Department of Defense
INSTRUCTION
NUMBER 5210.91
August 12, 2010
Incorporating Change 1, Effective October 15, 2013
USD(I)
SUBJECT: Polygraph and Credibility Assessment (PCA) Procedures
References: See Enclosure 1
1. PURPOSE. This Instruction:
a. Incorporates and cancels DoD 5210.48-R (Reference (a)), the Under Secretary of Defense
for Intelligence (USD(I)) Memorandum (Reference (b)), and the Deputy Under Secretary of
Defense (Counterintelligence and Security) Memorandum (Reference (c)).
b. Establishes and implements policy, assigns responsibilities, and provides procedures
governing the use of polygraph and other approved credibility assessment tools in accordance
with the guidance in DoD Directive (DoDD) 5210.48 (Reference (d)) and the authority in DoDD
5143.01 (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 within the Department of Defense (hereafter
referred to collectively as the “DoD Components”).
3. DEFINITIONS. See Glossary.
4. POLICY. It is DoD policy that:
a. Polygraph examinations be conducted pursuant to section 1564a of title 10, United States
Code (U.S.C.) (Reference (f)). Personnel who refuse to take or are unable to successfully
complete the polygraph examination may be denied access to information identified in Reference
(f).
