How to Fill Out and Submit AF Form 1768: Tabs, Routing, and Signatures

AF Form 1768, the Staff Summary Sheet, packages a recommendation, collects coordination from stakeholders, and presents a decision to a senior leader for action. To fill out AF Form 1768, download the current fillable PDF from the Department of the Air Force e-Publishing site (e-publishing.af.mil), complete the header blocks identifying the action officer and each reviewer, write a one-page summary in the large open block, attach and label your supporting tabs, and route the package for coordination and signature. Two publications govern the work: AFMAN 33-326, Preparing Official Communications, sets the coordination rules, and AFH 33-337, The Tongue and Quill, is the practical writing guide.¹² Keep both open while you draft.

Getting the Form

Search “AF 1768” in the forms library on the Department of the Air Force e-Publishing site to pull the blank fillable PDF. Many units keep pre-loaded templates in their electronic workflow systems, so ask your front office or executive support staff before building one from scratch. An electronic Staff Summary Sheet, called an eSSS, contains the same elements as the paper form and is simply routed as the body of an email or through a task-management platform.³ Follow your local guidance on which version to use. The content requirements are identical.

Completing the Header Blocks

The top of AF Form 1768 identifies the action officer and tells each reviewer what you need from them. Most avoidable mistakes happen here, and errors get the package returned before anyone reads your summary.

TO: list every office that needs to see the package, in the order they should coordinate, approve, or sign. Route through coordinating offices first, then up to the approving or signing authority.²
ACTION: next to each office, mark “Coord” for coordination, “Appr” for approval, “Sig” for signature, or “Info” for awareness only. A single SSS should normally show only one “Appr” and one “Sig” entry.²
SIGNATURE: leave blank. Each reviewer signs their surname, rank or grade, and date when the package reaches them.¹
SYMBOL: your organization and office symbol (for example, “AF/A1”).
SURNAME OF ACTION OFFICER AND GRADE: your last name and rank.
PHONE: a DSN or full 10-digit commercial number.
TYPIST’S INITIALS: the initials of whoever typed the form.
SUSPENSE DATE: the date by which the package must be completed, if one applies.²
SUBJECT: a concise, specific line. This is how the package gets tracked and retrieved.

If more than ten offices need to coordinate, list the first ten on the original form and attach a second AF Form 1768 behind it with the TO blocks renumbered 11 through 20. Complete the second sheet through the subject line so reviewers know what they are looking at.²

Writing the Summary

The summary sits in the large open block on the form and should almost always fit on a single page. If you need more room, continue on plain bond paper behind the form.² The Tongue and Quill prescribes five headings: Purpose, Background, Discussion, Views of Others, and Recommendation. Not every package needs all five, but most use at least Purpose, Discussion, and Recommendation.

Purpose and Background

Open by stating what you want the reader to do. The Tongue and Quill calls this “bottom line up front.” If you are asking for a signature on a policy letter, say so in the first sentence.² The background section gives the historical or contextual information the decision-maker needs to understand why the issue exists. Present it in a logical order (chronological, functional, or geographic) and keep it tight. Run-in headings and telegraphic bullet statements save space.

Discussion, Views of Others, and Recommendation

The discussion is your analysis. Lead with the main point, connect it to the background, and walk the reader toward the proposed solution. If there are multiple options or courses of action, cover them here so the decision-maker can see what was considered.² Stick to facts and reasoned analysis; skip speculation.

Under “Views of Others,” acknowledge opposing positions. If another office disagrees with your recommendation, summarize their reasoning and explain why you did not adopt it. Skipping this section when dissenting views exist is one of the fastest ways to lose credibility with a decision-maker. Engage other offices early so you know their concerns before you start writing.

End with a direct recommendation. Tell the decision-maker exactly what action to take: sign the attached letter, approve the funding request, authorize the policy change. Vague asks get returned.

Attaching and Labeling Tabs

Every document behind the Staff Summary Sheet is labeled as a tab and referenced in the summary. Do not attach a document unless it is relevant and mentioned in the summary.² Common tabs include draft policy letters awaiting signature, legal reviews, financial impact analyses, and supporting data.

