Army Chief announces new training doctrine

National Guard, Nov 2002

NEWSBREAKS

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki announced a new Army training manual Oct. 22 in a speech at the annual meeting of the Association of the United States Army in Washington, D.C.

"FM 7-0 Training the Force" differs from the earlier field manual (FM 25-- 100) in that it combines training and leadership development into one program, establishes the linkage to joint, multinational and interagency operations and synchronizes Army Training doctrine with the full spectrum of Army operations.

The changes stem from findings of the Army Training and Leader Development Conferences.

Shinseki noted that the old training doctrine encompassed in FM 25-100 enabled "soldiers to win the Cold War, defeat Iraq in Operation Desert Storm and dominate the battlefield during operations in Panama, Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan." But interviews showed that it could be improved. FM 7-0 retained the basic tenets of FM 25-- 100 and updated them to reflect the contemporary operating environment, Army transformation and technology.

He said this new training doctrine is "designed to leverage the war-fighting and collective training experience from across our formations and more fully utilize the knowledge of our master trainers - our non-commissioned officers."

FM 7-0 will be followed soon by the publication of FM 7-1, "Battle Focused Training," which updates FM 25-101 of the same name. FM 7-0 is the capstone, overarching Army training doctrine, while FM 7-1 deals with the specifics of "how to train."

Shinseki said this updated doctrine is intended to provide a vehicle to enhance Army training based on the new strategic environment. While the doctrine may be changing, unit commanders still maintain responsibility for all training, he said.

Similarly, training and leadership development continue to be the Army's top priority for the current and future operating environment that will endure to the post-transformation "Objective Force."