https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/r1_9.pdf
Army Regulation 1–9
Administration
White House
Liaison and
Communications
Headquarters
Department of the Army
Washington, DC
28 May 2014
UNCLASSIFIED
SUMMARY of CHANGE
AR 1–9
White House Liaison and Communications
This major revision, dated 28 May 2014--
o Updates procedures for processing and responding to White House
communications (para 5).
o Incorporates Army Directive 2012-27, Invitations to the President of the
United States, the Vice President of the United States or their Spouses (para
6).
Headquarters
Department of the Army
Washington, DC
28 May 2014
Administration
White House Liaison and Communications
*Army Regulation 1–9
Effective 28 June 2014
H i s t o r y . T h i s p u b l i c a t i o n i s a m a j o r
revision.
Summary. This regulation includes up-
dated policy for processing and respond-
ing to White House communications.
Applicability. This regulation applies to
the Active Ar m y , t h e A r m y N a t i o n a l
Guard/Army National Guard of the United
States, and the U.S. Army Reserve, unless
otherwise stated
Proponent and exception authority.
The proponent of this regulation is the
Director of the Army Staff. The proponent
has the authority to approve exceptions or
waivers to this regulation that are consis-
tent with controlling law and regulations.
The proponent may delegate this approval
authority, in writing, to a division chief
within the proponent agency or its direct
reporting unit or field operating agency in
the grade of colonel or the civilian equiv-
alent. Activities may request a waiver to
this regulation by providing justification
that includes a full analysis of the ex-
pected benefits and must include formal
review by the activity’s senior legal offi-
cer. All waiver requests will be endorsed
by the commander or senior leader of the
requesting activity and forwarded through
their higher headquarters to the policy
proponent. Refer to AR 25–30 for specific
guidance.
Army internal control process. This
regulation contains internal control provi-
sions in accordance with AR 11–2 and
identifies key internal controls that must
be evaluated (see appendix B).
Supplementation. Supplementation of
this regulation and establishment of com-
mand and local forms are prohibited with-
out prior approval from the Director of
the Army Staff (Director, Executive Com-
munications and Control, (White House
Liaison Office)), 200 Army Pentagon,
Washington, DC 20310–0200.
Suggested improvements. Users are
invited to send comments and suggested
improvements on DA Form 2028 (Recom-
m e n d e d C h a n g e s t o P u b l i c a t i o n s a n d
Blank Forms) directly to the Director of
the Army Staff (Director, Executive Com-
munications and Control, (White House
Liaison Office)), 200 Army Pentagon,
Washington, DC 20310–0200.
Committee management. Distribu-
tion. This publication is available in elec-
tronic media only and is intended for
command levels D for the Active Army,
the Army National Guard/Army National
Guard of the United States, and the U.S.
Army Reserve.
Contents (Listed by paragraph and page number)
Purpose • 1, page 1
References • 2, page 1
Explanation of abbreviations and terms • 3, page 1
Responsibilities • 4, page 1
Communications concept • 5, page 1
Invitations to the President, Vice President, or their Spouses • 6, page 2
Final response • 7, page 3
Administrative control • 8, page 3
Appendixes
A. References, page 4
B. Internal Control Evaluation, page 4
Glossary
*This regulation supersedes AD 2012–27, dated 21 December 2012 and AR 1–9, dated 19 January 1999.
AR 1–9 • 28 May 2014 i
UNCLASSIFIED
1. Purpose
This regulation prescribes responsibilities for and provides guidance on liaison with the White House, and processing
and reporting actions on White House communications.
2. References
Required and related publications and referenced forms are listed in appendix A.
3. Explanation of abbreviations and terms
Abbreviations and special terms used in this regulation are explained in the glossary.
4. Responsibilities
a. The Secretary of the Army (SA) is the final approving authority for all invitation requests to the President of the
United States (POTUS), Vice President of the United States (VPOTUS) and/or their spouses to participate in
Department of Defense (DOD)-related or significant Army events.
b. The Director of the Army Staff (DAS) will ensure the Director, Executive Communication and Control (ECC),
White House Liaison Office (WHLO) is responsible for liaison and communications duties with the White House
Military Office (WHMO).
c. The Director, ECC WHLO manages liaison and communications between Headquarters, Department of the Army
(HQDA) and the White House through the Executive Secretary to the Department of Defense on all matters except the
following:
(1) Matters pertaining to processing legislation, which are the responsibility of the Chief of Legislative Liaison and
the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller).
