DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY FM 1 UNITED S1T77A5 TES OF AMERICA The Army 14 June 2001 Washington at Newburgh (Establishing the Role of the Military in a Democracy) Following its victory at Yorktown in 1781, the Continental Army moved info quarters near Newburgn, New York to await peace. The national situation was grim. With no war to unify them, the states began defaulting on commitments of support to the weak national government. Corrupt war suppliers created a drain on the treasury. The Continental Congress could not raise the funds to provide pay or pensions to the soldiers who had won the war, some of whom had not been paid for several years. Many officers feared that Congress would disband the Army and renege on its promises. By the winter of 1782-83, tension within the Army's formations had reached a dangerous level. The future of the Republic was in doubt. A group of officers in the teeming camp determined to compel Congress to settle its debts with the threat of military action. They attempted to enlist their victorious commander, General George Washington, to lead their plot. Many other citizens throughout the country hoped Washington would set up a monarchy in place of the ailing government. He refused every appeal, and the rebellious officers made ready to take action without him. On March 15, 1783, Washington entered the officers' assembly and warned them of the grave danger inherent in their scheme. He was having little effect until he retrieved a pair of spectacles from his pocket to read. The officers were astonished. None of them had seen their hero in his eyeglasses, and he seemed to age before them. But his off-hand comment, intended to put them at ease, demonstrated once again the depth of the character that had sustained a revolution. "Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray, but almost blind in the service of my country." The act, the statement, and the power of a leader's example quelled an incipient rebellion. As Jefferson later commented, "The moderation and virtue of a single character probably prevented this revolution from being closed, as most others have been, by a subversion of that Liberty if was intended to establish." Washington's selfless leadership instituted the tradition of civilian control of the military in America. His willing subordination, of himself and the Army he commanded, to civilian authority established the fundamental tenet of our professional ethos. For the first time in history, a professional military force began to flourish in a democratic society. The United States Army is heir to that legacy. Foreword In the decade since the end of the Cold War, the strategic environment has become less stable, more uncertain, and more dangerous. The international order is again in transition. While our traditional adversaries seem less menacing, others have developed the capacity to threaten our national interests. Friction between the forces of integration and disintegration has increased the nature and scope of potential threats. All of our armed forces must be ready to deal with these threats, but land forces alone have the ability to place enough “boots on the ground” and interact with populations, directly and continuously. In this capacity for human interaction, ground forces are unique. The Army provides human interaction—the basis for our warfighting doctrine, our crisis management philosophy, and our engagement strategy. Warfighting is complex, but the historical lessons of the military art, the principles of war, the tenets of Army operations, and our warfighting tactics, techniques, and procedures—all the fundamental imperatives—boil down to several rules of thumb applicable at every level of war. First, we win on the offense; we must be able to defend well, but you win on the offense. Next we want to initiate combat on our terms—at a time, in a place, and with a method of our own choosing—not our adversary’s, our choosing. Third, we want to gain the initiative and retain it for as long as possible—and never surrender it unless forced to. Fourth, we want to build momentum quickly. And finally, we want to win—decisively. These rules of thumb require commanders to master transitions. Transitions—passages of lines, reliefs in place, obstacles and rivers, going from offense to defense and back again, projecting power through airheads and beachheads, and transitioning from peacekeeping and warfighting and back again—sap operational momentum. Mastering transitions is key to setting the conditions for winning decisively. Forces that can do so i FM 1____________________________________________________________ provide strategic flexibility to the National Command Authorities, who need as many options as possible in a crisis. The Army has historically provided those capabilities and options with the versatility and agility of its formations. The Army performs missions today similar to those it has performed throughout our history. The places and the methods differ, but the qualities demanded of The Army are unchanged—an ethos of service to the Nation, the readiness to fight and win wars, and a willingness to accomplish any mission the American people ask of us. As we transform The Army into a force that is strategically responsive and dominant across the full range of military operations, our role as servant to the Nation remains clear. American Soldiers