Army Techniques Publication ATP 4-46 (FM 4-20.64) Contingency Fatality Operations December 2014

This publication, Army Techniques Publication ATP 4-46 (FM 4-20.64) Contingency Fatality Operations December 2014, revises field manual (FM) 4-20.64, Mortuary Affairs Operations. It provides a single, ready reference for units and Soldiers. The focus of the ATP is on techniques used by Soldiers, small unit leaders, civilians, contractors or host nation personnel physically responsible for handling, transporting, receiving, or storing human remains or personal effects (PE). This publication will address the new force design of the mortuary affairs units, and emphasize safety and the mortuary affairs reporting and tracking system (MARTS). The principal audience for ATP 4-46 is commanders, staffs, Soldiers at all levels, leaders, instructors, at military institutions, students, and doctrine and training developers. Trainers and educators throughout the Army will also use this publication. The title of ATP 4-46 has been changed to Contingency Fatality Operations to appropriately reflect the actual intended focus and content of the manual. ATP 4-46, Contingency Fatality Operations, serves as a planning and operations guide for all personnel involved in mortuary affairs (MA) within a theater of operations (TO). MA provides for the search, recovery, identification, preparation, and disposition of human remains of persons for whom the Services are responsible by status and Executive Order. The Department of Defense (DOD) Executive Steering Committee (ESC) determined that Mortuary Affairs required delineation to identify the Contingency Fatality Operations. Contingency Fatality Operations provides for the search and recovery, contamination mitigation, tentative identification, preparation and temporary disposition of human remains of persons covered under JP 4-06 during contingency operations. (This includes PE). The mortuary operations process is the point from which human remains are released by the Medical Examiner to the point where remains are evacuated to a receiving funeral home designated by the Person Authorized to Direct Disposition (PADD). ATP 4-46 contains four chapters and five appendixes: Chapter 1 discusses the role of the MA personnel, the geographic combatant commanders (GCC), and how these commanders with geographic responsibilities, designate theaters of operation, area of operations (AO), and line of communications (LOC) throughout a TO. This chapter also addresses why contingency fatality operations must be planned in detail from the unit through the joint level. Chapter 2 describes the new quartermaster mortuary affairs company's mission and all of its functions. The responsibilities are addressed to include the organization structure. This will guide the MA personnel on their role to search for, recover, tentatively identify, and coordinate evacuating remains through the appropriate evacuation systems. Chapter 3 discusses the concepts of offensive, defensive, and stability tasks. This allows units to have the basic knowledge to plan, prepare and execute the basis of contingency fatality operations. Chapter 4 refers to commanders responsibilities; they include the search for, recovery, and evacuation of remains and associated PE to the nearest MA facility. Commanders of all Army units have the responsibility to care for deceased personnel within their AO. Commanders may be tasked to conduct search and recovery operations for remains of individuals of other nations or services. Appendix A shows an example of mortuary affairs unit standing operating procedure (SOP) Appendix B has an example of an operation order for mortuary affairs Appendix C the commonly used forms and instructions on their completion Appendix D depicts the information of the old quartermaster collection company (MA) Appendix E depicts the information of the old quartermaster mortuary affairs company