FM 3-05 Army Special Operations

By Special warfare

Article published on: April 1st, 2024 in the Spring 2024 issue 1 of special warfare

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Field Manual (FM) 3-05, Army Special Operations, is being revised will soon be populating inboxes to ellicit your critique and commentary. This update of Army special operations forces (ARSOF) capstone doctrine will describe the value of the force across all domains and the competition continuum as expressed in the Army’s FM 3-0, Operations. FM 3-05 focuses not only on large-scale combat operations, but also offers an irregular approach to the full range of military operations and joint transregional campaigns.

To comprehend the doctrine in FM 3-05, readers must first understand the Army multidomain operations addressed in FM 3-0. In this update, the authors have adopted the Army’s tenets, replaced the principles, reduced the number of imperatives while incorporating those of the Army, integrated ARSOF into the Army’s operational framework, and elaborated on the roles and functions of ARSOF across the competition continuum.

While the principal audience for FM 3-05 is our commanders, staffs, and their subordinate leaders at the group, battalion, and company level, this manual informs a larger audience across the Army, joint force, and interagency of the merits of ARSOF across the competition continuum. This manual, like our separate branch keystone publications, provides the foundation for training and advanced education, curricula and future capabilities development across doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities, and policy (known as DOTMLPF-P).

For specific questions about the staffing of this publication or the particulars on how to introduce changes, please reach out to Mr. David Surles, Joint Army Doctrine Division, at (910) 432-5255 or david.a.surles.civ@socom.mil.