View all text of Part 705 [§ 705.1 - § 705.37]

§ 705.22 - Relations with community groups.

(a) Naval commands will cooperate with and assist community groups within their capabilities, to the event authorized by current instructions, and will participate in their activitis to the extent feasible.

(b) Navy commands will encourage membership of personnel in community organizations.

(c) Officers in command will withhold approval of requests from community groups, organizations or individuals whose purposes are unclear, pending advice from the Chief of Information.

(d) Commands may make facilities, less housing and messing, available to community groups, at no expense to the government, when it is in the best interest of the Navy to do so. Mess facilities may not be used for meetings of civic groups or other asociations unless all the members of the group concerned are authorized participants of the mess as prescribed in NAVPERS 15951, except as provided below:

(1) Requests to make open mess facilities available to professional or technical seminars or civic groups meeting in connection with an official visit to the activity may be submitted to the officer in charge of the mess, or other appropriate authority. Such requests may be approved when it is shown that the inspection of the activity or the holding of a professional seminar is of principal importance and the use of mess facilities is incidental thereto.

(2) Because of the exceptional nature of the Navy League, as recognized by the Secretary of the Navy, open mess facilities may be used for luncheon or dinner meetings of Navy League Councils, but not more often than once per quarter per group.

(e) Relations with Industry and Labor in the Community (refer to SECNAVINST 5370.2F and DOD Directive 5500.7):

(1) Relations with Navy contractors and with industry and business in general are the responsibility of the officer in command, with the assistance of his public affairs officer.

(2) Navy commands will cooperate with industry and its representatives in planning and executing community relations projects of mutual interest.

(i) Visits to commands will be scheduled for industrial and employee groups under the same conditions as for other civilian groups.

(ii) A contractor may be identified in a news release, exhibit, or the like whenever the major responsibility for the product can be clearly and fairly credited to him. In such cases, both the manufacturer's name for the product and the Navy designation of it will be used.

(iii) Commands will not solicit, nor authorize others to solicit, contractors to provide advertising, contributions, donations, subscriptions, etc. Where there is a legitimate need for industrial promotion items, such as scale models, the command will contact the Chief of Information for advice as to the procedure for requesting procurement.

(iv) Similarly, if Defense contractors wish to distribute information material through official Navy channels, the Office of Information will be queried as to the desirability and feasibility of undertaking the desired distribution.

(v) Visits to contractor facilities are governed by the provisions of DOD Manual 5520.22–M (Industrial Security Manual for Safeguarding Classified Information). If nationally known press representatives will be involved, prior approval must be obtained both from the contractor (via the Chief of Information) and from the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs).

(3) Commands will maintain the same relationship with labor unions as with other community groups and will not take action in connection with labor disputes. Personnel inadvertently or incidentally involved in labor disputes will consult officers in command for guidance.

(f) Emergency Assistance to the Community:

(1) Navy commands will offer and provide assistance to adjacent communities in the event of disaster or other emergency.

(2) The Chief of Information will be advised immediately of action when taken, and copies of subsequent reports to the Chief of Naval Operations will be forwarded to the Chief of Information.

(3) Navy commands will participate in planning by local Civil Defense officials.

[41 FR 29101, July 15, 1976, as amended at 44 FR 6391, Feb. 1, 1979]