Since it always has the most current information, ASSIST is the official source for specifications and standards used by the Department of Defense. There are 115,698 technical documents indexed in ASSIST, and the ASSIST document database has 249,859 PDF files associated with 88,303 of the indexed documents. There are 181,448 registered ASSIST users and 24,321 active accounts. Managed by the Defense Standardization Program Automation Office (DSPAO) in Philadelphia, PA, ASSIST provides free access to DSP technical documents that have been cleared for public release.
Registered users may search for documents, identify standardization points-of-contact, generate numerous standard or custom reports, and establish profiles to receive customized e-mail alerts when a preparing activity undertakes a project to develop or modify a document, posts a draft for coordination, or publishes a new or revised document. There are several ways to search for documents. Depending on the method selected, search terms entered, or filters selected, a search may locate a single document or return a list of documents. Each listed document has a unique identifier (called a Document ID) and each is linked to a Document Details page that displays information about the document and lists all available document parts comprising that document's revision history.
If a file is available, a PDF (
) icon is displayed next to the document
part. Clicking on the icon opens the file in PDF format and it can then be saved or printed by clicking on the
appropriate icon near the bottom of the screen. If the file is a warehouse item only available as a printed publication,
a shopping cart icon (
) is displayed to the left of the
document part. Clicking the icon opens an ordering form where a user must enter an address (or confirm one
previously entered) to where the document should be mailed. When a padlock icon (
)
is displayed to the left of a document part, it means distribution of that file is controlled.
ASSIST includes more than documents and document metadata. ASSIST also serves as a portal to, and is closely integrated with, the Qualified Products Database (QPD), which is the official DoD site for identifying parts and sources approved by DoD qualifying activities.