Is a brief statement that outlines the purpose of the SOP, which describes its function, its applicability, and its objective.
APPLICABILITY
Determines the SOP audience/distribution.
REFERENCES
Determines the regulation(s) that govern the procedure(s) performed.
RESPONSIBILITIES
A brief statement that explains personnel actions, if necessary.
PROCEDURES
The main contents of the body. Procedures are an orderly series of specific actions taken to carry out an assignment.
SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS
Any additional information needed to clarify procedures in the SOP, if necessary.
You will apply a TOP SECRET classification to an SOP in which the unauthorized disclosure of its contents could reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the nation’s national security
You will apply a SECRET classification to an SOP in which the unauthorized disclosure of its contents could reasonably be expected to cause serious damage to national security.
ConfidentialYou will apply a CONFIDENTIAL classification to an SOP in which the unauthorized disclosure of its contents could reasonably be expected to cause damage to national security.
Determine the SOP Coordination Approval Requirement
Select the Approving Authority within Your Chain of Command; Distribute the SOP for Coordination Every SOP must have the signature of the approving authority within your chain of command before it is a legal document. Normally, at the squad or platoon level, your commander or his designated respresentive will be the approving authority.
You will prepare a draft SOP based on your review of the procedure(s), the reference source(s), and required information. Once again, make sure the SOP conveys a clear message and that it answers the questions “who”, “what”, “when”, and “how”.
The next step is to submit the draft SOP for peer review and supervisory approval. Your SOP will normally be sent through squad leaders, the platoon sergeant, and platoon