remain the centerpiece of our formation. Their character and our values are the threads from which we make whole cloth. Soldiers define our relationship with the American people—loyalty to the Constitution, the Nation, and its citizens; commitment to service; professional excellence; and obedience to civilian authority. Soldiers accept hardship and danger, and sometimes injury and death, in pursuit of these ideals. For over 226 years, the American people have relied on The Army to protect and defend the Constitution and to guarantee their freedom, security, and interests. The Army serves. ERIC K. SHINSEKI General, United States Army Chief of Staff ii *FM 1 Field Manual Headquarters No. 1 Department of the Army Washington, DC, 14 June 2001 The Army Contents FOREWORD........................................................................i PREFACE..........................................................................iv Chapter 1: THE ARMY AND THE PROFESSION OF ARMS.............1 The Army in American History...........................................2 The Characteristics of Professionalism.............................6 The United States Army as a Profession...........................7 Training............................................................................10 Leadership.......................................................................11 Summary..........................................................................14 Chapter 2: THE STRATEGIC AND JOINT OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT...............................................................15 The National Security Environment.................................15 Enduring National Interests..............................................16 National Military Strategy Formulation.............................17 National Military Objectives..............................................17 The Army in Unified Action—Joint, Multinational, and Interagency Operations....................................................18 Summary..........................................................................20 Chapter 3: THE ARMY IN MILITARY OPERATIONS.......................21 The Army’s Purpose........................................................21 Primary Functions............................................................21 Army Core Competencies................................................22 The Organization of The Army.........................................25 The Army Imperatives......................................................27 Full Spectrum Operations................................................31 Summary..........................................................................32 Chapter 4: THE WAY AHEAD...........................................................33 Future Army Capabilities..................................................33 The Challenge..................................................................35 The Characteristics of Future Operations........................36 Summary..........................................................................37 Distribution Restriction: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. __________ *This publication supersedes FM 100-1, 14 June 1994. iii Preface FM 1, The Army, is The Army’s capstone doctrinal manual prepared under the direction of the Chief of Staff, Army. It tells us who we are, what we do, and how we do it. It points the way to the future and establishes doctrine for employing land power in support of the national security strategy and the national military strategy. It also delineates The Army’s purpose, roles, and functions as established by the Constitution; the Congress in Title 10, USC; and the Department of Defense Directive 5100.1. FM 1 is the Chief of Staff, Army’s guidance to The Army. FM 1’s audience is broad. It includes the National Command Authorities; Congress; Office of the Secretary of Defense; joint staff; combatant commanders; other services; officers, noncommissioned officers, and Soldiers of The Army; and Department of the Army civilians. The Army provides combatant commanders with trained and ready forces capable of decisive action across the range of military operations and spectrum of conflict. Therefore, Army doctrine must support and be consistent with joint doctrine to ensure the full integration of Army land power capabilities into both joint and multinational military operations. FM 1 connects Army doctrine to joint doctrine as expressed in the relevant joint doctrinal publications, especially Joint Publication 1, Joint Warfare of the Armed Forces of the United States, and Joint Publication 3-0, Doctrine for Joint Operations. FM 1 also links the national security strategy and the national military strategy with The Army’s operational doctrine in FM 3-0, Operations (formerly FM 100-5); The Army’s training doctrine in FM 7-0 Training (formerly FM 25-100); The Army’s leadership doctrine in FM 6-22, Leadership (formerly FM 22-100); and The Army’s logistics doctrine in FM 4-0, Combat Service Support (formerly FM 100-10). FM 1 refers to the United States Army in two ways. First, “the Army” refers to the history of the United States Army—the Army that has rendered magnificent service to the American people during war and peace. Second, “The Army” refers to the United States Army of today, one that looks to the future. All members of