Course Highlights
This AR 25-50 writing course will:
- Establish what AR 25-50 requires, why it matters, and how to navigate it efficiently when questions arise.
- Cover the Army writing style requirements, including the Plain Language Act of 2010, and translate them into specific, practical writing habits.
- Walk participants through the heading, body, and closing of both memorandums and letters, with attention to how the rules differ between the two.
- Distinguish among the full range of memorandum types and clarify when each is appropriate.
- Address the rules for enclosures, distribution, authority lines, signature blocks, and document labeling.
- Prepare participants to craft correspondence on behalf of someone else and apply the correct authority line and signature block.
- Give participants guided practice drafting and formatting compliant correspondence using realistic scenarios drawn from actual Army situations.
Program Overview
Every piece of official Army correspondence carries the weight of the regulation behind it. AR 25-50 governs not just how documents look but how the Army organizes, routes, authorizes, and signs them. When personnel do not know the regulation well, correspondence comes back for rework, routing errors multiply, and personnel misapply signature authority. This in-person instructor-led course addresses all of it directly.
The course opens with a grounding in what AR 25-50 is, what it accomplishes, and how to locate answers in it quickly. Participants will examine the Army writing style in its full context, including its relationship to the Plain Language Act of 2010, and will work through the specific habits that define compliant Army correspondence: bottom-line-up-front construction, active voice, short sentences, decisive language, and proper paragraph structure.
From there, the course moves through the three parts of formal correspondence in order. The course gives dedicated attention to the heading, the body, and the closing, with particular focus on the rules that differ between memorandums and letters. Participants will examine the full range of memorandum types covered in the regulation, from standard memorandums and memorandums thru to memorandums for record, memorandums of understanding and agreement, and decision memorandums. The course gives letters the same treatment, including when the situation calls for a letter instead of a memo, how letters are formatted differently, and the specific rules governing salutations, complimentary closings, and courtesy copies.
The course closes with the mechanics that complete a document package, including enclosures, tabbing, distribution lists, authority lines, and signature blocks, as well as a review of the appendices participants will return to again and again. Throughout the course, attendees will work directly with AR 25-50, building the habit of consulting the regulation rather than relying on institutional memory.
The following outline highlights some of the course’s learning points. As part of your training program, we will modify content as needed to meet your business objectives. Upon request, we will provide you with a copy of the participant materials prior to the session(s).
Program Objectives
At this program’s conclusion, participants should be able to:
- Explain the goals of AR 25-50 and why they matter.
- Conform to the general writing style defined by AR 25-50 and the Plain Language Act.
- Locate sections in AR 25-50 and apply them.
- Choose the right document type for the right situation (memorandum, letter, etc.).
- Distinguish among different kinds of memorandums and letters.
- Identify, create, and correctly format the three parts of formal correspondence (heading, body, and closing).
- Plan, reference, and format enclosures and distribution lists.
- Route memorandums and letters correctly (TO vs. THRU).
- Label and mark documents according to the AR 25-50 standard.
- Use the appendices of AR 25-50 to spell, punctuate, and capitalize writing.
Course Modules
Now It Begins: An Introduction to AR 25-50
The course opens by establishing what AR 25-50 is, what it accomplishes, and who it applies to. Participants will survey the regulation’s chapter structure, identify the appendices they will rely on most frequently, and work through the opening requirements of Chapter 1, including the guidance on when to write at all and what to consider before drafting begins.
Write by the Book: The Army Writing Style
With the regulation’s structure in view, the course turns to the writing standard it requires. This discussion examines what the Army writing style means in specific, practical terms: bottom-line-up-front construction, sentence length, word choice, active voice, paragraph limits, decisive language, and the correct use of first and second person. Participants will also work through the formatting requirements that apply across all correspondence types, including margins, font, page numbering, and routing procedures, alongside the specific rules that govern abbreviations in memos versus letters.
Top of the Block: Crafting the Heading
The heading is the first third of any memo or letter, and its requirements differ meaningfully between the two document types. This discussion covers every element of a compliant memo heading, including the office symbol, date, suspense date, MEMORANDUM FOR or MEMORANDUM THRU line, and subject. Participants will then work through the heading structure for letters, including date, optional subject line, address formatting, and salutation selection using Appendix C. The group will draft both a memo heading and a letter heading using realistic scenarios.
