Publication of FMFM-1 'Warfighting'event

marine-corpsmaneuver-warfaredoctrinefmfm-1warfightingal-gray
1989-03-06 · 1 min read · Edit on Pyrite

Under Commandant General Alfred M. Gray Jr., the Marine Corps published Fleet Marine Force Manual 1 (FMFM-1) "Warfighting" — the capstone doctrinal publication that formally codified maneuver warfare as the Marine Corps' warfighting philosophy. The 77-page manual, largely written by Captain John Schmitt with input from Boyd and other maneuver warfare advocates, reads like a distillation of Boyd's briefings: it emphasizes tempo, surprise, combined arms, decentralized command (Auftragstaktik), and the exploitation of uncertainty. Boyd's concepts of orientation, the OODA loop, Schwerpunkt, and Fingerspitzengefuehl permeate the document, though Boyd is not credited by name. FMFM-1 (later redesignated MCDP-1) remains in force today and is considered one of the finest military doctrinal publications ever written.