At long last, Department of Defense Instruction 3222.01, the DoD Electromagnetic Environmental Effects Program, has been signed and released. For those of you following along, its been a long road! See the post from Dec 2013.
So, we have a new DoD E3 Instruction…what does that mean? First of all, as the title indicates, it’s an Instruction, not a Directive – the difference is that directives tend to be very broad brush with a lot of “thou shalt” but not a lot of “how shalt I?” That is, the Directive has no procedures in it, while the Instruction does. While the new Instruction isn’t chock full of new procedures, it does strengthen the requirements to consider E3 in military procurements and to assign various responsibilities to DoD organizations at every level.
So, what’s new and exciting in DoD Instruction 3222.01?
- The policy section is a lot more specific in the new document. There is reference to operations without degradation due to EMI, the operational EME and Joint Service control through DoD –wide techniques and procedures. Definitely trying to get the Services to play as a team, E3-wise.
- It formalizes the DoD E3 Integrated Product Team, which holds monthly meeting to discuss E3-related topics and issues relevant to all military services.
- It provides a more formal and expanded description of the DoE E3 Program details of which are managed by the Defense Spectrum Office under DISA. It details many of the requirements for E3 control through the life cycle of a military system.
- It incorporates the criteria for the installation and operation of systems and equipment in the vicinity of designated DoD sites, which was previously the topic of a separate Directive.
- It provides greater references and procedures for controlling electromagnetic hazards.
- And finally, it greatly emphasizes the need for E3 related awareness and training. This includes several references in the Responsibilities section requiring DoD organizations to develop and provide such training to both operational personnel as well as the acquisition corps.
OK, maybe its not as exciting as running a full threat lightning test on an aircraft you’re sure is going to fail, but it’s great news for those us of in the E3 business. The Instruction strengthens the requirements to implement E3 control and to make sure that everyone involved in military systems acquisition is aware of the importance of E3 control. And at the end of the day, it’s to make sure that our soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen have equipment and systems they can count on in today’s operational electromagnetic environment.
Download the Instruction from acc.dau.mil/library….go to Policy and Instructions!
-Brian Farmer