(2) Matters processed through the Office of the Secretary of the Army (OSA), the Joint Staff, and the Office of the
Secretary of Defense (OSD).
d. HQDA Principal Officials will —
(1) Coordinate all communications to the White House with the Director, ECC WHLO.
(2) Inform the Director, ECC WHLO promptly of written requests received directly from the White House prior to
taking any action.
(3) Handle with discretion all direct communications between White House and HQDA staff. The following will
apply:
(a) Recommend that direct requests from the White House be brought to the attention of the Director, ECC WHMO
for forwarding to OSD.
(b) Note the details of the request and inform the caller that a response will be forthcoming.
(c) Notify the Director, ECC WHLO promptly of the request prior to taking any action. ECC WHLO will check the
validity of the request and obtain guidance from OSD before responding to the call.
5. Communications concept
a. Communications addressed to the POTUS, VPOTUS, their spouses, and White House staff officials from citizens
are sufficiently important to warrant an acknowledgement of receipt of the inquiry and an estimated timeframe to
expect a final reply from an agency of the Federal Government. In keeping with White House guidance/instructions,
OSD has stringent response requirements, and each requirement has an OSD imposed suspense.
b. White House communications are received by ECC WHLO directly from OSD. ECC WHLO will assign a
suspense date ranging from one to 10 working days, depending on the urgency of the request. White House
communications are then forwarded to the appropriate Army staff element by ECC WHLO for specific action.
c. White House communications are received at HQDA as either "Referrals," or "White House Bulk Referrals," and
are described below:
(1) "Referrals" consist of correspondence from the POTUS, VPOTUS, Assistant to the President for National
Security Affairs, and other senior White House staff that are addressed to the Secretary of Defense. Other types of
referrals may include correspondence from members of Congress, corporate officials, organization leaders, and other
prominent individuals addressed to the POTUS or VPOTUS. These types of referrals are forwarded from WHMO to
Washington Headquarters Services, Executive Services Division, Correspondence Management Directorate, via a
tasking sheet that indicates what type of action is desired along with instructions. This correspondence will be
processed expeditiously and will receive a suspense of 5 working days. Additional guidance will be provided upon
request.
(2) "White House Bulk Referrals" are all other routine correspondence from private citizens addressed to the
POTUS, VPOTUS, or White House and forwarded to the Washington Headquarters Services, Executive Services
Division, for a direct response and will receive a suspense of 10 working days. Some bulk referrals may receive a
Health and Welfare or “Red Dot” classification, which will receive a suspense of 5 working days. If this type of
referral concerns threats or thoughts of suicide and threats to harm others, the Soldier’s chain of command will
1AR 1–9 • 28 May 2014
immediately initiate a health and welfare check of the person(s) in question within 24 hours. Additional instructions for
responding will accompany each referral.
(3) White House “Health and Welfare” or “Red Dot” action processing procedures (Threat-to-Life/Suicide). Re-
sponses to inquiries pertaining to a threat-to-life, potential suicide, or health and welfare related concerns will be
addressed as follows:
(a) ECC WHLO will immediately notify the Soldier’s chain of command so action can be taken to ensure the safety
of Soldiers, Families, and others. ECC WHLO will notify the Soldier’s unit command by telephone, followed by e-
mail, upon receipt of notification.
(b) “Health and Welfare” requests sent by the White House will have a 24-hour initial response time. A full and
complete response on the Soldier’s status may not be immediately available. Responsible chain of command personnel
will provide ECC WHLO with a comprehensive response that the chain of command has been notified and explain the
steps that have been taken to ensure the safety of all concerned (that is, Soldier, Family members, and others). If
applicable, provide notification that all concerned have been moved to a safe location or to the nearest medical
treatment facility. The responsible chain of command personnel will provide a final reply within 5 working days after
the initial status report, which addresses the Soldier’s general health status and any additional actions taken.
(4) The agencies tasked will acknowledge all White House communications that are referred to the Department of
the Army for a direct reply to the inquiry writer to ECC WHLO within 24 hours from the date of assignment. To
comply with the suspense, action agencies have the following options:
(a) Provide a final reply not later than 12:00 p.m. (Eastern Time Zone) of the suspense date.
