Publications modified by an active Guidance Memorandum

All 163 publications, newest GM first

Standalone Guidance Memorandums in the catalog (11)

These records are the memorandums themselves — issued as their own catalog entries rather than attached to a base publication's row.

What a Guidance Memorandum actually changes

A GM changes what complies the day it is signed, but the edition date never moves — so a publication can read “current, 2020-09-01” while the pages that bind you today were added this year. The widest gap in the table right now is AFI 61-102: last edition 2012-11-16, memorandum signed 2026-02-20 — 13 years of change riding in front of a document whose own date looks settled.

That is the trap this page exists for. The official PDF carries the memorandum at the front, so a copy saved or printed before the GM date is missing it entirely and gives no sign that it is. If a publication you rely on appears in the table above, re-download it before you cite it — and check the memorandum's own expiry line rather than assuming the one-year mark.

A GM is not a sign the publication is out of date: every row here is a current publication. The memorandum rides in front of it until the next full rewrite incorporates the changes, at which point the GM is void and the new edition stands on its own.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a Guidance Memorandum stay in force?

Under Department of the Air Force publishing doctrine the normal window is one year from signature, or until the changes are incorporated into a rewrite, whichever comes first. Each memorandum carries its own expiry line, so the one-year mark in the table is the normal window and never this memo's verdict — 4 of the 163 rows are already past it and are flagged in the table, which usually means incorporation or an extension you can only confirm on the official PDF.

Why is my Army, Navy or Marine Corps publication not listed?

Because no other service publishes the linkage. GM data comes from the Air Force e-Publishing catalog, the only service catalog that carries a GM field — so a publication from another branch being absent from this table says nothing at all about whether a memorandum modifies it. Check that branch's own portal.

What are the standalone entries?

11 records in the catalog are numbered as memorandums themselves — issued as their own entries rather than attached to a base publication's row. They are listed separately above so that “publications modified by a GM” is not double-counted.

How do I find the memorandum for one specific publication?

Search the number in the box at the top of this page, or go straight to its publication page: each one shows the GM date alongside the edition date, the version history, and the official download. You can also watch a publication and be told when its catalog record changes.

How current is this list?

It is rebuilt from the official catalog every week — most recently 2026-10-05. The weekly changelog records every publication added, changed or removed in each pass.