WASHINGTON, D.C. 20301-6000
              INTEGRATION
October 17, 2008
Incorporating Change 1, September 16, 2010

MEMORANDUM FOR SECRETARIES OF THE MILITARY DEPARTMENTS
CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF


UNDER SECRETARIES OF DEFENSE

ASSISTANT SECRETARIES OF DEFENSE

GENERAL COUNSEL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DIRECTOR, OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUATION

INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

ASSISTANTS TO THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

DIRECTOR, ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

DIRECTOR, PROGRAM ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION

DIRECTOR, NET ASSESSMENT

DIRECTORS OF THE DEFENSE AGENCIES

DIRECTORS OF THE DoD FIELD ACTIVITIES
 SUBJECT:   Directive-Type Memorandum (DTM) 08-021, "DoD Use of the Civil Search and Rescue Satellite-aided Tracking (SARSAT) System for Support to Personnel

Recovery" References: See Attachment 1
Purpose.  This DTM establishes policy in accordance with DoD Directive 3003.01
(Reference (a)) for DoD use of civil SAR satellite assets under the authority of DoD Directive 5144.1 (Reference (b)).  It improves DoD use of the international SARSAT System; this system aids in rescue and recovery of DoD personnel and in fulfillment of DoD responsibilities for support to civil rescue.  This DTM is effective immediately; it shall be converted to a new DoD
Instruction within 180 days.  This DTM shall expire effective September 1, 2011.

Applicability.  This DTM applies to OSD, the Military Departments, the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Staff, the Combatant Commands, the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense, the Defense Agencies, the DoD Field Activities, and all other organizational entities within the Department of Defense (hereafter referred to collectively as the "DoD Components").

Policy.  It is DoD policy that DoD emergency beacons intended for support to civil SAR, or intended for DoD personnel recovery applications that could benefit from use of the SARSAT System, will be SARSAT-capable and registered appropriately.  Since older analog beacons operating at 121.5 and/or 243.0 MHz will not be detected or processed by the SARSAT System as of February 2009, DoD users shall employ 406 MHz SARSAT emergency beacons that transmit a unique digital identifier.  All 406 MHz beacons shall be configured (to include standardized DoD coding), operated, and maintained to ensure effective use.  A DoD SARSAT beacon registration database is required for DoD use of 406 MHz beacons; this database shall be developed, maintained, and kept current.  (Beacons permanently installed in aircraft retiring within 5 years are exempt from this policy.)
Responsibilities.  See Attachment 2.


Procedures.  See Attachment 3.

Releasability.  UNLIMITED.  This DTM is approved for public release.  Copies may be obtained through the Internet from the DoD Issuances Web Site at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives. Attachments: As stated

## Attachment 1 References

 (a) DoD Directive 3003.01, "DoD Support to Civil Search and Rescue (SAR),"
January 20, 2006
(b) DoD Directive 5144.1, "Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information
Integration/DoD Chief Information Officer (ASD(NII)/DoD CIO)," May 2, 2005
(c) DoD Directive 2310.2, "Personnel Recovery," December 22, 2000 (d) DoD Directive 5101.1, "DoD Executive Agent," September 3, 2002
(e) Cospas-Sarsat T.001 Specifications for 406 MHz Distress Beacons1
(f)
Part 80, Subpart V (EPIRBs); Part 87, Subpart F (ELTs); and Part 95, Subpart K (PLBs)C
of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
(g) National 406 MHz Beacon Coding Guidelines for USA National Use Fields2

## Attachment 2 Responsibilities

 1.  ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR NETWORKS AND INFORMATION INTEGRATION/DoD CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER (ASD(NII)/DoD CIO).  The ASD(NII)/DoD CIO shall oversee development of a DoD registration database repository and coding scheme for improving DoD SARSAT capabilities, by establishing policy, supporting appropriate budget actions, and providing technical advice and guidance.

2.  ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR GLOBAL SECURITY AFFAIRS
(ASD(GSA)).  The ASD(GSA), under the authority, direction, and control of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, shall, in conjunction with the ASD(NII)/DoD CIO, oversee compliance with this memorandum.