(b) Provide an interim reply to the inquiry writer within 2 working days prior to the suspense date if the suspense
date cannot be met. The interim reply should contain information currently available and will establish an estimated
date of completion within 30 days. Maximum effort should be made to provide a final reply to the inquiry writer
within the new suspense date. Subsequent interim replies are required every 30 days until a final reply is provided.
(c) If a determination is made that a reply on behalf of the POTUS would be inappropriate, inform ECC WHLO in
writing as to why a reply is not considered appropriate, and return the case to ECC WHLO. An example of such a case
would involve a repetitive inquiry writer who has been given a final response or whose initial letter has been
previously answered.
d. Only the signature authorities listed below are authorized to authenticate replies to White House communications
that are referred to the Department of the Army for action. Carefully screen White House communications to ensure
that the signature level selected is appropriate.
(1) Replies to federal, state, or local officials should be prepared for the signature of a general officer or a member
of the senior executive service.
(2) Replies to prominent individuals or private citizens on routine matters may be signed by a general officer/senior
executive service member, a colonel or civilian equivalent, or delegated to a lieutenant colonel/civilian equivalent
serving in a leadership position.
e. All replies to White House communications, signed by other than the addressee, will include an appropriate
opening statement as shown below.
(1) Thank you for your letter to ... (POTUS)... regarding...
(2) This is in response to your letter to ... (POTUS) ... regarding...
f. When individuals specifically request that their communication be answered by the POTUS, the following
paragraph will be used after the opening statement: "As much as he (or she) would like to, the President cannot reply
personally to every communication he (or she) receives. Therefore, he (or she) has asked the departments and agencies
of the federal government to reply on his (or her) behalf in those instances where they have special knowledge or
special authority under the law. For this reason, your communication has been forwarded to officials of the Department
of the Army." Agencies may use their discretion in revising this paragraph.
g. In general, the public is not familiar with the complexities of military organizations; therefore, it is important that
replies are straightforward and clearly responsive to the inquiry. Avoid use of acronyms and other language that only
personnel affiliated with the Army would understand.
h. Unless otherwise directed, copies of all written communications initiated by an Army agency for the White House
will be forwarded by memorandum addressed through DAS (ECC WHLO) to the Executive Secretary to the Depart-
ment of Defense. This memorandum will be signed by an authorized official as prescribed in paragraph 5d.
i. A primary mission of ECC WHLO is to assist action agencies in providing appropriate, timely replies to White
House communications. Accordingly, action officers are authorized and encouraged to have direct contact with ECC
WHLO.
6. Invitations to the President, Vice President, or their Spouses
a. Invitations to the POTUS, VPOTUS, or their spouses to participate in DOD-related or significant Army events
will be forwarded by memorandum through the requesting organization’s higher headquarters to the ECC WHLO, 200
Army Pentagon, Washington, DC 20310–0200 to be routed to the SA. Upon approval by the SA, the request will be
forwarded through DOD for further processing and endorsement.
2 AR 1–9 • 28 May 2014
(1) If the invitation to the White House involves a DOD-wide event, more than one Service (to include football
games between Service academies), or is combined with another federal agency (for example, Department of Veterans
Affairs), the request to sign the memorandum or letter extending the invitation to the POTUS or VPOTUS will be
forwarded to the Secretary of Defense for signature.
(2) Invitations must be submitted early enough to accommodate appropriate staffing through the Army senior
leadership and DOD (at least 20–30 days). ECC WHMO requires at least 60–90 days in advance of the event date to
allow time for calendar consideration and appropriate response.
b. The following statement will be used in responding to individuals or organizations extending an invitation for the
POTUS to make a personal appearance: "The President sincerely appreciates your gracious invitation to...however, his
(or her) schedule will not permit it at this particular time." It may be appropriate for the reply to include greetings or
good wishes on behalf of the POTUS in the instance of a special observance (for example, anniversary celebrations for
specific Army units/organizations or recognition for an individual upon retirement).
7. Final response
If an HQDA agency has responded to numerous White House inquiries by an individual, that agency may initiate a
draft terminal response. A cover memorandum, giving the history of previous correspondence and attaching the draft
response, will be addressed through WHMO to the Executive Secretary to the Department of Defense. After the
Executive Secretary to the Department of Defense approves the draft response, the responsible HQDA Principal
Official will prepare and dispatch the final response.
