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Here is a list of field manuals that you may find useful. Some of these are not widely distributed and can be difficult to find. I’ve listed them not in order of FM number but in an order that hopefully makes sense. The dates for the FMs can be found in the PDF files, some have been updated and some haven’t been. Some files include amendments for the updates and some do not. On a few that I know have been updated but don’t list it I make a note of it.
A complete list of Army FMs may be found here: Link Or in an easier format here:Link This second link contains most, but not all FMs.
NOTE: I’m not an expert in everything guys. I like to think that I know quite a bit, and was good at being a soldier. However, please realize that my military experience is from 6 years in the National Guard with one deployment to Iraq. I was never active duty, Airborne, Air Assault, Pathfinder, Ranger, Special Forces, Scuba Diver, or a space shuttle door gunner. I was a sergeant in the military police corps, in the national guard. I did act as an instructor for PTAE (Premobilization Training Assistance Element. The state makes units go to training before they do their federal training prior to mobilization) for a brief period. I was the acting SME (subject matter expert) for the M9, and react to contact mounted. I also taught some first aid, unexploded ordinance, and land nav. All that sounds a little sexier than it is, but it is somewhat useful. Bottom line is if I know a lot about something and am confident about it I will tell you. If I know some or nothing about it, I will tell you. I don’t want to claim I am something I am not. Keep that in mind as you read my descriptions.
NOTE: I have excluded Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN, pronounced See-Burn) and Nuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC) texts and FMs. CBRN and NBC may be used interchangeably in all but the most technical of military settings. CBRN/NBC information was excluded because is highly dependent on the equipment you have on hand with the text being specific to our military’s equipment, and because the Army in its infinite wisdom changes their CBRN/NBC doctrine frequently. In an event where the information is needed, you are likely ****ed anyhow.
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Non-FM Useful texts:
Soldier Manual of Common Tasks. Warrior Skills Level 1. Link
Informally referred to as the -10 (Dash 10). -10 manuals exist for everything in the Army. They are usually the operator’s guide. They cover everything that the end user (Pvt. Joe Snuffy) is responsible for and should be able to perform. The SMCT is the -10 of common Army tasks. NOTE: This text is outdated. A newer version was released in early 2014 with updates to the First Aid and CBRN/NBC portion.
Ranger Handbook Link
Not for the weak or fainthearted. This text has some technical portions that Pvt. Snuffy will never need, like demolitions. However, it also has valuable information about leadership, how to prepare a group for a task, patrols and tactical movements, communication, evasion/survival, vehicle operations (My personal favorite) as well as first aid. The evasion and survival portion may be thought of as a worse case scenario. It has information on navigating without a compass, traps and snares, cooking and smoking meat, field expedient shelter and more. The TTPs (tactics, techniques, and procedures) in this text will not be fun if they are needed, but they can keep you alive. NOTE: I am not, and have never been a Ranger. However, they garner my utmost respect.
How-to FM’s
FM 3-05.70 Link SURVIVAL
FM 3-22.9 Link RIFLE MARKSMANSHIP, M16-/M4-SERIES WEAPONS
This covers marksmanship with more depth than the SMCT. While some of this material may be taught to Pvt. Snuffy much of it is not. Some of the information about nightvision, thermal, and lasers may not help. Some of the information certainly will. There have been some changes to this FM.
FM 3-23.35 Link COMBAT TRAINING WITH PISTOLS, M9 and M11
Clearing, Disassembling, Cleaning, Reassembly, Functions check, Loading, Shooting, Immediate action, Unloading etc. Good marksmanship tips.
FM 3-97.6 Link MOUTAIN OPERATIONS
TTPs on mountains. Camouflage, predicting weather, common injuries, defense offense, etc.
FM 90-3 Link DESERT OPERATIONS
TTPs for the desert.
FM 90-5 Link JUNLGE OPERATIONS
Jungle TTPs. A lot of things learned from Vietnam. Types of jungle, vegetation, animals, injuries, shelter, clothing, equipment right down to the individual soldier. Navigation and other useful knowledge. Some of this stuff translates to the woods of NY.
FM 21-10 Link FIELD HYGENE AND SANITATION
90% preventative. Lists of injuries and how to prevent them. Also talks about methods to ensure that a unit remains fully capable.
FM 4-02.17 Link PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE SERVICES
More on how to prevent injury and illness. This may keep you from needing the next FM.
FM 4-25.11 Link FIRST AID
TTPs change frequently for first aid. I’ve taken the Army’s 40 hour CLS (combat life saver) course 3 times, and I’ve taught various portions of first aid to people in my unit. The material was never exactly the same. This stuff is basic. Learn the difference between care under fire and tactical combat care, the ABCs, and hope you don’t need this stuff.
FM 21-18 Link FOOT MARCHES
Some useful information about how to sustain a foot march, and how to plan your rests for maximum effectiveness when you get where your headed.
FM 21-60 Link VISUAL SIGNALS
Pvt. Snuffy might not know all of these, but some of them should be known (proper ground guiding vehicals, dismounted patrol basics). As long as the TTPs specific to your group (Standard Operating Procedures or SOPs) are known by all run with it.
Social Climate FM’s
FM 3-07 Link STABILITY
Army Doctrine to stabilize a region
FM 3-24 Link INSURGENCIES AND COUNTERING INSURGENCIES
FM 3-24.2 Link TACTICS IN COUNTERINSURGENCY
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