United States Army Field Manuals are published by the United States Army's Army Publishing Directorate. They contain detailed information and how-tos for procedures important to soldiers serving in the field.
As of July 2007, some 542 field manuals were in use.[1][needs update] Starting in 2010, the U.S. Army began review and revision of all of its doctrinal publications, under the initiative "Doctrine 2015". Since then, the most important doctrine have been published in Army Doctrine Publications (ADP) and Army Doctrine Reference Publications (ADRP), replacing the former key Field Manuals. Army Techniques Publications (ATP), Army Training Circulars (TC), and Army Technical Manuals (TM) round out the new suite of doctrinal publications. Not all FMs are being rescinded; 50 select Field Manuals will continue to be published, periodically reviewed and revised. They are usually available to the public at low cost or free electronically. Many websites have begun collecting PDF versions of Army Field Manuals, Technical Manuals, and Weapon Manuals.[2] The Library of Congress maintains a list of every Field Manual published between the 1940s to the 1970s.[3]
According to The New York Times, the Army has started to "wikify" certain field manuals, allowing any authorized user to update the manuals.[4] This process, specifically using the MediaWiki arm of the military's professional networking application, milSuite, was recognized by the White House as an Open Government Initiative in 2010.[5]
On 6 March 1989 General Alfred M. Gray Jr. published FMFM-1 (later, MCDP-1) Warfighting. This document would serve as a foundation to cement the Marine Corps' distinction as an independent force and demonstrate commitment to the doctrine of maneuver warfare. It was part of an increased commitment to military education as Marine Corps University was initiated to modernize the professional Marine.