Label each tab clearly (“Tab 1 – Draft Policy Letter,” “Tab 2 – Legal Review”) and reference them by number in the body of your summary so the reviewer can flip straight to the supporting document. A missing or mislabeled tab almost always sends the package back for correction. Before routing, walk through every tab to make sure the right document is behind the right divider.

Routing and Signatures

Most units route Staff Summary Sheets through the Enterprise Task Management Software Solution (ETMS2), the electronic workflow system used across DoD.⁴ Some organizations at the headquarters level use the Correspondence and Task Management System (CATMS).⁵ Hard copies are still used when a package contains classified material that cannot be transmitted on standard networks; physical routing folders move the package through each office.

As the package reaches each coordinating office, the reviewer indicates their position. Under AFMAN 33-326, a reviewer who agrees signs their surname, rank or grade, and date. If you are the final addressee (the approval authority), you sign on the bottom line; all other coordinators sign on the top line next to their office symbol.¹

Track your package. The Tongue and Quill is direct: know where your staff packages are at all times, use contacts and automated tracking systems, and follow up repeatedly. Avoid formally suspensing higher offices, but keep them aware of the timeline.⁶

When Someone Non-Concurs

Non-concurrence is part of the process. When a reviewer disagrees, AFMAN 33-326 requires them to write a memorandum or send an official email explaining their reasons. On a hard-copy form, they write “See Memorandum” in the signature column next to their office symbol and attach the memo to the package.¹

As action officer, try to resolve the disagreement. Three outcomes are possible:

Resolved with no changes: the non-concurring official marks through “See Memorandum” and signs. You annotate “Differences resolved and no changes needed” on the non-concurrence memo, initial it, attach it to the record copy, and route to the next office.¹
Resolved with changes: if you change the SSS or any attachment to address the concern, prepare an entirely new AF Form 1768 and re-coordinate it with all offices as a new package.¹
Unresolved: write a rebuttal memorandum to the approval authority explaining the disagreement and why the proposed action should stand. Attach both the rebuttal and the non-concurrence memo as the last tab, annotate the additional tab on the form, and continue routing upward.¹

After the Package Is Signed

Once the approval authority signs, notify all coordinating offices of the outcome. An approved package often triggers implementation of a new policy, release of funding, or initiation of a project, and delays in distributing the signed document stall everything downstream. Retrieve all coordination copies before moving to execution.

The completed Staff Summary Sheet and all tabs become official records. Air Force Instruction 33-322, Records Management and Information Governance Program, requires records generated through official processes to be maintained and disposed of according to the Air Force Records Disposition Schedule, housed in the Air Force Records Information Management System (AFRIMS).⁷ Your office’s records custodian can tell you the retention period for your type of action. Electronic records must be stored on an approved records-management system or authorized IT platform.⁸

PII and Classified Content

Staff packages often contain sensitive information. If your SSS or any tab includes personally identifiable information, handle it under AFI 33-332, Air Force Privacy and Civil Liberties Program, which implements the E-Government Act of 2002 and OMB guidance on PII protection.⁹ That means marking documents that contain PII, limiting distribution to those with a need to know, and encrypting email attachments when routing electronically.

If the package contains classified information, the marking and handling requirements in DoDM 5200.01 / AFMAN 16-1404 apply. Classified packages must be safeguarded, stored, transmitted, and transported under those procedures, which generally means hard-copy routing in approved containers rather than standard electronic systems.¹⁰ If you are unsure how to mark a particular package, consult your unit’s FOIA manager or security office.

1
Air Force e-Publishing. AFMAN 33-326 – Preparing Official Communications
2
United States Air Force. AFH 33-337 – The Tongue and Quill
3
Humanities LibreTexts. Sample SSS and eSSS
4
United States Army. Army’s Task Management System Provides Digital Transformation and Cost Savings Across DOD
5
Correspondence Management Division. Correspondence and Task Management System
6
United States Air Force. AFH 33-337 – The Tongue and Quill
7
Department of the Air Force. Air Force Instruction 33-322 – Records Management and Information Governance Program
8
United States Air Force e-Publishing. AFI 33-322 Los Angeles Air Force Base Supplement
9
Air Force E-Publishing. Air Force Instruction 33-332 – Air Force Privacy and Civil Liberties Program
10
Department of the Air Force. DoD Information Security Program – Protection of Classified Information