The Army—active and reserve component Soldiers, civilians, family members, retirees, and veterans—celebrate The Army’s unity of purpose and bring to it their commitment to serve the Nation. The Army Team is more than just the Soldiers who wear the uniform and the civilians who support them. The Army Team includes the family iv Preface members of our Soldiers and civilians, as well as our veterans and retirees. In the last 30 years, the number of married Soldiers has risen dramatically, making family readiness an increasingly important consideration in all aspects of Army life. The Army’s veterans are Americans who have served their country with honor and have made invaluable contributions to The Army and the Nation. Though they no longer wear the uniform, many still serve in supporting capacities. All have made sacrifices, but The Army is committed to improving the well- being of the service to a level commensurate with the society it serves. For many, soldiering continues to be an affair of the heart. v Chapter 1 The Army and the Profession of Arms [Y]ou may fly over a land forever; you may bomb it, atomize it, pulverize it and wipe it clean of life—but if you desire to defend it, protect it, and keep it for civilization, you must do this on the ground, the way the Roman legions did, by putting your young men into the mud. T.R. Fehrenbach This Kind of War The Army serves the Nation. We defend America’s Constitution and our way of life. We protect America’s security and our Nation’s interests. We answer the Nation’s call to serve whenever and wherever required. We must prepare for decisive action in all operations. But above all, we are ready to fight and win the Nation’s wars—our nonnegotiable contract with the American people. The Army is, and will remain, the preeminent land warfighting force in the world. We serve as the ultimate guarantor of our way of life. Secretary of War Elihu Root wrote, at the dawn of the last century, “The real object of having an army is to prepare for war.” He continued, “The regular establishment in the United States will probably never be by itself the whole machine with which any war will be fought.” But Root also knew that the United States Army does much more than fight wars. Even as he wrote, the Army was establishing civil governments in recently acquired territories around the world and providing disaster relief after a hurricane. After fighting a war with Spain, the Army had reduced its strength but was recruiting a new force to conduct contingency operations in the Philippines. As we enter the 21st century, Secretary Root’s themes remain. The Army—active component and reserve components—continues to provide trained and ready warfighting land forces capable of decisive action across a full range of military missions for joint, multinational, and interagency operations. The Army organizes, equips, and trains Soldiers to fight. The Army fights wars, but it does a great deal more than that—and always has. During peace the Army focuses its capabilities on conducting operations to deter war, but if deterrence fails, it delivers a decisive victory. Fundamental to deterrence is the credible, demonstrated capacity to 1 FM 1 fight and win. This kind of credibility is achieved through rigorous, realistic training; sound doctrine; tough, disciplined, and fearless Soldiers; inspired leadership; modernized equipment; and a mix of organizations and capabilities that provides strategically responsive, deployable, sustainable, versatile, agile, lethal, and survivable striking power. Army forces with these characteristics can shape the strategic environment to reduce the causes for conflict before crises occur. If such proactive measures fail, The Army is capable of managing crises and conducting prompt, sustained, decisive land combat as part of the joint force. Army forces conduct offensive, defensive, stability, and support operations as part of a combatant commander’s campaign. The Army’s actions may include forcible entry from the land, sea, or air; decisive fires and maneuver; closing with and destroying a determined enemy; sustaining a joint force; setting conditions for a return to self-sustaining peace; and securing our homeland. The Army in American History Often it serves to reflect on history to find direction for the future. . . In October 1781 our Army was neither fully manned nor equipped. But strong, positive leaders and determined courageous soldiers won final victory at Yorktown, ensuring freedom for the Nation. John O. Marsh, Jr. former Secretary of the Army For 226 years, the United States Army has served the American people in peace and in war. Unified by a dedication to individual freedom, cit- izens from all walks of life formed the Continental Army in 1775. Wanting for every resource of warfare, the Continentals drew strength from strong leadership and selfless patriotism. Battles at Lexington, Concord, and Long Island, and the crucible of Valley Forge molded the heritage of service and sacrifice that won our Nation’s freedom and sus- tains The Army’s unique relationship with the Nation today. Citizen- soldiers have been the centerpiece to our formations ever since. In 1781, with the support of our French allies, the Continental Army defeated the British at Yorktown and secured for the Nation the liberties so eloquently stated in the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. 2