So what is DD Form 1721? The short answer: a Defense Department document, officially DD Form 1721, Space Test Program Flight Request, September 2006, used to Space Test Program Flight Request. 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 is behind it? not stated maintains the form, and not stated is the publication that requires it. Those two names answer most questions about why you are being asked to submit anything at all.
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
- 4. Principal investigator (Required). a. Name (Last, First, Middle Initial).
- b. Office symbol.
- c. Position.
- d. Email.
- e. Telephone numbers (include area code). Commercial.
- DSN number.
- Pager/mobile number.
- f. Signature.
- g. Date (4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day, no dividers).
- 5. Sponsor approval (Required). a. Name (Last, First, Middle Initial).
- b. Office symbol.
- c. Position.
- d. Email.
- e. Telephone numbers (include area code). Commercial.
- DSN number.
- Pager/mobile number.
- f. Signature.
- g. Date (4 digit year, 2 digit month, 2 digit day, no dividers).
- 6. Other partner/sponsor organization. a. Name (Last, First, Middle Initial).
- b. Office symbol.
- c. Position.
- d. Email.
- e. Telephone numbers (include area code). Commercial.
- DSN number.
Download the form
What formats exist for this form? PDF. What is the scale of it? 9 pages and approximately 200 fields.
Fillable or printable — which do you have? Click inside a box. If it accepts a cursor and typed text, the file is fillable and your entries save with it. If nothing happens, the pdf is flat, and the only way forward is printing it and writing on paper.
Does typing matter? It does. Your completed form will probably be scanned, forwarded and filed, and typed text comes through each of those steps unchanged while handwriting degrades. If pen is your only option, block capitals give the receiving clerk a fighting chance.
What opens an xfdl file? IBM Lotus Forms Viewer, or a compatible client. Will your pdf reader do it? No, and it will likely report the file as damaged. Xfdl was the Defense standard for electronic forms for years, which is why it still appears in the set.
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 is the first thing to check? The edition date on the face of the form. Does it read not stated? If not, the copy is superseded, and a superseded DD form is a real problem: Department-level revisions replace the blank for every service at once, so an old file on a shared drive is stale everywhere, not just in your office.
What if a specific field still puzzles you? Read the instructions printed on the form, then not stated. Which wins if they differ? The directive.
What happens after you finish? It routes to the office specified in not stated or in local guidance. And your own record? Save a duplicate first; nobody regrets having one.
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.
Should you archive this file and reuse it next year? Better not. Forms are revised as directives are reissued, as data requirements shift and as statutory notice text is updated, and none of that reaches you directly. Download fresh, check the edition date.
Will your completed form be accepted? That is not a question this page can answer. What you have here is a published Department of Defense document, a description of it and instructions for filling it out. Nothing on the page is legal advice, and nothing here determines what any office does with a submission. Where do the remaining questions go? To not stated, to your servicing personnel office, or to the office named in not stated.
Questions and answers
- What is DD Form 1721?
- DD Form 1721, Space Test Program Flight Request, September 2006
- Which edition is current?
- Not stated by the publisher
- Who is responsible for this form?
- Not stated
- In which formats can it be downloaded?