Altor guide · 2026-09-05

AFMAN 24-604 in plain language: prepping hazmat for military air

The IATA declaration is complete. The packing instruction matches last week's commercial booking. The drums are closed. Then the freight is entered into the Defense Transportation System, and the inspector at the military air terminal is not reading IATA DGR Section 4.2.

That is the AFMAN problem. Military air is a different book. Writing AMC on the airway bill does not convert a commercial template into a military certification.

What the regulation actually requires

AFMAN 24-604, dated 6 June 2025, is Preparing Hazardous Materials for Military Air Shipments. It is a joint service manual. It applies to Department of Defense personnel, including contractors, who move regulated hazardous materials on military aircraft, and on commercial aircraft operating under DOT-SP 7573 or DOT-SP 9232 inside the Defense Transportation System. Paragraph 1.1.1 ties that movement to DTR 4500.9-R. DAFMAN 24-210 states that when the mode is military air, AFMAN 24-604 shall be followed.

The list for that movement is Table A4.1, not the IATA DGR List of Dangerous Goods in Section 4.2. Column 8 is a packaging paragraph. Column 7 is a passenger eligibility code, P5, P4, or P1, not a packing instruction number.

A worked example from both books. On commercial air, the current ICAO TI Table 3-1 extract for UN 1090 Acetone, Class 3, packing group II, is packing instruction 353 at 5 L per package on passenger aircraft, and packing instruction 364 at 60 L on cargo aircraft.

The same UN number in AFMAN 24-604 Table A4.1 is Acetone, Class 3, packing group II, special provision P5, packaging paragraph A7.2. Attachment 17, Table A17.1, Key 17 is the packaging instruction block. When the certification reference is this manual, that entry is A7.2. It is not 353.

Paragraph 1.1.2 and A17.1.2 allow certification to the ICAO Technical Instructions, the IATA DGR, or 49 CFR only under the conditions in A17.1.2: comply with the chosen document in full, use a standard commercial Shipper's Declaration, assign P5 for passenger and cargo aircraft, and assign P4 for cargo aircraft only. A17.1 still requires a shipper's certification for military air shipments of hazardous materials unless the manual exempts that movement.

The person who signs inspects the item. A17.1.1.1 requires an individual qualified under Attachment 25, paragraph A25.3, to inspect the hazardous materials before completing the form. Table A17.1 Key 22 requires the official who signs to personally inspect the item being certified.

Training sits in Attachment 25. Paragraph A25.5 puts DoD hazardous materials personnel on initial and refresher training every 24 months. Paragraph A25.8 covers non-DoD personnel. They must still prepare the shipment according to this manual. They may meet training under 49 CFR Part 172 Subpart H, the IATA DGR, or the ICAO Technical Instructions. An IATA course does not rewrite Table A4.1 Column 8.

AMC contract commercial cargo is not an exit from the manual. Paragraph 1.19 and Attachment 23 point at DOT-SP 7573 and DOT-SP 9232 for AMC contracted commercial cargo airlift. Attachment 23, paragraph A23.4, is the other split. When hazardous materials move as cargo on commercial passenger aircraft contracted to AMC, other than a national emergency, prepare them according to 49 CFR Parts 100 to 199.

The air terminal will inspect. DAFI 24-605V2, paragraph 3.39.2, requires a 100 percent exterior inspection of originating hazardous materials shipments and their documents against AFMAN 24-604. Compatibility is Attachment 18.

The mistake people make

Desks treat AFMAN 24-604 as IATA with a military cover.

They copy packing instruction 353 onto a Shipper's Declaration that is being certified to this manual. Key 17 is then wrong before anyone looks at quantity. They keep the 9 October 2020 edition on the shelf after the 6 June 2025 rewrite. They treat a 49 CFR certificate that is still inside three years as authority to certify military air.

The signer never sees the box. A photo of last week's identical SKU is treated as the inspection A17.1.1.1 and Key 22 require. Compatibility is read from the commercial air table instead of Attachment 18. An AMC contract passenger booking keeps an AFMAN cargo aircraft only exception. A commercial IATA booking picks up an AFMAN packaging paragraph that the operator will not grade.

Section 14 of the SDS is used as Table A4.1. It is not. 49 CFR 173.22 still places classification on the offeror. The inspector is working from the current manual, not from the edition the template was built under.

How to fix it

Lock the lift type before anyone writes a packing instruction.

If the movement is organic military air, or commercial aircraft under DOT-SP 7573 or DOT-SP 9232 inside the DTS, open the current AFMAN 24-604 dated 6 June 2025. Identify the material in Table A4.1. Read Column 7 for passenger eligibility and Column 8 for the packaging paragraph. Package to that paragraph and to Attachment 3. Complete the Shipper's Declaration to Attachment 17. Run compatibility against Attachment 18. Confirm the certifier is qualified under Attachment 25 and has inspected the item.

For UN 1090 packing group II certified to this manual, Key 17 is A7.2. If you are instead certifying to the IATA DGR under A17.1.2, Key 17 is the IATA packing instruction, and you have to meet that document in full, including packing instruction 353 at 5 L on passenger aircraft or packing instruction 364 at 60 L on cargo aircraft from the current list.

If the movement is commercial passenger aircraft contracted to AMC, and it is not a national emergency, A23.4 sends you to 49 CFR Parts 100 to 199. Do not carry an AFMAN exception onto that paper. Do not sign from the office if you have not seen the package. Rebuild the template from the current Table A4.1.

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