Purpose and Scope
The purpose of the NOTAM system is to provide accurate and timely information to
military aviators and flight operations personnel on the establishment of, condition of, or
change in any aeronautical facility, service, procedure, or hazard concerning flight
operations.
NOTAM Responsibility
The DOD NOTAM system is a part of the United States Notice to Airmen System
(USNS). The U.S. Air Force provides overall management of the DOD NOTAM system
and represents the services to the FAA. The U.S. Navy coordinates with the U.S. Air
Force on the development of policies and procedures that govern the use of the
NOTAM system.
The responsibility for originating a NOTAM rests with the commanding officer who has
jurisdiction over the facility involved. This responsibility includes ensuring that NOTAM
is issued adequately and timely and that NOTAMs are promptly canceled or posted.
Providing Service
All military aerodromes must have the NOTAM service required by the Department of
Defense Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) System, OPNAVINST 3721.20.
The timeliness of NOTAM information is critical to the safety of flight operations. The
time limit for coordinating, transmitting, and posting NOTAM information is 15 minutes.
NOTE
Normally, a NOTAM should not be in the system over 90
days.
Outages
The NOTAM time guidelines for outages can be found in OPNAVINST 3721.20.
Transmitting NOTAMs concerning malfunctions of navigational aids (unscheduled
outages) may be delayed for up to 1 hour (30 minutes for RADARs) in order to allow for
rapid repair, provided the aerodrome meets the following conditions:
During daylight hours
At least 3000 foot ceiling
At least 5 statute miles visibility
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