US Army FM 3-0, Feb 2008

[M1A1TC]

Just received the newest Field Manual since 2001. Its Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Here is a Foreword:

Foreword

America is at war, and we live in a world where global terrorism and extremist ideologies are

realities. The Army has analytically looked at the future, and we believe our Nation will

continue to be engaged in an era of “persistent conflict”—a period of protracted

confrontation among states, nonstate, and individual actors increasingly willing to use

violence to achieve their political and ideological ends.

The operational environment in which this persistent conflict will be waged will be complex,

multidimensional, and increasingly fought “among the people.” Previously, we sought to

separate people from the battlefield so that we could engage and destroy enemies and seize

terrain. While we recognize our enduring requirement to fight and win, we also recognize that

people are frequently part of the terrain and their support is a principal determinant of success

in future conflicts.

This edition of FM 3-0, the first update since September 11, 2001, is a revolutionary

departure from past doctrine. It describes an operational concept where commanders employ

offensive, defensive, and stability or civil support operations simultaneously as part of

an interdependent joint force to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative, accepting

prudent risk to create opportunities to achieve decisive results. Just as the 1976 edition of

FM 100-5 began to take the Army from the rice paddies of Vietnam to the battlefield of

Western Europe, this edition will take us into the 21st century urban battlefields among the

people without losing our capabilities to dominate the higher conventional end of the

spectrum of conflict.

Ours is a doctrinally-based Army. FM 3-0 provides the intellectual underpinnings that lie at

the core of how our Army will organize, train, equip, and conduct operations in this new

environment. It recognizes that we will achieve victory in this changed environment of

persistent conflict only by conducting military operations in concert with diplomatic,

informational, and economic efforts. Battlefield success is no longer enough; final victory

requires concurrent stability operations to lay the foundation for lasting peace.

Although the strategic environment and operational concepts have changed, Soldiers remain

the centerpiece and foundation of the Army—as they have been since 1775. These

Soldiers are led by leaders proficient in their core competencies, sufficiently broad to adapt to

conditions across the spectrum of conflict, and courageous enough to see enemy

vulnerabilities and exploit opportunities in the challenges and complexities of our operating

environments. As leaders, it is our obligation to understand and be proficient at employing

Soldiers in full spectrum operations. We must read, study, understand, and implement the

doctrine in FM 3-0.

WILLIAM S. WALLACE

General, U.S. Army

Commander

U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command

[gibsonm]

Sounds like the US Army has decided to formally adopt the USMC’s “three block war” concept.

[hoolaman]

Sounds like the preamble to the CMSF manual.

You could take that as a compliment to BFC or an insult to the US army depending on your POV.

(No slight is intended to either!)

[ February 29, 2008, 03:49 AM: Message edited by: Hoolaman ]