USARC Form 91-R Foreign Travel Briefing Statement: Filing and Debriefing

To fill out USARC Form 91-R, the Army Reserve Foreign Travel Briefing Statement, you sit down with your unit’s security manager or S-2, list every country and date on your itinerary, check the box for the purpose of travel, initial the briefing materials you received, and sign at the bottom after the threat assessment is recorded. The form itself takes only a few minutes. The prerequisites and the scheduling are what require planning.1United States Army Reserve. USARC Form 91-R – Foreign Travel Briefing Statement

Every Army Reserve military and civilian member must complete the form before any overseas trip, whether the purpose is temporary duty, personal business, or pleasure. USARC Regulation 380-5 also recommends that family members traveling with you receive the same briefing. If you travel abroad often, a thorough briefing every six months plus a reminder before each departure satisfies the requirement.2United States Army Reserve. USARC Reg 380-5 – Information Security

What to Have Ready Before You Request the Briefing

Get these lined up early. One garrison-level packet recommends starting 45 to 60 days before departure so every requirement can be met on time.3Defense Logistics Agency. Foreign Travel Requirements and Tips

If any country on your itinerary carries a high intelligence or terrorist threat rating, your security manager must coordinate a separate, more detailed pre-travel briefing with the servicing counterintelligence unit. Flag those destinations to your S-2 as early as possible.5National Insider Threat SIG. Army Regulation 381-12 Threat Awareness and Reporting Program

Clearance holders have a separate obligation under AR 381-12 to report personal foreign travel to the security office in advance and to receive the briefing before departure. Skipping that step can suspend or revoke your access and lead to disciplinary referral.5National Insider Threat SIG. Army Regulation 381-12 Threat Awareness and Reporting Program

Filling In the Form, Field by Field

The form is a single page, available as a PDF from the U.S. Army Reserve publications page or directly from your unit S-2.6U.S. Army Reserve. Publications USARC Reg 380-5 notes that completion of all items is self-explanatory, and it is.2United States Army Reserve. USARC Reg 380-5 – Information Security

Personal and Travel Information

At the top, enter your last name, first name, and middle initial, then your staff section. Below that, list every country you will visit or transit through with the inclusive dates for each. Check the box for the purpose of travel: TDY, personal business, or pleasure.1United States Army Reserve. USARC Form 91-R – Foreign Travel Briefing Statement

Briefing Acknowledgments

The middle block has four items. Initial only the ones that actually apply to you:1United States Army Reserve. USARC Form 91-R – Foreign Travel Briefing Statement

  • Force Protection and Anti-Terrorism video: initial if you viewed it.
  • Foreign Travel Briefing: initial if you received the briefing from your security manager.
  • JS Guide 5260: initial if you have read this Joint Staff guide.
  • GTA 21-3-11 card: initial if you were given this pocket reference card.

Your security manager walks you through these during the briefing, so you do not have to hunt them all down beforehand.

Threat Assessment and Signature

The form’s threat block covers high physical threat countries, potential physical threat countries, high crime rate cities, and terrorist threat countries, with an overall level marked high, medium, or low. The security manager typically fills in or confirms this section against current intelligence assessments.1United States Army Reserve. USARC Form 91-R – Foreign Travel Briefing Statement

At the bottom, you sign and date the form. Your signature acknowledges that you are aware of the potential threats at your destination and have been advised on precautions to minimize your vulnerability. The date of the briefing is recorded in the same block.

Where the Form Goes After You Sign

There is no distant office to mail it to. The briefing and the form stay with your unit security manager or S-2, who countersigns and files it. Security managers keep a log of these briefings for a minimum of two years, and the completed form becomes part of that record.2United States Army Reserve. USARC Reg 380-5 – Information Security For clearance holders, the filed form documents compliance with the AR 381-12 reporting requirement.

The Debriefing Block on the Same Form

The bottom of USARC Form 91-R has a debriefing section that must be completed after you return, if your travel was to or through a terrorist threat country. It records the date of the debriefing and the name of the person who conducted it.1United States Army Reserve. USARC Form 91-R – Foreign Travel Briefing Statement

Under AR 381-12, the debriefing should happen as soon as feasible after you return. Expect questions about anything unusual during the trip, probing inquiries about your work, contact with anyone suspected of ties to a foreign intelligence service, and whether any electronic devices were left unattended or may have been tampered with. A yes answer to any of those escalates the matter to counterintelligence for a formal debrief.5National Insider Threat SIG. Army Regulation 381-12 Threat Awareness and Reporting Program

What Happens If You Skip the Process

Traveling overseas without the required briefing and form is a failure to comply with a reporting requirement. For clearance holders, eligibility for continued access to classified information can be suspended or revoked, and the matter can be referred for disciplinary action up to and including separation.7U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 12 FAM 270 Security Reporting Requirements

Putting false information on the form, whether by fabricating dates, omitting countries, or misrepresenting the purpose of travel, falls under UCMJ Article 107. Anyone subject to the UCMJ who knowingly signs a false official document or makes a false official statement can be punished as a court-martial directs.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 907 – Art 107 False Official Statements False Swearing Personnel without a clearance still face nonjudicial punishment or adverse administrative action for skipping the briefing.