E-Pubs

I don't know if I've posted this yet, but I thought that I'd put something out there explaining, in basic terms, how the Air Force Instructions (AFIs) work and how to find them. First of all, like most federal agencies, the armed services are governed in a top-down way, with the constitution at the top and local base or unit supplementary regulations at the bottom. The AFIs actually are near the bottom, but, because they are more in-depth and comprehensive than a statute or Department of Defense regulation or instruction, you refer to the AFIs a lot more often. Basically, the AFIs implement federal statutes and DoD-level regulations. The rules at that level often are vague and affirmatively require that further regulations be written at the service level. Thus, the AFIs often are the first place to look for the applicable rules governing a particular activity in the Air Force. Our job as JAGs can be: (1) making sure that particular activities on base comply with the AFIs; and/or (2) making sure that local rules, orders, and supplements do not conflict with the AFIs or with higher-level statutes or regulations.

AFIs can be found on the Air Force E-Pubs site here. I have it in my favorites because I use it so often. I find its search capability to be a little lacking, but I have generally been able to find what I'm looking for with a little work.