AUTODIN system. This ECP is identified by the
precedence prosign Y and is limited to designated
emergency action command and control messages.
MESSAGE USER RESPONSIBILITIES
A message user is any individual authorized to
draft, release, and/or process electronically transmitted
messages. There are certain responsibilities associated
with the origination of a message.
These
responsibilities are separate and distinct and concern the
following parties:
Originator;
Drafter; and
Releaser.
Occasionally, the responsibilities may overlap,
especially if one person is serving a dual capacity. For
example, communications officers may occasionally
draft and release messages, thus making them both
drafters and releasers.
ORIGINATOR
The originator is the authority (command or
activity) in whose name the message is sent. The
originator is presumed to be the commanding officer of
the command or activity. Most often, the originator and
the releaser are one and the same.
In some cases, the drafter, releaser, and originator
are all the same person. For example, if the
commanding officer drafts a message for transmission,
he or she is the drafter as well as the releasing authority
for the activity in whose name the message is sent.
DRAFTER
The drafter is the person who actually composes the
message. In accordance with NTP 3, the drafter is
responsible for:
a
e
l
l
l
l
Proper addressing and using plain language
address (PLA) designators correctly;
Clear, concise composition;
Selecting the precedence;
Ensuring the proper format;
Assigning the proper classification; and
Ensuring the application of proper downgrading
and declassification instructions to classified
messages, except those containing Restricted
Data or Formerly Restricted Data.
RELEASER
The releaser is a properly designated individual
authorized to release messages for transmission in the
name of the command or activity. The releasing
individual ensures that the drafter has complied with the
requirements contained in NTP 3. In addition to
validating the contents of the message, the signature of
the releaser affirms compliance with message-drafting
instructions. The signature of the releaser authorizes
the message for transmission.
After a message has been properly released, it is
delivered to the telecommunications center (TCC) for
transmission. The DTG is normally assigned here.
Proper transmission, receipting, and filing procedures
are done by the communications personnel.
An important point that you should remember
about the DTG is that it is assigned for identification
and file purposes only. It is not used to compute
message processing time.
MESSAGE READDRESSALS
If you receive or send a message and later determine
that another activity may need to act on or know about
the information in the message, you can readdress the
original message to that activity. If you receive a copy
of a message as an “information addressee,” you can
only readdress the original for information purposes.
Use a short form or long form, depending on how
long ago the original message was sent. For both the
short form and long form, you must:
Fully identify the message you are readdressing.
Enter the new addressee(s).
Enter the original message originator.
Include the original date-time group.
Use the Process Sequence Number (PSN), if
contained in the original message.
If the original message was sent within the last 60
days, use the short form to readdress it. Messages are
held in the message center file for up to 60 days. On
the short form, enter the from, to, and information
addressees in the fields provided. Send the short form
to the message center where it will be combined with
the text of the original and then sent.
2-22
