The Pentagon
The Pentagon just released a new revision of its arming policy, known as the Department of Defense Directive (DoDD) 5210.56, “Arming and Use of Force.” The new revisions were reportedly made to meet Congress’ inclusion of a requirement in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2016 for the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) to “…establish a process by which installation commanders may allow military members to carry weapons if deemed necessary for personal or force protection purposes.”
Section 4 of the directive allows commanders to authorize carry of personal weapons, with a host of restrictions, including compliance with local and state laws regarding concealed carry of firearms.
It remains to be seen if and when commanders will begin authorizing carry of personal firearms on military installations and where they will allow it. Most likely there will be a large variety of ways to implement the policy. For the sake of military personnel, we hope the restrictions will be lifted to the greatest extent possible.