AR 638-8 — Army Casualty Program
AR 638-8 governs policies, responsibilities, tasks, and procedures for the Army Casualty Program and related casualty operations.
- Publication number: AR 638-8
- Title: ARMY CASUALTY PROGRAM
- Date: 05/15/2026
- Proponent: G-1
- Status: ACTIVE
View AR 638-8 on armypubs.army.mil
Related publications
- ARMY DIR 2020-16 (armypubs)
- ARMY DIR 2021-04 (armypubs)
- PAM 638-2
- PAM 638-8
AR 638-8 covers casualty reporting, notification, assistance, missing-person cases, bedside travel, letters, insurance, and mortuary affairs. It requires prompt reporting, trained and certified notification officers, timely family communications, and specific casualty investigations and notifications.
Topics covered
- Casualty reporting
- Casualty notification officers
- Casualty assistance
- Missing-person cases
- Bedside travel authorizations
- Letters of sympathy
- Military family insurance programs
- Army National Guard casualty processes
Questions and answers
How quickly must an initial casualty report be submitted?
Personnel from the reporting Casualty Assistance Centers (CACs) and Theater Casualty Information Centers (T CIC) will submit the initial casualty report (INIT) to CMAOD as soon as they receive key casualty information, within 12 hours from the time of the incident. (paragraph 9-8)
When can casualty information be released to the public?
Casualty information will not be released to the public until 24 hours after the Army notifies all appropriate NOK. (paragraph 1-9)
When must a commander report a Soldier as duty status-whereabouts unknown?
When a Soldiers absence is determined to be involuntary, the CDR will contact the CAC to report as DUSTWUN, but not later than 48 hours after their status is unknown. (paragraph 11-1)
When must a letter of sympathy be sent to the next of kin and parents?
Supervisors or CDRs will write a letter of sympathy to the PNOK and parents who are SNOK, within 7 days after the time of death. (paragraph 2)