U.S. Army Field Manual
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| U.S. Army Field Manual | |
|---|---|
| Name | U.S. Army Field Manual |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Type | Field manual |
| Status | Active |
U.S. Army Field Manual The U.S. Army Field Manual is the principal doctrinal publication series issued by the United States Army to prescribe tactics, techniques, procedures, and standards for Army formations, units, and personnel. It serves as an authoritative source for operational guidance across branches including infantry, armor, aviation, intelligence, logistics, and civil affairs, and interfaces with allied publications from NATO, the United Kingdom, and partner militaries. The series has evolved in response to conflicts such as the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the Global War on Terrorism, and aligns with joint doctrine from the Joint Chiefs of Staff and interagency frameworks involving the Department of Defense and Department of State.
History and Development
Field manuals trace lineage to early American military practice in the era of the Continental Army and manuals used by leaders like George Washington and Baron von Steuben, whose 18th-century drill regulations influenced Army practice. In the 19th century, doctrine codified by figures such as Winfield Scott and lessons from the Mexican–American War were later refined after the American Civil War and the professionalization movements tied to the United States Military Academy at West Point. The 20th century saw standardization through publications reflecting experiences in the World War I, the World War II campaigns in the European Theatre and the Pacific War, and doctrinal shifts after the Korean War and Vietnam War. The post-Cold War era and operations in Panama, Somalia, Iraq War, and War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) prompted revisions to address counterinsurgency, urban operations, and stability tasks, integrating lessons from commanders and institutions such as the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, U.S. Army War College, and Combined Arms Center.
Organization and Numbering System
The series employs a numbering convention that groups manuals by subject area and echelon, with prefixes and numerical designators indicating function and level of command, coordinated with joint publications from the Joint Chiefs of Staff and allied doctrine from NATO. Manuals are produced by organizations including United States Army Training and Doctrine Command and the Center for Army Lessons Learned, and are cataloged across institutional libraries such as the National Defense University and the Library of Congress. The system aligns career field publications for branches like Infantry, Armor, Aviation, Signal Corps, Military Intelligence, and Medical Corps, facilitating cross-references with doctrine from the United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, and United States Air Force.
Content and Purpose
Field manuals provide doctrine on combined arms maneuver, fire support, reconnaissance, sustainment, command and control, and protection, designed for commanders from company to corps levels and for staff functions at organizations such as the The Pentagon and combatant commands like United States Central Command and United States European Command. Topics cover tactics used in operations including airborne assaults like Operation Market Garden analogues, mechanized operations echoing concepts from Blitzkrieg studies, stability operations informed by Operation Enduring Freedom, and civil-military interaction in contexts akin to Marshall Plan reconstruction frameworks. Manuals integrate doctrine on law of armed conflict considerations tied to instruments such as the Geneva Conventions and coordinate with legal advice from the Judge Advocate General's Corps (United States Army). They also address interoperability with allies in exercises such as Operation Atlantic Resolve and multinational coalitions like those assembled for the Gulf War.
Classification and Distribution
While many field manuals are unclassified and publicly available through institutional repositories, some editions or annexes contain controlled unclassified information or classified content restricted to clearance levels managed by Defense Security Service policies and United States Information Security Classification System. Distribution is handled through channels including the Army Publishing Directorate and unit publication officers, with access governed by policy from the Department of the Army and oversight from commands such as United States Army Forces Command. Historical manuals have been archived by institutions such as the National Archives and Records Administration and used by scholars at universities including Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University.
Revision Process and Doctrine Integration
Revisions result from deliberate doctrinal review cycles, after-action reports from operations like Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, and studies conducted by centers including the Center for Army Lessons Learned, Combined Arms Center, and academic collaborators at Harvard Kennedy School and the RAND Corporation. The process involves doctrinal developers, senior leaders, combat developers, and legal advisers, and coordinates with joint doctrine updates from the Joint Chiefs of Staff and multinational partners such as NATO Allied Command Transformation. Public comment periods, exercises like Saber Strike, and workshops with think tanks such as Brookings Institution and Center for Strategic and International Studies inform changes, which are promulgated through training centers like Fort Leavenworth and Fort Benning.
Influence and Use in Training and Operations
Field manuals underpin curricula at service schools including the United States Army Command and General Staff College and the United States Army War College, and inform collective training at combat training centers such as the National Training Center (Fort Irwin) and the Joint Readiness Training Center. They shape doctrine used by commanders during operations across theaters overseen by combatant commands including United States Indo-Pacific Command and United States Africa Command, and influence allied doctrine development in partner states like the United Kingdom and France. Manuals have also been sources for scholarly analysis by historians of campaigns such as the Normandy landings and analysts at RAND Corporation and Center for a New American Security, and serve as reference for legal adjudication in military commissions and tribunals administered in forums influenced by the International Criminal Court and international law practitioners.