8. Administrative control
ECC WHLO will assign action on all White House correspondence. A tasking control sheet (HQDA Tracking System)
will be used to task the HQDA Principal Official. The sheet will include the pre-imposed OSD suspense, type of action
to be taken, and instructions for processing. If the action agency determines that a White House communication should
be transferred to another HQDA Principal Official, DOD agency, or any other agency outside of the Army’s
jurisdiction, the action office must coordinate with the appropriate HQDA Principal Official and ECC WHLO. The
case will then be returned to the OSD Correspondence Management Directorate for appropriate tasking and/or transfer
(via SD Form 391, Secretary of Defense Correspondence Action Report).
a. Suspense date. Pre-imposed OSD suspense dates on “Red Dot” actions cannot be extended. All interim replies to
the inquiry writer will establish an estimated completion date. The estimated completion date will be not later than 30
days from the date of the interim reply, unless otherwise stated in the closing paragraph.
b. Type of action. Army agencies will take action as indicated on the tasking control sheet ("Action" in appropriate
block under “Role” or as indicated in the “Remarks” section).
c. Processing. The tasking control sheet must be returned to WHLO with appropriate copies and all original
correspondence.
3AR 1–9 • 28 May 2014
Appendix A
References
Section I
Required Publications
This section contains no entries.
Section II
Related Publications
A related publication is merely a source of additional information. The user does not have to read it to understand this
publication. Unless otherwise stated, all publications are available at http://www.adp.army.mil/.
AR 11–2
Managers’ Internal Control Program
AR 25–30
The Army Publishing Program
AR 25–50
Preparing and Managing Correspondence
DA Memo 25–52
Staff Action Process and Correspondence Policies
DOD 5110.04–M–V1
DOD Manual for Written Material: Correspondence Management (available at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/
corres/pdf/511004m_v1.pdf.)
DOD 5110.04–M–V2
DOD Manual for Written Material: Examples and Reference Material (available at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/
corres/pdf/511004m_v2.pdf.)
Section III
Prescribed Forms
This section contains no entries.
Section IV
Referenced Forms
Unless otherwise indicated, DA forms are available on the Army Publishing Directorate (APD) Web site (http://www.
apd.army.mil); DD forms are available on the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Web site (http://www.dtic.mil/
whs/directives/infomgt/forms/index.htm).
DA Form 11–2
Internal Control Evaluation Certification
DA Form 2028
Recommended Changes to Publications and Blank Forms
SD Form 391
Secretary of Defense Correspondence Action Report
Appendix B
Internal Control Evaluation
B–1. Function
The function covered by this evaluation is Army correspondence received from the White House.
4 AR 1–9 • 28 May 2014
B–2. Purpose
The purpose of this evaluation is to assist users of AR 1–9 in evaluating the key internal controls listed. It is not
intended to cover all controls.
B–3. Instructions
Answers must be based on the actual testing of key internal controls (for example, document analysis direct observa-
tion, sampling, and simulation). Answers that indicate deficiencies must be explained and the corrective action
identified in supporting documentation. These internal controls must be evaluated at least once every 5 years.
Certification that the evaluation has been conducted must be accomplished on DA Form 11–2 (Internal Control
Evaluation Certification).
B–4. Test questions
a. Are correspondence actions properly routed to the appropriate addressees expected to exercise control or take
action?
b. Is Army writing effective and free of errors in substance, organization, style, and correctness?
c. Have all Army invitations to the POTUS, VPOTUS, or their spouses been routed through the SA?
B–5. Supersession
Not applicable.
B–6. Comments
Help make this a better tool for evaluating internal controls. Submit comments to the Department of the Army, DAS,
ECC, (White House Liaison Office), 200 Army Pentagon, Washington, DC 20310–0200.
5AR 1–9 • 28 May 2014
Glossary
Section I
Abbreviations
DAS
Director of the Army Staff
DOD
Department of Defense
ECC
Executive Communication and Control
HQDA
Headquarters, Department of the Army
OSD
Office of the Secretary of Defense
POTUS
President of the United States
SA
Secretary of the Army
VPOTUS
Vice President of the United States
WHLO
White House Liaison Office
WHMO
White House Military Office
Section II
Terms
This section contains no entries.
Section III
Special Abbreviations and Terms
This section contains no entries.
6 AR 1–9 • 28 May 2014
UNCLASSIFIED PIN 077120–000
