At a minimum, all material proposed for release to the public will undergo policy and security review at the staff agency level. Material will not fail policy review solely because its release might reveal administrative error, inefficiency or cause embarrassment. A writer submitting material for policy review will first ensure that it does not contain information known by the originator to be classified, in error or in conflict with established policy. Normally, final policy clearance authority is the head of the staff agency, except as noted in para 4. below. 

Information proposed for publication or public release that concerns or affects the plans, policies, programs or operations of DoD or the U.S. Government, and that is prepared by DoD personnel either in an official or private capacity, shall be submitted to the Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (OATSD(PA)) for security review and clearance. Within the Marine Corps, such material should be submitted through CMC(PAM).