Body Building: Writing the Substance
The body is where most correspondence succeeds or fails. This discussion focuses on two foundational moves: writing a strong bottom-line sentence that leads the document, and using that sentence to build a logical paragraph structure. Participants will practice drafting bottom-line sentences across a set of realistic Army scenarios and will use those sentences to outline complete bodies, with particular attention to paragraph organization and the required placement of point-of-contact information in the final paragraph.
Closing Time: Finishing Strong
The closing of a memo and the closing of a letter follow different rules, and the details matter. This part of the course covers the up-to-five-part memo closing, including authority lines, signature blocks, enclosures, distribution, and copies furnished, as well as the letter closing, including complimentary close selection, signature block requirements, and the prohibition on digital signatures in letters. Participants will work through the complimentary closing options from Appendix C and will examine the signature block rules that apply when someone signs on behalf of another.
Did You Get the Memo?: Writing AR 25-50–Compliant Memorandums
This discussion moves through the full range of memorandum types addressed in Chapter 2. Participants will examine the standard memorandum alongside the MEMORANDUM THRU, the memorandum of understanding, the memorandum of agreement, the memorandum for record, and the decision memorandum. The group will work directly with the figures on pages 12–37 of the regulation, comparing formats and identifying the rules that apply to each type. Each participant will draft a complete memorandum drawn from a realistic scenario.
Take a Letter, Maria: Writing AR 25-50–Compliant Letters
Letters are required in specific situations that memorandums cannot cover, and they follow a distinct set of rules. This part of the course covers when the situation calls for a letter instead of a memo, how letter formatting differs from memo formatting, and the specific provisions for spacing, page numbering, paragraph structure, and courtesy copies. Participants will review the letter figures in Chapter 3 and will draft a compliant letter using a scenario drawn from the situations the regulation identifies as appropriate for letters.
For Your Eyes Only: Authorizing, Labeling, and Marking Communication
This discussion covers the mechanics that complete a document package. Participants will work through enclosure referencing and formatting rules for both memos and letters, the tabbing requirements for multienclosure packages and correspondence requiring signed approval, addressing procedures, and the rules governing authority lines and signature block preparation when a leader delegates authority. The group will also examine the regulation’s guidance on classified correspondence labeling and marking.
And Now, the End Is Near: The Appendices and the Glossary
The course closes with a guided review of the appendices participants will return to most often in their daily work. This discussion covers Appendix C on forms of address, salutation, and complimentary close; Appendix D on model authority lines and signature blocks; and Appendix F on creating an Adobe digital signature in Microsoft Word. Participants will leave knowing exactly where to go in the regulation when questions arise after the course ends.
Target Audience
This course is designed for groups that want to:
- Write in compliance with AR 25-50 across all official correspondence types.
- Reduce rework and routing errors that result from misapplied formatting and procedural requirements.
- Build confidence navigating the regulation and applying it consistently to real correspondence tasks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Is This Course Designed For?
The course is built for Army military and civilian personnel who prepare, review, route, or sign official correspondence. It is equally well suited for personnel who are new to AR 25-50 and for experienced writers who want to close gaps in their knowledge and develop more consistent habits. Contractors who prepare Army correspondence will also benefit.
Does the Course Cover All the Major Document Types in AR 25-50?
Yes. The course covers the standard memorandum, MEMORANDUM THRU, memorandum of understanding, memorandum of agreement, memorandum for record, decision memorandum, and formal letter. Participants will work with examples from the regulation itself throughout the session.
Will Participants Draft Actual Documents during the Course?
Yes. Writing practice is built throughout the day. Participants will draft memo and letter headings, bottom-line sentences, complete document bodies, and at least one full memorandum using scenarios drawn from realistic Army situations.
Does the Course Address Digital Signatures?
Yes. The course covers the current AR 25-50 requirements for digital signatures, including where the Army authorizes them, where it prohibits them, and how to apply an Adobe digital signature to a Microsoft Word document per Appendix F.
Can the Course Be Tailored to Our Unit’s Specific Correspondence Needs?
Yes. We regularly adjust scenarios, examples, and discussion emphasis to reflect the document types and situations your personnel most commonly encounter. We discuss your priorities in advance and build those into the session.