CHAPTER 4 PUBLICATIONS AND DIRECTIVES

CHAPTER 4 PUBLICATIONS AND DIRECTIVES Numerous publications and directives are used every day to conduct business in the office of the chaplain in support of the Command Religious Program (CRP). It is the responsibil- ity of the RP to maintain office of the chaplain publications and directives by making the appro- priate changes and corrections. These changes are normally made by inserting new pages, removing obsolete pages, or by making pen-and-ink changes in existing documents. This chapter will be devoted to identifying many of the publications and directives used in today’s Navy and Marine Corps; explaining the basic contents of the Department of the Navy Directives Issuance System (SECNAVINST 5215.1); and illustrating various types of directives. The chief publications/directives which the RP will use in conducting business in the office of the chaplain will be described in the first sections of this chapter. It should be noted that the RP is not expected to know the entire contents of each of these documents. However, locating accurate in- formation in a timely manner for assigned chaplains is one of the most important tasks that RPs perform. Knowing where to look for this information is one skill every RP must possess. NOTE: For purposes of this discussion, publica- tions have been grouped under the general headings: regulatory/guidance, correspondence/ directives, supply, Command Religious Program, and Marine Corps. It should also be noted that each command decides which publications are maintained in the various departments. The RP should ensure that the office of the chaplain has access to any publications that may be needed to support the CRP. Having a copy of each publica- tion may not be required; however, ready access to the publications is imperative. 4-1 REGULATORY/GUIDANCE PUBLICATIONS The fundamental law governing the Depart- ment of the Navy is derived from three basic sources. These sources are: The Constitution of the United States. Treaties of the United States. Laws passed by the Congress of the United States. These three sources provide broad outlines from which publications and directives are developed to establish and define specific rules and regula- tions. Title 10 of the United States Code, which is entitled “Armed Forces, ” is derived from these three sources as well as other statutory sources. The following sections will be devoted to identi- fying various publications which define specific rules and regulations in the Department of the Navy. UNITED STATES NAVY REGULATIONS The publication, United States Navy Regula- tions, is foremost in general importance among official publications. This publication outlines the organizational structure of the Department of the Navy and promulgates the principles and policies by which the Navy and Marine Corps are gov- erned. It consists of the following 12 chapters. Chapter 1 —The Department of the Navy (Articles 0100 series)