenseLINK first went online in October 1994, and began as a cooperative effort between the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) and the Defense Technical Information Center. Its initial purpose was to simply publish and distribute, in electronic form, DoD news releases. Since that time, the mission of DefenseLINK has expanded as more information has been published on-line that is of interest to the general public and other specific audiences. DefenseLINK is operated in accordance with current DoD Web Site Administration Policies and Procedures.
The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the United States Department of Defense of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities such as military exchanges and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) sites, the United States Department of Defense does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations.
All links are provided consistent with the mission of DefenseLINK.
Please let us know about existing external links which you believe are inappropriate. Click here to add specific external links you believe ought to be included.
The information for Web Policies and for Military Webmasters is posted on the Web Policy page.
Documents on DefenseLINK and other military web sites are made available in several formats, based on a combination of factors, including the format of the original document, whether the look of the original document needed to be preserved, the availability of visitors to open different formats, and accessibility for those with physical limitations. This does not constitute endorsement of one commercial product over another. Note our disclaimer for external links.
In support of the DefenseLINK mission and the DoD Principles of Information, DefenseLINK provides open, public access to frequently updated news from a variety of sources.
DoD Press Resources are provided by or through the DoD Press Office. DoD Press Resources available on the web include news releases, contract announcements, press advisories, news transcripts, briefing slides, news photos, and Today in DoD. Several DoD News products are also available by e-mail subscription. Feedback about DoD News is invited and should be directed to the press desk by calling +1 (703) 697-5131.
DoD News Products are provided by or through the Defense Media Activity. DoD News Products available on the web include news articles, television news, and web special reports. News articles are also available by e-mail subscription.
DefenseLINK news also offers an extensive news archive and a customized news search.
Other News supplements the main DefenseLINK news pages by providing direct links to news and information sources in DoD and other defense-related agencies.
The DoD Press Office and the Defense Media Activity (DMA) are part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. Feedback about DoD Internal News is invited and should be sent via the Contact Us page.
The Principles of Information constitute the underlying public affairs philosophy for DefenseLINK and the Department of Defense.
"It is Department of Defense policy to make available timely and accurate information so that the public, the Congress, and the news media may assess and understand the facts about national security and defense strategy. Requests for information from organizations and private citizens shall be answered quickly. In carrying out that DoD policy, the following principles of information shall apply:
"Information shall be made fully and readily available, consistent with statutory requirements, unless its release is precluded by national security constraints or valid statutory mandates or exceptions. The Freedom of Information Act will be supported in both letter and spirit.
"A free flow of general and military information shall be made available, without censorship or propaganda, to the men and women of the Armed Forces and their dependents.
"Information will not be classified or otherwise withheld to protect the Government from criticism or embarrassment.
"Information shall be withheld when disclosure would adversely affect national security, threaten the safety or privacy of U.S. Government personnel or their families, violate the privacy of the citizens of the United States, or be contrary to law.
"The Department of Defense's obligation to provide the public with information on DoD major programs may require detailed Public Affairs (PA) planning and coordination in the Department of Defense and with the other Government Agencies. Such activity is to expedite the flow of information to the public; propaganda has no place in DoD public affairs programs."
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs has the primary responsibility for carrying out the commitment represented by these Principles.
The Principles of Information are codified as enclosure (2) to Department of Defense Directive 5122.5 of September 27, 2000.
The Principles of Information are also available in a full-color, printer-friendly version (.pdf, about 430K) signed by Secretary Rumsfeld.
Defense publications are produced by a variety of sources. Questions about the contents of a particular publication should be directed to that publication's producer listed in the document.
Many defense publications are available for download from the Internet. Other publications can be obtained from one of the following sources:
Defense Printing Service Detachment Office (DPSDO) Philadelphia: Defense Department Single Stock Point (DoDSSP) for Specifications and Standards.
Or Write:
Document Automation & Production Service
Building 4/D
700 Robbins Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19111-5094
Phone: 215-697-2664
- Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC): DTIC serves the Federal Government research, development and acquisition community including contractors, grantees, and potential defense contractors. Because of the nature of the information that DTIC handles, users must qualify for service form DTIC.
- National Technical Information Service releases unclassified/unlimited technical reports and bibliographic information through the National Technical Information service (NTIS).
- U.S. Government Printing Office