3.  HEADS OF THE DoD COMPONENTS.  The Heads of the DoD Components shall:
a.  Ensure that all new SARSAT emergency beacons and all existing 406 MHz beacons are coded in compliance with this DTM.

b.  Ensure that all new SARSAT emergency beacons and all existing 406 MHz beacons are registered in compliance with this DTM.  This includes:

(1)  Specifying a 24/7 point of contact (POC) or command center, within each organization that deploys 406 MHz beacons, to assist any Personnel Recovery Coordination Cell or Joint Personnel Recovery Center responding to activation of a beacon.  Each beacon's registration information shall include its organizational 24/7 POC in the unified DoD database known as the Joint SARSAT Electronic Tracking System (JSETS).


(2)  Re-registering DoD 406 MHz beacons from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) SARSAT Program Office's National Beacon Registration Database
(RGDB) into JSETS.  Any DoD registration information within NOAA's Beacon RGDB will be modified by NOAA to point to JSETS.


(3)  Establishing procedures for the timely updating of beacon registrations in JSETS.

c.  Designate a single POC within the Component for coordination of all 406 MHz beacon issues, including coordination with the NOAA SARSAT Program Office.

d.  Develop 406 MHz beacon testing, training, accounting and reporting policies, in conjunction with the DoD Joint Personnel Recovery Agency (JPRA, a component of U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM)) and the NOAA SARSAT Program Office. 4.  SECRETARIES OF THE MILITARY DEPARTMENTS.  In addition to the responsibilities in section 3 of this attachment, the Secretaries of the Military Departments shall provide adequate annual funding for timely acquisition, operation, maintenance and currency of JSETS, so that JSETS costs are shared equally by the Military Departments:  Army, Navy/Marine Corps, and Air Force, one-third each.

5.  SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE.  The Secretary of the Air Force, in addition to the responsibilities described in sections 3 and 4 of this enclosure, shall:
a.  Develop, maintain, and sustain 24/7 operation of JSETS, including the currency of its underlying software and Web-enabled features, ensuring its continuous availability to users and responder organizations and provision of adequate back-up and mirroring.

b.  Execute fiduciary responsibilities for acquisition, operation, maintenance, and currency of JSETS, including lead Service funding, tracking of funding provided by other Services, contracting support, and required programming activity or budgetary reports.

6.  COMMANDER, USJFCOM.  As the DoD Executive Agent for Personnel Recovery (see References (c) and (d)), the Commander, USJFCOM, shall:
a.  Ensure that proper usage of 406 MHz beacons is widely promulgated throughout the Department of Defense as part of existing joint education, training, and training oversight responsibilities.

b.  Convey any issues with 406 MHz beacon use to Director, Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, ASD(GSA); and Director, Communications and Networks Programs & Policy, ASD(NII)/DoD CIO.

## Attachment 3 Procedures

 1.  REQUIREMENTS.  All DoD emergency beacons intended for support to civil SAR, or intended for DoD personnel recovery applications that could benefit from use of the SARSAT System, will comply with these requirements.

a.  Standards-based 406 MHz beacons.  DoD Components shall ensure that only standardsbased 406 MHz beacons are deployed.  These devices must comply with Reference (e) issued by the International Cospas-Sarsat Secretariat, and be certified via Type Approval Certificate or be granted a waiver via Letter of Compatibility (see http://www.cospas-sarsat.org/ Beacons/
typeApprovedList.htm).  All 406 MHz beacons in the Department of Defense also must comply with Reference (f).

b.  Standardized coding of 406 MHz beacons.  DoD Components shall ensure that 406 MHz beacons are coded to comply with Reference (g) and the references therein, issued by the NOAA SARSAT Program Office.  When feasible, beacons already in the DoD inventory with nonstandard coding will be re-coded to comply with these NOAA guidelines.  When re-coding is not feasible, beacons already in the DoD inventory with non-standard coding will be rotated to nonstressed geographic areas as soon as practical, but in any case before July 1, 2010.

c.  Registration of 406 MHz beacons.  DoD Components shall ensure that 406 MHz beacons are properly registered in the unified DoD 406 MHz beacon registration database known as JSETS.  The registration for each beacon must be current within 1 week of beacon assignment or re-assignment.  The JSETS beacon database will be fully Web-enabled for registration and registration updating, for responder queries, or other authorized access.

2.  EXCEPTIONS.  Any uses of 406 MHz beacon technology that are not fully standards-based, as specified above, must be coordinated through the NOAA SARSAT Program Office and then be approved by the interagency SARSAT Program Steering Group.