DA Form 5025-G-R: Physical Security Checklist vs Terrorist

DA Form 5025-G-R: Physical Security Checklist vs Terrorist – This U.S. Army form serves as a specialized continuation checklist for incorporating physical security measures into facility design to mitigate terrorist threats. It supports engineers, security planners, and project teams in documenting and evaluating protective features during construction or renovation projects.

What Is DA Form 5025-G-R?

DA Form 5025-G-R is a locally reproducible (LRA) continuation sheet of the broader Design Data Checklist series (DA Form 5025 series). Dated around January 1987, Section G focuses specifically on physical security enhancements against terrorist threats.

It functions as a structured tool for:

  • Documenting site-specific security requirements.
  • Ensuring compliance with antiterrorism and force protection standards.
  • Guiding the integration of protective measures into building and site design.

While older, it aligns with enduring U.S. Army and DoD principles for security engineering. Modern projects reference updated Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) that evolved from similar checklists.

Purpose and Importance in U.S. Army and DoD Projects

The primary goal is to systematically address vulnerabilities to terrorist tactics, such as vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs), standoff attacks, forced entry, and ballistic threats. Using this checklist helps:

  • Reduce risk to personnel, assets, and infrastructure.
  • Support compliance with DoD antiterrorism programs.
  • Facilitate risk management by identifying threats, vulnerabilities, and mitigation strategies.

In the United States, this is critical for military installations, where force protection remains a top priority amid evolving domestic and international threats.

Key Elements Covered in the Design Data Checklist (Section G)

Although exact item-by-item content varies by project, typical checklist areas (drawn from related security design practices) include:

  • Perimeter Security and Standoff Distances — Barriers, clear zones, vehicle access controls, and minimum distances to protect against blast effects.
  • Building Envelope and Hardening — Window glazing, walls, roofs, and doors designed to resist blast, ballistic, and forced entry threats.
  • Access Control Points (ACPs) — Gates, inspection facilities, and screening procedures.
  • Security Lighting and Surveillance — Illumination levels, CCTV integration, and detection systems.
  • Structural and Blast Mitigation — Progressive collapse prevention, interior layout to minimize hazards, and equipment anchoring.
  • Utility and Infrastructure Protection — Secure locations for mechanical, electrical, and HVAC systems to prevent tampering or contamination.
  • Site Layout Considerations — Placement of parking, loading areas, and high-occupancy zones relative to potential threats.

The “Cont’d” version (5025-G-R) provides additional space for detailed comments, assumptions, drawings references, and justifications.

How to Use DA Form 5025-G-R in Facility Projects?

  1. Initiate During Planning — Integrate early in the design phase alongside UFC 4-020-01 (Security Engineering Facilities Planning).
  2. Complete Collaboratively — Involve security engineers, antiterrorism officers, civil engineers, and architects.
  3. Document and Justify — Note compliance or deviations with references to threat assessments and standards.
  4. Review and Update — Use during design reviews, construction, and for major renovations (often triggered at >50% replacement cost thresholds in current UFC guidance).
  5. Archive for Compliance — Retain as part of project records for inspections and audits.

For current DoD projects, pair it with UFC 4-010-01 DoD Minimum Antiterrorism Standards for Buildings, which sets baseline requirements for standoff, glazing, doors, and more.

Relation to Modern DoD Standards (UFC and Beyond)

The principles in DA Form 5025-G-R directly inform today’s standards:

  • UFC 4-010-01 — Minimum antiterrorism standards for new and existing inhabited buildings.
  • UFC 4-020-01 — Planning and performance-based criteria development.
  • UFC 4-026-01 — Design to resist forced entry.

These emphasize layered protection (deter, detect, delay, respond) and are mandatory for DoD-funded construction in the United States.

Best Practices for Physical Security Against Terrorist Threats

  • Conduct thorough threat and vulnerability assessments.
  • Prioritize standoff distance and perimeter hardening.
  • Incorporate Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles.
  • Plan for scalability with Force Protection Condition (FPCON) changes.
  • Integrate electronic security systems (IDS, CCTV) with physical barriers.
  • Ensure designs account for vehicle, pedestrian, and insider threats.

Why This Matters for U.S. Military Installations Today?

Terrorist threats continue to evolve, including domestic extremism and vehicle attacks. Proper use of design checklists like DA Form 5025-G-R (and successor UFC standards) saves lives, protects mission capabilities, and optimizes resource allocation.

Note: Always consult the latest Army Publishing Directorate (APD) resources, installation security offices, or WBDG.org for current forms and UFC documents. Forms and standards are subject to updates based on emerging threats and policy.

For official copies or guidance on DA Form 5025-G-R and related security engineering, visit Army Publishing Directorate or contact your local Corps of Engineers or installation protection office. This article is for informational purposes and does not replace official DoD policy.