Deciding what Has to be Done: General William E. DePuy and the 1976 Edition of FM 100--5, OperationsThis paper deals with the writing of doctrine and focuses on the efforts of General DePuy, the first TRADOC commander, to forge a coherent fighting doctrine for an increasingly complex Army in a time of turmoil. While the author praises DePuy's emphasis on doctrine and doctrinal change, he charges DePuy with creating a document that failed to engender confidence and thus had to be replaced. Nevertheless, DePuy's important manual revealed a new role for doctrine and sparked a doctrinal renaissance int he Army that led directly to today's widely accepted AirLandBattle doctrine. This demonstrates that a well- conceived doctrine is critical to the Army and the nation, describes why doctrine is so difficult to formulate, places doctrine at the center of peacetime professionalism, and admonishes the Army not to become complacent about the contents of its field manuals. |
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90th Infantry Division A. P. Hill Abrams active defense air defense Air Force air-land battle airmobility Arab-Israeli Armor School Army's doctrine ARTEP artillery attack author by Colonel battalion brigades Brownlee and Mullen chapter chief of staff combat developments Combined Arms Center corps DePuy believed DePuy Papers DePuy's Doctrinal Development Doctrine Command draft concept paper edition of FM enemy enemy's equipment Europe fight FORSCOM Fort Benning Fort Knox Fort Leavenworth Fort Monroe Fort Polk German Army headquarters helicopter ideas important Infantry School Interview with Brownlee Israeli Knox Leavenworth Lieutenant Colonel Major General Cushman Major General Starry materiel mechanized infantry MICV military mission NATO nuclear weapons numbers October October War officers operations overwatch Panzergrenadier problems scenarios sect soldiers Soviet Starry's Tactical Doctrine tank techniques terrain THO Files TRADOC commander Training and Doctrine U.S. Army Command U.S. Army Training U.S. Army's units Vietnam warfare Warsaw Pact weapons systems William E World War II