The purpose of this guide is to provide information on and links to Army Large Unit Doctrine. This includes Field Service Regulations, Field Manuals, Army Doctrine Publications (ADP) and Army Doctrine Reference Publications (ADRP) for divisions, corps, and armies.
Feel free to e-mail Ask-a-Librarian or call (913) 758-3053 if you have questions or comments concerning this guide.
Image source: Army Publishing Directorate
Ike Skelton Combined Arms Research Library Digital Library
The CARL provides some doctrine (lFMs, ARs, DAPAMS, and others) through our Obsolete Military Manuals Collection. Obsolete military manuals are frequently used by researchers to understand the thought process and operating environment of the military during a certain time frame. The publications in this collection are no longer current doctrine or current operating procedures. They are retained for their historical value.
U.S. Army Doctrine by
From the American Revolution to the global war on terror, U.S. Army doctrine has evolved to regulate the chaos of armed conflict by providing an intellectual basis for organizing, training, equipping, and operating the military. Walter E. Kretchik analyzes the service's keystone doctrine over three centuries to reveal that the army's leadership is more forward thinking and adaptive than has been generally believed. The first comprehensive history of Army doctrine, Kretchik's book fully explores the principles that have shaped the Army's approach to warfare. From Regulations For the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States in 1779 to modern-day field manuals, it reflects the fashioning of doctrine to incorporate the lessons of past wars and minimize the uncertainty and dangers of battle. Kretchik traces Army doctrine through four distinct eras: 1779-1904, when guidelines were compiled by single authors or a board of officers in tactical drill manuals; 1905-1944, when the Root Reforms fixed doctrinal responsibility with the General Staff; 1944-1962, the era of multiservice doctrine; and, beginning in 1962, coalition warfare with its emphasis on interagency cooperation. He reveals that doctrine has played a significant role in the Army's performance throughout its history-although not always to its advantage, as it has often failed to anticipate accurately the nature of the "next war" and still continues to be locked in a debate between advocates of conventional warfare and those who emphasize counterinsurgency approaches. Each chapter presents individuals who helped define and articulate Army doctrine during each period of its history-including George Washington and Baron von Steuben in the eighteenth century, Emory Upton and Arthur Wagner in the nineteenth, and Elihu Root and William DePuy in the twentieth. Each identifies the "first principles" set down in manuals covering such topics as tactics, operations, and strategy; size, organization, and distribution of forces; and the promise and challenges of technological innovation. Each also presents specific cases that analyze how effectively the Army actually applied a particular era's doctrine. Doctrine remains the basis of instruction in the Army school system, ensuring that all officers and enlisted soldiers share a common intellectual framework. This book elucidates that framework for the first time.
Armies, Corps, Divisions, and Separate Brigades by Bibliographies are lists of books and other materials on a topic. In addition to providing titles of sources, reading through a bibliography can be useful for generating search terms and subtopics.
The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (AHEC) has several bibliographies related to military doctrine.
In 1984 The Combat Studies Institute (CSI), Fort Leavenworth, published a bibliography about larger units as well.