So what is DD Form 1653? The short answer: a Defense Department document, officially DD Form 1653, Transportation Data for Solicitations, April 1999, used to Transportation Data for Solicitations. Anything else you need follows from that.
Does it apply to your branch? Yes. The DD prefix means Department of Defense, not one service, so the same blank serves the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force and the Coast Guard under Defense jurisdiction. There is no Army version and no Navy version to search for.
Who decides this form exists? not stated owns it; not stated directs its use. If someone told you to file this, the authority traces back to those.
Is this the right edition? The current one is dated not stated, and the publisher carries it as not stated. Check that against whatever copy you already have before going further.
What the form asks for
- 8. Evaluation of port bids or proposal (Ports and combined handling and transportation charges per mesasurement ton used by Government for evaluation purposes). a. Destination Country, Line 1.
- 8.b. Origin ports (air or water). Line 1, port 1.
- 8.b. Origin port 2.
- 8.b. Origin port 3.
- 8.b. Origin port 4.
- 8.b. Origin port 5.
- 8.a. Destination Country, Line 2.
- 8.b. Origin ports (air or water). Line 2, port 1.
- 8.b. Origin port 2.
- 8.b. Origin port 3.
- 8.b. Origin port 4.
- 8.b. Origin port 5.
- 8.a. Destination Country, Line 3.
- 8.b. Origin ports (air or water). Line 3, port 1.
- 8.b. Origin port 2.
- 8.b. Origin port 3.
- 8.b. Origin port 4.
- 8.b. Origin port 5.
- 8.a. Destination Country, Line 4.
- 8.b. Origin ports (air or water). Line 4, port 1.
- 8.b. Origin port 2.
- 8.b. Origin port 3.
- 8.b. Origin port 4.
- 8.b. Origin port 5.
Download the form
What formats exist for this form? PDF. What is the scale of it? 1 pages and approximately 109 fields.
Why will not the xfdl file open? Because it is not a pdf. Xfdl belongs to IBM Lotus Forms, long the Department's electronic form format, and it needs IBM Lotus Forms Viewer or an equivalent reader installed first.
Do you pay for these? No. Free download, every format. What should you avoid? Filling the form inside a browser tab; the fields frequently do not save.
Where do you start? At the top. Identification first, the substance of the entry second, certification last. Why that order? Because fields lower on the page often depend on data you established in the header, and filling out of sequence produces contradictions.
What if your copy is old? Replace it. Check the date printed on the form against not stated. Old blanks circulate for years in shared folders, and because a DD revision lands across the whole Department at once, the receiving office will be working from the new layout.
What about a box that does not apply to you? Enter N/A rather than leaving it empty. An empty field reads as an oversight and sends the form back; N/A reads as an answer. What about dates? Use the format printed beside the field, not the one you write by habit.
Why read the Privacy Act Statement? Because it sits ahead of the personal data fields deliberately. It names the collection authority, the principal purpose, the routine uses of your data and the consequence of declining. Reading it afterward tells you nothing you can still act on.
Is a typed name enough? No. The signature block takes an actual signature: pen on paper, or a digital signature applied with your Common Access Card where the receiving system accepts one. Add the date beside it before you close the file.
Which mistakes are worth a final check? Superseded edition, gaps in mandatory fields, unreadable writing on a scanned copy, non-conforming date format, unsigned or undated certification.
Where do you look up an unclear entry? The form face first, not stated second. And when the two disagree? not stated controls.
Who receives it? The office not stated designates, subject to whatever local instruction your organization adds. What do you keep? A copy, made before the form leaves your hands.
Do you need to know which branch issued a related form? No. DD numbering is Department-wide and unified, which means the number on its own is a complete address for the document.
Can you assume a matching number is the same form? No, and this is where downloads go wrong. Read the prefix. Army numbering and Department numbering are independent systems, so the digits alone tell you nothing about which document you need.
How often does a form like this change? Unpredictably — revision follows directive changes, altered collection requirements and updated notice language. What is the practical defence? Verifying not stated every time you download rather than trusting a saved copy.
Is any of this advice? No. This page distributes a published Defense form and explains its contents, which is a different thing from telling you whether your circumstances qualify or whether a reviewer will accept your copy. Direct questions of eligibility, applicability and procedure to not stated, to your servicing personnel office, or to the office designated in not stated.
Questions and answers
- What is DD Form 1653?
- DD Form 1653, Transportation Data for Solicitations, April 1999
- Which edition is current?
- Not stated by the publisher
- Who is responsible for this form?
- Not stated
- In which formats can it be downloaded?