Concepts Are Not Doctrine

Kaine Meshkin

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As a doctrine author I often see misconceptions of doctrine and concepts, especially the purpose of each. The distinction between the two, however, is far from a trivial one. For members of the profession of arms, understanding how they differ is important. But for military institutions and those of us responsible for crafting concepts and writing doctrine, it is imperative. Failing to properly distinguish between them has real-world implications, leading to situations like unvalidated concepts entering doctrine, which causes confusion and renders doctrine unhelpful to the military professionals who need it the most. This misapplication of purpose happens, and it spans from service doctrine through US joint and multinational doctrine. It is a problem that must be addressed, and that begins with clarifying the differences between doctrine and concepts.

What is Doctrine?

US Army doctrine is defined as “fundamental principles, with supporting tactics, techniques, procedures, and terms and symbols, used for the conduct of operations and as a guide for actions of operating forces, and elements of the institutional force that directly support operations in support of national objectives.” US joint and NATO doctrine have similar definitions.

Doctrine has a hierarchy of ideas that help shape how a commander can think about the planning and conduct of operations. These ideas reflect how the force can currently operate. In other words, doctrine must reflect existing capabilities, force structure, and operational approaches. Doctrine constantly evolves as various operational conditions change over time.

Doctrine, for the most part, is not the way, but rather a way. As the Army definition states, it can serve as a guide. It is an authoritative product, but commanders have the discretion to use their judgment in its application. The only doctrine that is prescriptive are procedures. There are some things commanders and soldiers should not exercise their own judgment on, like how to call in a medevac or the steps to employ a weapon system.