ADP 6-22

ADP 6-22
Title	ADP 6-22
Publisher	United States Army
Pubdate	2019
Type	Doctrine Publication
Subject	Leadership
Preceded by	ADP 6-22 (2012)

ADP 6-22 is a doctrine publication issued by the United States Army that codifies leadership principles, attributes, and practices for Army leaders at all echelons. It synthesizes historical precedent, contemporary operational experience, and professional military education to offer prescriptive guidance for commanders, staff officers, and noncommissioned officers across the force. The publication connects enduring leadership concepts with contemporary challenges faced by formations ranging from brigade combat teams to unified combatant commands.

Background and Development

ADP 6-22 arose from a lineage of Army leadership manuals and doctrine that trace to publications used by the Continental Army, the Union Army, and 20th-century reforms after the Spanish–American War. Development drew on lessons from the World War I mobilization, World War II combined arms campaigns, and counterinsurgency operations during the Vietnam War and the Iraq War. Contributors included scholars from the United States Military Academy, instructors from the Command and General Staff College, and practitioners in Forces Command and Training and Doctrine Command. Institutional reviews following operations in Afghanistan and stability operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina informed revisions alongside insights from civilian leadership literature exemplified by studies originating at institutions like the Harvard Kennedy School and the Center for Naval Analyses.

Purpose and Scope

The publication's purpose is to provide a common framework for leader development across the United States Army and to harmonize leader expectations with the needs of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and partner militaries including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Its scope addresses officers, warrant officers, and noncommissioned officers from platoon to corps levels, integrating with professional military education at institutions such as the United States Army War College and the School of Advanced Military Studies. It situates leader tasks within multinational operations alongside allies like the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, and interagency partners including Department of State and humanitarian organizations involved in contingency operations.

Leadership Principles and Attributes

ADP 6-22 enumerates core leadership principles and attributes derived from doctrinal predecessors and historical exemplars, linking concepts manifested by figures like George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Norman Schwarzkopf. Attributes parallel discussions of moral courage and competence found in studies of leaders such as Eleanor Roosevelt in diplomacy contexts and Chester W. Nimitz in operational command. It emphasizes competencies in decision-making visible in the careers of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover and General Colin Powell, and stresses ethics and character consistent with values upheld by recipients of honors like the Medal of Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The text frames leadership as an interplay of mission command, trust, and judgment, connecting to historical doctrines applied in the Battle of Gettysburg, the Normandy landings, and the Gulf War.

Implementation and Training

Implementation guidance ties leader development to institutional training centers such as Fort Leavenworth, Fort Benning, and Fort Bragg, and to resident courses at the United States Military Academy and the Noncommissioned Officer Academy. It specifies leader development strategies that integrate with professional certifications and exercises like Warrior Exercise scenarios, combined training with the Marine Corps, United States Air Force, and allied forces during events like Exercises Joint Pacific. The publication recommends methods drawn from adult learning research used at the Naval Postgraduate School and civilian executive programs at Stanford Graduate School of Business to cultivate critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and resiliency among leaders.

Reception and Impact

Reception among practitioners, educators, and allied militaries reflected debate mirroring historical critiques of doctrine seen after Operation Market Garden and reviews of Vietnam War strategy. Some commanders praised its clarity for small-unit leader development in deployments to locations like Kandahar and Mosul, while scholars at institutions such as the RAND Corporation and the Brookings Institution examined its assumptions about leader autonomy and cultural competence. Training centers reported measurable changes in curricula at the Infantry School and the Armor School, and partner militaries in Japan and South Korea noted its influence on bilateral leader development exchanges.

Revisions and Related Doctrine

Revisions to the publication followed iterative updates reflecting operational lessons from campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, doctrinal alignment with the Joint Publication series, and coordination with service-level leadership manuals from the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. Related doctrine includes publications on mission command, professional military education guidance from the Department of Defense, and leadership materials used by institutions like the National Defense University. Subsequent updates incorporated human performance research emerging from collaborations with organizations such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and health studies from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to refine leader development principles.

Category:United States Army doctrine