The Naval correspondence letter is to prescribed a uniform standards for the management and preparation of correspondence throughout the Department of the Navy (DON). The Secretary of the Navy will administer the Department of the Navy Correspondence Management Program and Coordinate proposed changes to this manual with the Chief of Naval Operations and the Commandant of the Marine Corps, they will administer the Correspondence Management Program within the Navy and Marine Corps respectively. Commanding Officers and Heads of Activities will establish a correspondence management program based on the requirements and guidance of this manual and ensure that its screened, controlled, reviewed and answered accordingly, Correspondence practices are reviewed periodically to improve products and procedures. The image and effectiveness of the Department of the Navy is portrayed by the tone quality, and responsiveness of correspondence. Properly written correspondence that clearly and succinctly establishes a position, correctly and completely answers questions, and conveys the right message, all aid in the effective management and operation of the Department of the Navy. The correspondence must be neat in appearance, correctly formatted , error free and grammatically correct, it must avoid all stereotyping men and women based on gender by using pronouns and titles that are gender neutral. Always include a point of contact, return telephone number, and e-mail address when your correspondence might prompt a reply or inquiry. When corresponding through Channels using the Chain of Command, follow your Chain of Command when corresponding on substantive matters such as command decisions, policy issues and official recommendations, communications are directly address to the top official of the organization concerned immediately after the activity’s name. Address correspondence concerning policy, management decisions, or
References: are listed in alphabetical order, a through z. If you have more than 26 references, continue with (aa), (ab), etc. If the entry is longer than one line, line the second line under the first word after the heading. A message requires (a) the originator 's Plain Language Address as shown in the “From:” line of the message, nd (b) the complete date-time-group. Endorsements cite references depending on whether you want to mention them in passing or highlight a particular one. A telephone conversation or meeting requires (a) “PHONCON” or “Mtg”; (b) the activity’s SNDL short title, the office code, the individual’s name, and (c) the date. Follow the information for the first individual with a forward slash and repeat the information for the second individual.