An OPNAVINST or OPNAV Instruction is a formally documented lawful order that is issued by the

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...

. These instructions are typically used to establish

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

policy, procedures, and requirements. The instructions are issued in the form of a

memorandum A memorandum ( : memoranda; abbr: memo; from the Latin ''memorandum'', "(that) which is to be remembered") is a written message that is typically used in a professional setting. Commonly abbreviated "memo," these messages are usually brief and ...

on official Department of the Navy

letterhead A letterhead is the heading at the top of a sheet of letter paper ( stationery). It consists of a name, address, logo or trademark, and sometimes a background pattern. Overview Many companies and individuals prefer to create a letterhead templat ...

. Each instruction is referenced with an OPNAVINST directive number and a date. Typically, when a new instruction supersedes a previous instruction, a cancellation notice citing the prior OPNAVINST number is included.

References

For a list of OPNAV Instructions you can refer to th
Department of the Navy Issuances
website. This article is a generalization of hundreds of OPNAV Instructions that have been issued. For specific examples, see below:
OPNAVINST 3591.1E SMALL ARMS TRAINING AND QUALIFICATION

OPNAVINST 4790.4E SHIPS' MAINTENANCE AND MATERIAL MANAGEMENT (3-M) SYSTEM POLICY

OPNAVINST 5100.23 NAVY SAFETY AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH (SOH) PROGRAM MANUAL

Office of the Chief of Naval Operations United States Department of Defense publications {{US-navy-stub