Department of Defense
INSTRUCTION
NUMBER 1005.15
August 6, 2013
DA&M
SUBJECT: DoD Civilian Flags
References: See Enclosure 1
1. PURPOSE. In accordance with the authority in DoD Directive 5105.53 (Reference (a)), this
instruction:
a. Establishes policy and assigns responsibilities for the design, use, and modification of
positional, Senior Executive Service (SES), and Military Department-specific SES flags (referred
to collectively in this instruction as “DoD civilian flags”).
b. Incorporates and cancels Director of Administration and Management (DA&M)
Memorandums (References (b), (c), (d), and (e)).
2. APPLICABILITY. This instruction 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 DoD (referred to in this
instruction as the “DoD Components”).
3. POLICY. It is DoD policy that:
a. DoD civilian flags:
(1) Will be displayed only in the office of the official to whom the flag is issued or at
official ceremonies when the official participates or serves as host. Use of DoD civilian flags by
individuals not approved in accordance with this instruction is prohibited.
(2) Are purchased with federal funds and, as such, are the property of the U.S.
Government and should be accounted for on DoD Component property records. Retention of
positional flags by officials when departing a position is prohibited. However, consistent with
federal and agency statutes and regulations, replica flags may be awarded to departing officials.
