It establishes records management as a critical element of the Department of Defense business process. In more specific terms the Directive calls for the proper and adequate management of information in all media,the maintenance of records that protect the legal rights and interests of the Government and of persons affected by the Government's activities, records management to insure effective and efficient conduct of both operational and support activities, the management of all records in any media used for creation or storage of information, in accordance with approved records schedules, and improvement of and or reengineering of records management to support DoD components' missions and to provide efficient and timely access to information. To insure that these policy standards are met, DoD commanders and directors of commands or activities are responsible for applying standard functional and automated system requirements for records management, applying standard DoD records schedules to the retention and disposition of all records regardless of media, incorporating the records management requirements into automated information systems design and development, and ensuring prompt retirement or disposal of temporary records and the timely transfer of permanently valuable records under authorized record schedules. The United States Government creates, receives, processes and distributes more information than any other organization in the world. It accumulates and maintains an enormous volume of records on every kind of medium from typewriter paper to optical disks.
Most Federal records are temporary.
Most can be destroyed within a year or two after they are no longer needed. Non-current records are scheduled for disposition by the records schedule. Disposition is usually based on functional requirements. Descriptions of scheduled records, together with their retention periods, are linked to agency or organizational file plans. All official correspondence created or received by DoN employees, and most other documents are required to have an SSIC number affixed to them.