Standard operating procedure

Standard Operating Procedure(s) or SOPs (pronounced letter by letter, ie ESS OH PEE(s) ) is a military term used to describe a procedure or set of procedures to perform a given operation or evloutions or in reaction to a given event.

SOPs are usually written and apply to a given unit or formation. Typcially they are promulagted by unit leaders, but are based on unit experience. They are normally approved by the unit's Officer Commanding or Commanding Officer.

SOPs differ from tactics, strategy in that they are unit orientated and formulated and are not the product of the unit's parent service's doctrinal sources. In cases where the unit's SOP cover the same topics/area as the unit's parent service doctrine, the SOP may be considered to be the unit's interpretation of the offical doctrine.

SOPs often cover areas where official doctrine is lacking, or extremely broad.

SOPs also differ from standing orders in that they may be disregarded or itnerpreted as required by the situtation.