TECHNICAL MANUAL DEFICIENCY REPORT TMDER

The Technical Manual Deficiency/Evaluation Report (TMDER) is the Navy's standard mechanism for reporting errors, omissions, discrepancies, or improvement suggestions in NAVSEA and NAVWAR technical manuals. Fleet sailors, maintainers, and other technical-manual users file a TMDER (NAVSEA/NAVWAR Form 4160/1) so the responsible activity can investigate and correct the manual. TMDERs are processed by the Naval Systems Data Support Activity (NSDSA), a Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division activity that manages NAVSEA's technical-manual program on NAVSEA's behalf.

What it is

TMDER is a standardized feedback form, not a standalone application — a paper or electronic report used to flag a problem in a specific technical manual: a missing step, an incorrect measurement or troubleshooting procedure, an omitted safety precaution, unclear instructions, or illegible text or illustrations. One copy of NAVSEA Form 4160/1 is printed at the back of each NAVSEA/NAVWAR technical manual. Submitting a TMDER for more than one publication requires a separate report per publication.

Who operates it

NSDSA, at Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division, processes TMDERs as NAVSEA's designated agent for technical-manual matters. All submitted deficiency comments are investigated, and originators are advised of the resulting action.

Access

TMDER submission is publicly available to technical-manual users; no CAC or special clearance is required to file a report, though the preferred electronic path has changed. Historically, the Technical Data Management Information System (TDMIS) at mercury.tdmis.navy.mil was the preferred electronic submission route for account holders, with the NSDSA website used to generate/submit a TMDER for those without a TDMIS account. Users without electronic access can still submit hardcopy via NAVSEA/SPAWAR Form 4160/1 mailed to: Commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Naval Systems Data Support Activity, ATTN: Code 310 Bldg 1389 TMDERs, 4363 Missile Way, Port Hueneme, CA 93043-4307. The NSDSA Customer Service Help Desk ((805) 228-0669 / DSN 296-0669) assists with TDMIS/account questions and can also be reached by submitting a Customer Service Request via the NSDSA website.

How logisticians use it

Maintenance personnel, ship's force, training activities, supply points, depots, and shipyards use TMDER whenever they find a technical manual doesn't match reality — a wrong torque value, a missing warning, an outdated part number — so NSDSA and the responsible technical activity can correct the manual for every future user. This keeps the Navy's technical-manual corpus accurate for maintenance, safety, and training purposes.

Related systems

TMDER relates to NSDSA's broader technical-manual management mission, to the (now-retired) TDMIS system and its Model Based Product Support (MBPS) successor for digital technical-manual access, and to materiel-level deficiency reporting programs such as PQDR (Product Quality Deficiency Report) and JDRS, which address hardware/materiel defects rather than documentation errors.