The task of familiarizing oneself with Army doctrine can be both daunting and confusing. With the information being so readily accessible, becoming doctrinally fluent should be as simple as firing up ArmyPubs for some leisurely reading. But with the high rate of change in publication and the breadth of publications available (ADPs, FMs, ATPs, ARs, etc…) it is no surprise that many young leaders have difficulty understanding where to begin their studies.
This article serves to demystify Army’s official body of knowledge and provide a foundation of understanding to foster self-study. We examine four different categories of Army publications and provide recommended readings for each. While the focus of the piece is specifically doctrine (defined in the following paragraph), it also introduces other publications that are of critical importance to aspiring leaders.* Study and application of regulations, doctrine, and other publications is an ongoing endeavor that must be sustained throughout the span of a career. As in all professions, the earlier and more broadly one immerses them self in their professional body of knowledge, the more successfully they will access and apply it.
*Suggested readings selected primarily based on their applicability to the primary audience (cadets and new lieutenants).
The Basics
Army publications fall into four categories. Doctrine includes Army Doctrine Publications (ADPs), Field Manuals (FM), and Army Techniques Publications (ATP). These publications cover, “conduct of operations”, or how missions are planned, prepared, executed, and assessed in practice (as opposed to training). Army regulations and pamphlets provide guidance and policy for administrative topics. These publications prescribe “right and left limits” for Soldiers and leaders, such as AR 600-20 Army Command Policy, which dictates policies and programs that commanders at all levels must support and enforce. Training Publications, like Training Circular (TC) 3-21.76 Ranger Handbook, provide guidance for training specific tasks. Finally, Technical Publications, including Technical Manuals, Lubrication Orders, etc., list technical specifications, maintenance instructions, and component listings for specific equipment.
Army Doctrine Publications
Army Doctrine Publications (ADPs) are the backbone of the Army’s intellectual body of knowledge. According to ADP 1-01 Doctrine Primer, they address “fundamental principles”. Because no definition is complete without further definitions, the primer goes on to define a principle as, “a comprehensive and fundamental rule or an assumption of central importance that guides how an organization approaches and thinks about the conduct of operations.” Think of ADPs like textbooks- they won’t necessarily tell you how to execute a task, but they will explain the rules and framework that govern it. There are currently 16 ADPs which cover broad topics including each of the six warfighting functions, military terms and symbols (save this one to your desktop), and training.
The Primer
What better place to begin your familiarization with Army Doctrine than the publication designed to do just that. ADP 1-01 Doctrine Primer describes the role and structure of Army doctrine and defines terms critical to understanding the doctrinal canon. At only forty-four pages, the document can easily be knocked out in a couple of hours. If you read nothing else, cover chapters 2 and 4; you will gain an appreciation of the overall structure of Army and Joint doctrine, and you’ll learn the terms critical to understanding further works. If you finish ADP 1-01 and are hungry for more overarching principles, ADP 1 The Army and ADP 3-0 Operations are important reads atop the Army doctrine hierarchy. Additionally, ADP 6-22 Army Leadership and the Profession describes (among other things) the Army Leadership Requirements Model- the standard of competencies and attributes all Army leaders are expected to demonstrate.
Field Manuals
If ADPs are the “what” of Army operations, then FMs are the “how”. Specifically, they describe, “how the Army and its organizations conduct and train for operations,” and contain practical knowledge on the conduct of broad categories of operations. Additionally, FMs contain “procedures” which, unlike techniques, are prescriptive ways to accomplish tasks. Some FMs address how the Army conducts operations in specific environments (desert and jungle), or operations at various echelons (ie. Brigade Combat Team). Some FMs cover categories of operations that specifically address warfighting functions, such as FM 4-0 Sustainment. Others serve as sub-categories or components of said warfighting functions, such as FM 4-40 Quartermaster Operations.
The Training Bible
Operations are the focal point upon which all Army efforts are oriented, and as stated in FM 7-0 Train to Win in a Complex World, “Training is the most important thing that the Army does to prepare for operations”. Whereas overarching principles on training can be found in ADP 7-0 Training, FM 7-0 contains practical training guidance. Topics include training proficiency standards, leaders’ roles in training, and how units nest training within that of their higher headquarters. Chapter 3 is a particularly good read for junior leaders because it addresses practical considerations for conducting training, including a detailed discussion of the 8-Step Training Model and how training is evaluated and assessed. As you become responsible for training, whether it be for other Cadets, or for the training of your Platoon as a PL, FM 7-0 will prove a valuable resource used by leaders at all echelons.
Army Techniques Publications
ATPs, as the name suggests, list techniques as opposed to principles. Due to the specialized nature of the techniques, ATPs are more detailed and specific in scope than ADPs or FMs. Like a playbook for a football team, ATPs provide, “ways or methods”, for accomplishing tasks but are not prescriptive. Some of these publications are applicable to specific elements, such as 3-20.15 Tank Platoon. Others address specific functions or categories of operations, such as ATP 3-90.37 Countering Improvised Explosive Devices. If you find yourself searching for best practices to establish your unit’s “tactics, techniques, and procedures,” ATPs are a great place to start.
The Counseling Process
It is likely that you already have some familiarization with Army counseling. Ideally, your cadre or cadet leaders took the time to formally counsel you upon your arrival to your program or academy, and periodically thereafter. As you progress as a cadet and certainly upon commissioning, counseling becomes a significant and regular responsibility. ATP 6-22.1 The Counseling Process details useful techniques, approaches, and issues encountered in counseling in a concise format. Counseling could (and probably will) be the topic for an entirely separate article; it can be awkward and intimidating for young leaders, particularly when counseling a more experienced Non-Commissioned Officer. That NCO you’re counseling— he’s read ATP 6-22.1. Don’t you think you should read it too?
Other Publications to Read
Army Regulations and Department of the Army Pamphlets are numerous and often dense. That aside, many of them govern critical administrative functions that will directly affect you and your Soldiers. AR 600-8-10 Leaves and Passes, AR 600-8-22 Army Awards, and AR 600-9 Army Body Composition Program are worth a skim. You will no doubt reference them often. DA Pam 600-3 Officer Professional Development and Career Management is a critically important reference throughout an officer’s career. It is essentially a road map to the key positions and education required for your advancement.
Finally, there is one category of publications that officers routinely fail to read— Technical Manuals (TMs). While you aren’t the end user for most of the platoon’s equipment, you are accountable for its use and maintenance. How can you know that it is being properly used or maintained? Are you basing your judgement on concrete knowledge, or on potentially dubious facts you heard? TM 9-3005-319-10 is the operator’s manual for the M16/M4-series of rifles/carbines. As perhaps the most ubiquitous piece of equipment in the inventory, this is a good place to start.
The Time to Read is Now
“A serious problem in planning against American doctrine is that the Americans do not read their manuals, nor do they feel any obligation to follow their doctrine.” This dubious and often joked-about quote highlights a brand of arrogant, “shoot from the hip” leadership that is detrimental. It’s true that our Army has long prided itself on tactical flexibility and has now fully embraced that idea through mission command philosophy. Perhaps in previous wars, made up largely of conscripted forces, doctrinal ignorance was more accepted (probably not). In today’s professional, volunteer force, leaders must embrace the doctrine that represents hundreds of years of hard-learned lessons. You owe it to your troops to be doctrinally fluent and to engage in self-study. Only by doing so can you exercise the tactical competence that gives professionally trained and led formations a decisive advantage.
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