DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
2000 NAVY PENTAGON
WASHINGTON DC 20350-2000
OPNAVINST 6470.4A
N45
15 Mar 2019
OPNAV INSTRUCTION 6470.4A
From: Chief of Naval Operations
Subj: ACQUISITION, USE, AND DISPOSAL OF CERTAIN NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION REGULATED RADIOACTIVE DEVICES AND SOURCE
MATERIAL
Ref: (a) 42 U.S.C. §2121
(b) E.O. 12344
(c) SECNAVINST 5100.10K
(d) 42 U.S.C. §15801
(e) OPNAVINST 6470.3B
(f) 10 CFR
(g) DoD 4715.6-R, Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Program, 17 January 2001
1. Purpose. To establish Navy policy for the acquisition, use, and disposal of various categories
of devices and material regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This
instruction is being reissued with a new date, updated version and signature authority to meet the
Chief of Naval Operations' age requirement for Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
(OPNAV) instructions.
2. Cancellation. OPNAVINST 6470.4.
3. Scope. This instruction applies to all Navy and Marine Corps activities engaged in the
acquisition, use, or disposal of the NRC radioactive materials listed in paragraph 4. It does not
apply to nuclear weapons related radioactive materials transferred from the Department of
Energy to the Department of Defense per section 91(b) of reference (a), nor to radioactive
materials produced as a consequence of the construction, operation, servicing, or maintenance of
naval nuclear propulsion plants, per reference (b).
4. Background. The categories in this instruction are: (1) exempt devices, (2) generally
licensed radioactive devices, (3) generally licensed radioactive devices above a certain quantity,
(4) “unimportant” quantities of source material, and (5) generally licensed source material. The
Secretary of the Navy assigned the Chief of Naval Operations responsibility to establish and
manage the Navy Occupational Radiation Protection Program in coordination with the
Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) for those matters which affect the Marine Corps, per
reference (c).
