DA Form 5790-R, the Ammunition Custody Certificate, documents the transfer of ammunition from one authorized person to another inside the U.S. Army. To complete and submit it, you gather the ammunition’s identifying data, record both parties and the exact moment of physical transfer on the form, sign it in black ink or with a CAC-based digital signature, and route the signed copy through the Ammunition Supply Point (ASP) while keeping proof of the hand-off for yourself. The form ties every round or sealed container to a named individual, which is how the Army maintains accountability for lethal items that cannot go missing without consequence.
Where to Download the Form
The current version lives at the Army Publishing Directorate at armypubs.army.mil, which hosts all official DA forms as downloadable PDFs.1Army Publishing Directorate. Army Publishing Directorate Search “5790” in the forms search bar. The “-R” suffix means the form is locally reproducible, so your unit can print copies as needed without ordering them through supply.
If your installation uses the electronic version, download the PDF-fillable file and open it in Adobe Reader rather than a browser’s built-in PDF viewer. Built-in viewers on Windows do not support digital signature fields.2MilitaryCAC. Signing Forms
Information to Gather Before You Start
Pull the following from your shipment documentation or from ASP personnel issuing the rounds before you open the form:
- DODIC. The Department of Defense Identification Code is a four-character alphanumeric code that identifies the specific ammunition item. Each DODIC corresponds to a single item, so 5.56mm ball has its own code and 5.56mm tracer has a different one.3Integrated Publishing. Identification of Ammunition
- Lot number. Under MIL-STD-1168, lot numbers can be up to 13 characters and appear stenciled on containers and pallets. The Army uses lot data to monitor performance, issue safety alerts, and trace defective production runs.4Department of the Army. DA Pamphlet 742-1 Ammunition Surveillance Procedures
- UIC. Your unit’s six-character Unit Identification Code ties the transaction to the organization responsible for the property.5U.S. Army Cadet Command. USACC Pamphlet 71-32
- Quantity. The exact count by round or by sealed container. For bulk storage, the Army permits inventory by type and quantity based on outside count markings on sealed containers rather than opening every box.6Department of the Army. AR 710-2 Supply Policy Below the National Level
- Container serial numbers. If your crates or cans carry individual serial markings, record them. They connect the physical cargo to the administrative record.
- Transfer location. The specific site where custody changes: an ASP loading dock, a range ammunition holding area, or a field resupply point.
Getting these identifiers straight before you touch the form prevents the mismatches that surface during reconciliation at the end of a training event.
Filling Out the Form
The form captures who is giving up custody, who is taking it, what is being transferred, and when. Enter the full name and rank of the person assuming custody. The date has to reflect the actual moment of physical transfer, not when the paperwork was drafted or when someone got around to signing it. A backdated or forward-dated form breaks the chronological chain the Army relies on during audits.
Fill in the DODIC, lot number, quantity, and container information for each ammunition type. If you are transferring multiple DODICs in one transaction, list each type on its own line so there is no ambiguity about what moved and in what quantity. The location of the transfer becomes important if questions arise later about where custody gaps occurred.
Signatures
Use black ink on physical copies. For electronic versions you need your Common Access Card and Adobe Reader to apply a valid digital signature. The Army migrated all fillable forms to Adobe PDF, and Adobe Reader is the only supported software for signing them. Save the file to your local computer before signing; working inside a browser window often causes signature errors. If you get an error about a missing key or keyset, try selecting a different certificate in the signing dialog (toggle between “DOD CA” and “DOD EMAIL CA”) or update Adobe Reader.2MilitaryCAC. Signing Forms
Mac users need one extra step. Open Adobe Reader Preferences, go to Signatures, click “More” under Creation and Appearance, and enable “CryptoTokenKit framework support.” You may also need to change the Default Signing Format to “CAdES-Equivalent.”
Submitting and Keeping Your Copy
The completed form routes to the ASP or whichever facility is issuing or receiving the ammunition. The physical hand-off of the certificate typically happens at the same time as the physical movement of the rounds. Both parties sign. The receiving signature is what shifts legal responsibility for the items listed.
Where local command policy permits, you can upload the signed PDF through official military systems. Electronic routing creates an immediate digital record of the custody change, which speeds up reconciliation compared to chasing paper copies weeks later. After submission, the person giving up custody should keep a signed copy or obtain a formal receipt from the issuing officer. That receipt is your proof that you are no longer personally liable for those rounds if an audit turns up a discrepancy.
Related Forms You Should Not Confuse With 5790-R
DA Form 5790-R sits inside a small family of ammunition documents, and each does something different. DA Form 581 handles the formal request for issue and turn-in of ammunition. DA Form 3151-R, the Ammunition Stores Slip, tracks ammunition that is issued, shipped, received, turned in, or relocated.7Indiana National Guard. Camp Atterbury Ammunition Supply Point External Standard Operating Procedures If ammunition is lost or damaged, DA Form 5811-R documents the shortage. Your ASP’s external SOP will specify which forms are required for a given operation.
How Long to Keep the Form
Completed custody certificates fall under the Army Records Management Program governed by AR 25-400-2. The regulation does not set retention periods itself. It points to the Records Retention Schedule–Army (RRS-A), which is the only legal authority for destroying non-permanent Army records and is maintained in the ARIMS database.8Department of the Army. AR 25-400-2 Army Records Management Program Your unit’s records manager can look up the specific disposition schedule for ammunition accountability documents.
As a practical matter, keep completed forms in your active files at least through the next annual inventory cycle so they are available to resolve discrepancies flagged during command or Inspector General inspections. Records cannot be destroyed except under a National Archives and Records Administration–approved schedule. Shredding a custody certificate because it looks old enough is not an option and violates federal records law.8Department of the Army. AR 25-400-2 Army Records Management Program Detailed destruction procedures are in DA Pamphlet 25-403.
Why the Paperwork Matters
The point of DA Form 5790-R is to make sure every round is tied to a named person at all times. When that chain breaks, the consequences escalate fast.
Federal law requires the Secretary of Defense to report the theft or loss of any ammunition, destructive device, or explosive material from DoD stocks to the Secretary of the Treasury within 72 hours of discovery. A narrow exception exists for items the Secretary of Defense determines pose a low public risk and have minimal utility to someone who receives them illegally, but that exception requires a written memorandum of agreement between the two Secretaries. DoD also submits annual reports to the Armed Services Committees of both chambers of Congress detailing security, thefts, losses, and recoveries of sensitive conventional arms, ammunition, and explosives.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 2722 – Theft or Loss of Ammunition, Destructive Devices, and Explosives: Report to Secretary of the Treasury
At the individual level, UCMJ Article 108 (10 U.S.C. § 908) covers anyone subject to the code who, without proper authority, sells, disposes of, or through willfulness or neglect damages, destroys, or loses any military property of the United States. A conviction is punished as a court-martial directs.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 908 – Art. 108. Military Property of United States – Loss, Damage, Destruction, or Wrongful Disposition Penalties scale with the value of the property and whether the loss was negligent or willful, ranging from forfeiture of pay and months of confinement for low-value negligent losses up to a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and ten years of confinement for willful loss or disposal of property valued over $1,000.
A properly completed DA Form 5790-R is what protects you personally. If ammunition goes missing after custody transferred to someone else, your signed copy proves you were no longer responsible at that point. Without the form, or with a form that has blank fields, mismatched quantities, or missing signatures, you may find yourself explaining a shortage that was never yours to own.