How to Fill Out USTRANSCOM Form 10: Defense Courier Account Setup

USTRANSCOM Form 10, the Defense Courier Account Record, is the document a federal office, allied agency, or authorized contractor uses to open an account with the Defense Courier Division so its personnel can send and receive classified material through the defense courier system. You submit it to your servicing courier station with signature specimens for every authorized handler and a certification from an account authorizing official that each of those people holds the right clearance. The form is governed by DoD Instruction 5200.33.¹

What the Form Does

The Defense Courier Division (TCJ3) inside U.S. Transportation Command runs global distribution of classified and sensitive materials. Any office that wants regular access to that network has to establish an account at its servicing courier station first, and Form 10 is what creates the account.¹

The form records the identity, contact information, and signature specimen of every person authorized to enter or receive courier material on behalf of the account, together with the authorizing official’s certification of their clearances. It functions as a gatekeeper document. No one touches classified courier material unless their name and signature appear on a current, validated Form 10.

Who Can Open an Account

Three types of users can establish an account.¹

Federal activities and allied agencies. The office submits a completed Form 10 to its servicing courier station. The account authorizing official must be someone with authority to authenticate security clearances, typically a commander, deputy commander, executive officer, security manager, Top Secret control officer, special security officer, or COMSEC custodian. For non-DoD entities, the head or authorized representative of the requesting activity signs.

Government contractors. A contractor can open an account when a contract authorizes defense courier services. The contractor submits Form 10 along with a copy of DD Form 254 (Contract Security Classification Specification) or an equivalent letter. See the extra documentation below.

One-time users. If your office needs courier service for a single shipment, you can skip the full account process. Send a written request letter to the servicing courier station carrying the same core information the form would capture: at least two authorized individuals, their contact details, and signature specimens.

Information the Form Requires

Every account has to include:¹

At least two individuals authorized to enter and receive courier material. The account authorizing official may count as one of the two.
Current contact information and a handwritten signature specimen for each authorized individual. The specimens are matched against signatures on receipts when material moves at the courier station.
The account authorizing official’s certification that every listed person holds a security clearance and need-to-know at or above the highest classification level the account will handle.

Signature accuracy matters more than on most government forms. If a specimen on the Form 10 doesn’t match the signature on a receipt at the courier station, the courier will not transfer the material. Each person should sign the form the way they sign in practice.

Extra Documentation for Contractors

Contractors have a higher paperwork bar. With the completed Form 10, provide a copy of DD Form 254 or a substitute letter that includes all of the following:¹

Contract number.
Confirmation that DD Form 254 Part 11k (courier services) is marked “Yes.”
COMSEC account number, if applicable (DD Form 254 Part 11h marked “Yes”).
SCI authorization from DD Form 254 Part 10e(1) and Part 10e(2).
Contract expiration date.
Government sponsor of the contract.
Named point of contact with phone numbers and email.

For non-SCI accounts, the government contract officer’s authorized representative signs the request. For SCI accounts, the contractor’s company account authorizing official may sign, but the request letter and Form 10 have to be routed through the appropriate DoD Component representative for clearance validation before the account is activated.

Where to Send It

The completed Form 10 goes to your servicing courier station, the Defense Courier Division facility that handles your geographic area. USTRANSCOM does not publish a public directory of station locations because of the classified nature of the work. Your security manager or special security officer will know which station services your activity. Contractor requests for SCI accounts route through the sponsoring DoD Component rather than directly to the station.

How the Account Works Once Approved

After the servicing station validates the form, the account is active. To send classified material, someone listed on the current account record prepares a receipt in the format USTRANSCOM prescribes and presents it with the material at the station. The individual shows photo identification and signs in a way that matches the specimen on file. The courier verifies the shipment data, signs the receipt to acknowledge transfer, keeps the original, and returns a copy to the customer.¹

Receiving works the same way in reverse. Couriers release material only to a person whose identity and signature match the validated Form 10. If someone arrives to collect a shipment but isn’t on the account, the material stays with the courier.

Keeping the Account Current

Form 10 is not a one-time filing. When an authorized person leaves the organization, loses a clearance, or is replaced, update the account record at the servicing station. Do the same when adding new personnel. A stale form with outdated names or expired clearance certifications can block your office from moving classified material until the record is corrected. Treat it the way you treat access rosters: review it whenever personnel change, and at least annually as part of routine security housekeeping.

Not the Form for Household Goods Claims

USTRANSCOM Form 10 sometimes gets confused with the paperwork for lost or damaged household goods during a PCS move. Those are different documents. Damage from a military move is reported on DD Form 1840 at delivery and DD Form 1840R for additional damage found after unpacking,² or electronically through the Defense Personal Property System.³ If damaged furniture is your problem, Form 10 is not the document you need.

1
Department of Defense. Defense Courier Operations (DCO) – DoD Instruction 5200.33
2
GovInfo. Notice of Loss or Damage
3
Military OneSource. Understanding Moving Claims