Service-Level Coordinating Authority for Blast Overpressure

1.  The Marine Corps is committed to the health and
safety of all Sailors, Marines, and civilian employees.  Decades of
combat operations have demonstrated that some injuries, particularly
internal brain injuries, may not be immediately apparent.  Repeated 
exposure to certain conditions can have cumulative effects.  As the
science surrounding these exposures continues to evolve, we 
recognize a potential relationship between blast overpressure 
(BOP) exposure to low-level blasts or operation of certain weapons
systems and injury.  BOP results from exposure to events that 
release energy through multiple pathways (impulse noise, pressure 
waves, body acceleration, and vibration).  These exposures may occur
in combat operations and training environments.  
2.  Effective immediately, the Director of Risk Management 
Directorate (RMD) is the Marine Corps' BOP coordinating authority 
for the service.  This message establishes RMD as the coordinating
office for all BOP actions, both internal to the service and with
external agencies.  BOP actions include but are not limited to the
experimentation, testing, or use of BOP monitoring products, 
recording of weapons systems overpressures with service agencies, or
testing and evaluating mitigation procedures or improvised products.   
3.  RMD oversight as the coordinating authority will ensure 
transparency, foster accountability, and reinforce the Marine Corps'
commitment to mitigating risk associated with BOP exposure through 
meaningful impacts and tangible outcomes.  Implementation of a 
coordinating office is not intended to suppress any experimentation
or ongoing collaborative efforts being conducted.  It is requested 
that all Marine Corps units working on BOP initiatives, whether at
the Headquarters Marine Corps level, installations, or Fleet Marine
Force, communicate via email with the points of contact (POC) listed 
in this message. 
4.  Specific units with equities in BOP initiatives are specified in
Enterprise Task Management Software Solution,(ETMS2) task ID# 
DON-251030-8R5B.  The units specified in ETMS2 are not necessarily 
an all-inclusive list.  If there are any additional units that hold 
equity in BOP or are currently involved in any BOP related 
initiatives, please provide BOP primary and alternate POC's, as 
requested above, for those who coordinate actions internal to their 
organization.  These POC's will be requested to participate in 
service coordination working groups beginning November 2025.  
5.  This message applies to the Total Force. 
6.  Release authorized by Lieutenant General Paul J. Rock, Jr., 
Director, Marine Corps Staff.