Department of Defense
INSTRUCTION
NUMBER 4540.01
June 2, 2015
Incorporating Change 1, May 22, 2017
USD(P)
SUBJECT: Use of International Airspace by U.S. Military Aircraft and for Missile and
Projectile Firings
References: See Enclosure 1
1. PURPOSE. In accordance with the authority in DoD Directive (DoDD) 5111.1 (Reference
(a)) and the Deputy Secretary of Defense Memorandum (Reference (b)), this instruction:
a. Reissues DoD Instruction (DoDI) 4540.01 (Reference (c)) to establish policy and assign
responsibilities governing U.S. military aircraft operations and missile and projectile firing
activities in international airspace.
b. Identifies procedures for U.S. military aircraft operations and missile and projectile firing
activities in international airspace consistent with the Convention on International Civil Aviation
(Reference (d)) and the applicable navigational provisions as reflected in the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea (Reference (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 in the DoD (referred to collectively in this
instruction as the “DoD Components”).
3. POLICY. It is DoD policy that:
a. DoD will continue to support and observe principles of established international law,
including those portions of Reference (d) that apply to State aircraft and customary international
law reflected in Reference (e). Such principles of international law include:
(1) No State has sovereignty over international airspace.
