Defense Standard: Encyclopedia II - Defense Standard - Definitions of military standards specifications and handbooks

Defense Standard - Definitions of military standards specifications and handbooks

Although the official definitions differentiate between several types of documents, all of these documents go by the general rubric of "military standard", including defense specifications, handbooks, and standards. Strictly speaking, these documents serve different purposes. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), military specifications "describe the physical and/or operational characteristics of a product", while military standards "detail the processes and materials to be used to make the product." Military handbooks, on the other hand, are primarily sources of compiled information and/or guidance. The GAO acknowledges, however, that the terms are often used interchangeably.

Official definitions are provided by DOD 4120.24-M Defense Standardization Program (DSP) Policies and Procedures, March 2000, OUSD (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics):

• Defense Handbook - A guidance document containing standard procedural, technical, engineering, or design information about the materiel, processes, practices, and methods covered by the DSP.

• Defense Specification - A document that describes the essential technical requirements for purchased materiel that is military unique or substantially modified commercial items.

• Defense Standard - A document that establishes uniform engineering and technical requirements for military-unique or substantially modified commercial processes, procedures, practices, and methods. There are five types of defense standards: interface standards, design criteria standards, manufacturing process standards, standard practices, and test method standards.

• Standard - A document that establishes uniform engineering or technical criteria, methods, processes and practices.

• Specification - A document prepared to support acquisition that describes the essential technical requirement for purchased materiel and the criteria for determining whether those requirements are met.

For purposes of this article, "defense standards" will include standards, specifications and handbooks.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Definitions of military standards specifications and handbooks", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki