THE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARMY
1775
THE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY
Headquarters
Department of the Army
Washington, DC
25 November 2024
*Army Regulation 1–50
Effective 25 December 2024

Administration
Army Conference Policy

By Order of the Secretary of the Army:

RANDY A. GEORGE
General, United States Army
Chief of Staff

Official:

MARK F. AVERILL
Administrative Assistant to the
Secretary of the Army

History. This publication is a major revision. The portions affected by this major revision are listed in the summary of change.

Authorities. This regulation implements the Department of Defense Conference Guidance.

Applicability. This regulation applies to the Regular Army, the Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States, and the U.S. Army Reserve, unless otherwise stated.

Proponent and exception authority. The proponent of this regulation is the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. The proponent has the authority to approve exceptions or waivers to this regulation that are consistent with controlling law and regulations. The proponent may delegate this approval authority, in writing, to a division chief within the proponent agency or its direct reporting unit or field operating agency, in the grade of colonel or the civilian equivalent. Activities may request a waiver to this regulation by providing justification that includes a full analysis of the expected benefits and must include formal review by the activity's senior legal officer. All waiver requests will be endorsed by the commander or senior leader of the requesting activity and forwarded through their higher headquarters to the policy proponent. Refer to AR 25–30 for specific requirements.

Army internal control process. This regulation contains internal control provisions in accordance with AR 11–2 and identifies key internal controls that must be evaluated (see appendix B).

Suggested improvements. Users are invited to send comments and suggested improvements on DA FormDA FormDepartment of the Army form 2028 (Recommended Changes to Publications and Blank Forms) directly to usarmy.belvoir.hqda-oaa.mbx.army-hqda-conferences-inbox@army.mil.

Distribution. This regulation is available in electronic media only and is intended for the Regular Army, the Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States, and the U.S. Army Reserve.

*This regulation supersedes AR 1–50, dated 29 February 2024.
AR 1–50 • 25 November 2024
UNCLASSIFIED

Responsibilities for officials identified in the following paragraphs apply to hosting Army conferences and attending non-DoD-hosted conferences.

This chapter only applies to Army-hosted conferences or non-DoD conference attendance requiring AASA or SA approval. See notes under table 2–2 for guidance on all other attendance at non-DoD hosted conferences.

Actual expense allowance Authorization for reimbursement for actual lodging expenses that exceed per diem.

Army-hosted conference The Army is considered the host when it plans and/or funds the event, most participants will be Army per- sonnel, and the conference topic or purpose is specific to the Army.

Attendee Individual participating in the mission of the event, including speakers (if they go on to attend the rest of the event) and support staff of conference participants/attendees. Does not include the staff of a con- tracted venue.

Command conference manager An appointed command, organization, or activity point of contact and representative responsible for publi- cizing procedures, answering local level questions, preparing conference requests, and submitting re- quired reports.

Commercial facility A facility owned or leased by an organization other than the government or military. These facilities are often, but not always, owned by profit-making organizations and can include hotels, conference centers, privately-owned buildings, and so forth. Facilities owned by federally funded research and development centers are commercial facilities under this policy.

Conference liaison The organization or activity designated as responsible for promulgating a single request and AAR for all Army attendance at a non-DoD-hosted event.

Conference participants Conference participants are all personnel attending any conference, whether Army-, DoD-, or non-DoD- hosted, and regardless of whether the person takes an active role such as presenting an exhibit or speak- ing. This includes the support staff of conference hosts or attendees.

Conference planner Conference planners come from the hosting Army organization and are involved in the planning and exe- cution of a conference.

Conference requester Requesters are persons or organizations submitting a request to either host or attend a conference.

Conference sponsor/conference host The organization hosting the conference by planning, funding, or executing the event.

Co-sponsored conference An event that an Army command, organization, or activity sponsors in collaboration with another organi- zation external to the Army by developing the substantive aspects of the event or providing substantial logistical support as defined by the Joint Ethics Regulation. Note. If the Army provides 50 percent or more of the speakers or presenters on the agenda, the event is co-sponsored.

Discussion panel Formal dialogue before an audience with the topic and speakers selected in advance.

DoD–hosted conference A conference hosted or sponsored by a DoD organization external to the Army.

Host Also called sponsor. The host is usually the organization that fully or partially funds the event. This host is responsible for developing the substantive aspects of the event, such as date, location, and attendees; provides substantial logistical support, or executes the event.

Hybrid conference A conference conducted with a mixture of in-person and virtual attendees.

In conjunction with a non–Federal entity An Army-hosted event that is scheduled concurrently or sequentially, but separate from, another non- DoD-hosted event in the same location.

Local attendee Attendee residing, or whose permanent duty station is, within the local commuting area of the conference venue.

Local conference A conference occurring within the attendee’s or attendees’ local commuting area. (Local conferences generally are not subject to this policy, even if they involve reimbursable local travel costs (such as park- ing or local mileage). However, local conferences with registration or other similar fees are subject to this policy.)

Local temporary duty An official status in which personnel within their local commuting area receive per diem.

No-cost conference Participation in the event incurs no cost to the Army. A conference is no-cost only if it has absolutely no reimbursable costs, including incidental or travel expenses. ( Note. At times, Army organizations may at- tend conferences at no cost to the Army. This can occur through waived registration fees, local attend- ance, or gifted travel benefits under Section 1353, Title 31, United States Code (31 USCUSCUnited States Code 1353). For con- ferences involving absolutely no reimbursable costs or other Army expenditures, conference approval is not necessary; follow your organization’s TDYTDYTemporary duty or attendance policy.)

Non–Department of Defense–hosted conference Conference hosted or sponsored by an organization external to DoD. These organizations could be other Federal agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or NFEs, such as North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Non-DoD conference participation encompasses all Army employees attending or participating at Army expense, including speakers, presenters, panel members, awardees, or support staff, and may include the provision of exhibits and logistical support.

Non–Federal entity An organization or individual external to the U.S. Federal Government. This includes but is not neces- sarily limited to corporations, non-profit organizations; institutions of higher education; and foreign, State, and local governments.

Office of primary responsibility Ultimately responsible for task completion; responsible for providing a cohesive response for either the overall task or as a subject matter expert for coordination.

Per diem A specific amount of money, based on locale, the Government gives an individual on TDYTDYTemporary duty orders to cover expenses when traveling in an official capacity. Per diem consists of lodging, meals, and incidental ex- penses. Lodging reimbursement is listed as the maximum amount but will be reimbursed at the actual cost if obtained below the per diem rate. See the JTRJTRJoint Travel Regulations Glossary for the full definition.

Proffered 1353 funds Funds offered under 31 USCUSCUnited States Code 1353 for official travel supporting a large number of travelers from multiple Army organizations in advance to a specific event.

Revenue All direct and indirect conference costs collected or reimbursed to Army by non-DoD entities. Revenue includes, but is not limited to, registration fees, exhibitor fees, or sponsor fees collected.

Temporary duty Official duty at a location other than the permanent duty station. See the JTRJTRJoint Travel Regulations Glossary for the full defini- tion.

Traditional commander activities Under authority of traditional commanders’ activities (TCAs), the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) may direct military-to-military contacts and comparable activities designed to encourage a democratic orienta- tion of defense establishments and military forces of other countries.

Virtual conference An event that is conducted or may be viewed on a computer or other electronic source, where no at- tendee travel is required to participate in the event. ( Note. Participation in virtual conferences involving absolutely no attendee travel, even if virtual participation incurs a registration fee, is not a conference. No conference approval is required for virtual participation, but attendees must adhere to all relevant policies. Participation in virtual conferences that require attendee travel meet the JTRJTRJoint Travel Regulations definition of a conference and are subject to this regulation.)