Military correspondence may be divided into three parts: heading, body, and close; most correspondence will have all three. For the purpose of explaining the instructions that follow, the three parts are defined as follows:
(1) The HEADING consists of all material above the first line of the body of the correspondence.
(2) The BODY is the substance of the correspondence as distinguished from the heading and close.
(3) The CLOSE is all material below the last line of the body.
Security classification markings must be affixed in accordance with the regulations of the office preparing the correspondence. Military correspondence can deal with many subjects; a military letter should deal with one subject only.
Heading
a. Contents. The heading of a letter must always contain, as a minimum, subject to security considerations, the following items: the complete name, address, and telephone number of the individual; command office or agency preparing the letter; date; identifying references; subject; and addressee. The exact arrangement of these items is optional but should be such that each item is readily identifiable. Correspondence other than letters will contain asmany of these heading items as is appropriate for the type of correspondence.
b. Date. The date will contain the day, month, and year in that order. The month will be spelled out or abbreviatedand not indicated by number, for example, 10 December 1995, 10 Dec 95.
c. Identifying reference. The identifying reference is a combination of letters and/or numbers assigned by the originator to facilitate future identification of the correspondence.
d. Subject. The subject is a brief statement of the general content of the correspondence.
e. Address. The addressee is the authority/individual for whom the correspondence is intended. In the case of multiple addressees, the term SEE DISTRIBUTION may be used and the addressees shown elsewhere, or Distribution List A (or similar methods) may be shown where a standard set of distribution lists is used by the headquarters of the originator.
Body
Paragraphing. If the body of the correspondence contains two or more paragraphs, they will be numbered in sequence throughout the paper. Subparagraphs, when used, will be identified by letters and numbers within each paragraph. When only one paragraph is used, it is not numbered, but its subparagraphs, if any, are identified as indicated below.
Paragraphs
Parts, sections. Correspondence in which subjects are lengthy or require subdivision for clarity may be dividedinto parts, sections, or similar subdivisions as desired by the originator, the subdivisions being iidentified by Romannumerals, Arabic numerals, or capital letters. When this is done, the actual paragraph numbering sequence should stillbe continuous throughout to facilitate identification.
Group titles. Group headings may be used to head one or more paragraphs, which may or may not themselves beheaded, relating to the same general subject. Group headings should be capitalized and underlined and should not benumbered.
Paragraph and subparagraph headings. Where it is desirable to give a paragraph or subparagraph a heading, thisheading will be printed in lowercase letters (with the first letter of each major word capitalized), underlined, and placedin the first line of text.
Close
a. Contents. The close must always contain the signature block. The close will also contain a command or authority line when the signature block does not show the commander or authority by which the correspondence was issued.
b. Signature block. The signature block must always include a handwritten signature on the original, with the individual’s name and rank (if military), typed, printed, or affixed by means of a rubber stamp on the original and all the copies. When the signing authority is not the one mentioned in the head of the correspondence, the signature block should contain the wordsfor, by delegation, or the equivalent.
Supplementary documents
a. Annexes. Supplementary documents that amplify or explain the parent document are called annexes. They are used when the inclusion of all the detail in the body of the document would make it cumbersome. Annexes should—
(1) Be introduced or referred to in the body of the correspondence.
(2) Be lettered consecutively using uppercase letters in the order in which they appear in the text. A single annex is Annex A.
(3) Have their own subject headings.
b. Appendixes. Supplementary documents that amplify or explain annexes are called appendixes. They are used when the inclusion of all the detail in the annex would make it cumbersome. Appendixes should—
(1) Be referred to in the text of the present annex.
(2) Be identified with uppercase letters in alphabetical sequence (for example, Appendix A, Appendix B). Identify paragraphs within an appendix with an uppercase letter and an Arabic number. The letter represents the appendix; the number represents the numerical sequence of the paragraph within the appendix (for example, A–1, B–1, B–2). Tables or illustrations within an appendix will be identified with an uppercase letter and an Arabic number. The letter represents the appendix; the number represents the numerical sequence of the illustration or table in the appendix (for example, Figure A–1, Figure A–2, Table A–1, Table A–2).
c. Enclosures. Supplementary documents that are complete in themselves and are forwarded with military correspondence are referred to as enclosures. Enclosures may have their own annexes and appendixes.
d. Listing and identification. Documents that supplement a piece of correspondence are listed and briefly identified under a separate item either in the head or the close. Annexes and appendixes should refer to the parent paper so they can be identified.
Tabulation
It is frequently necessary to present information, especially in supplementary documents, in tabular form. In order to facilitate precise reference to items in a table, the insertion of amendments, lines, and columns will be identified as follows:
a. Lines (or where appropriate, individual items containing more than one line) with a serial number (Arabic numeral) in the left-hand column. If serials need to be subdivided, subserials will be identified in the same way as subparagraphs.
b. Columns (including those containing the serial number) with lowercase letters in brackets, which should be on a separate line below the column heading. The column heading itself need not be repeated on subsequent pages.
References
References to other correspondence may be listed either in the heading or in the beginning of the body of correspondence. When it is necessary to make reference to another document, identification will be in sufficient detail to avoid possible confusion. When referring to military correspondence, the reference will contain the following information: office of origin, identifying reference, date, and subject of correspondence.
Extracts
Extracts from a document are identified by the original chapter, article, and paragraph numbers, as appropriate but never by page numbers. When a document is translated or reprinted, the original chapter, article, and paragraph numbers are retained, but the page numbers may be changed.
Footnotes
Footnotes may also be used in the body of military correspondence and are useful for cross-references or explanations that do not affect the substance of the paper. Lengthy footnotes should be avoided.
Abbreviations
Abbreviations are not normally used in military correspondence covered by STANAG 2066 if it is to becirculated between Allied Forces. If abbreviations are used, the word or words abbreviated are to be written in full on first appearance, followed by the appropriate abbreviation in parentheses. Abbreviations standing for combinations of words are written in uppercase letters without spaces or punctuation, for example, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE).