The purpose of this paper is to discuss the term military doctrine
for a naval audience that is less than familiar with the term and
unsure of its impact. It is also written for other writers of
military doctrine so that they will understand current naval
doctrine development. This paper will, first, review the already
approved military definitions of doctrine to provide the reader
with a sense of how doctrine is viewed by the military profession.
From a variety of terms that include the word doctrine, it will
then, second, set military doctrine for the Navy in the context of
all of the possible types of doctrine. Third, this paper will
consider what influences the various types of military doctrine,
including doctrine in the Navy. Fourth, the paper will consider
what, in turn, is influenced by military doctrine. Fifth, the paper
will consider what military doctrine is not; for example, doctrine
is not tactics. Sixth, the paper will consider standardization of
military doctrine, and finally, the paper concludes with the use of
the term military doctrine by the Navy. With properly developed
military doctrine we gain professionalization, without
relinquishing freedom of judgment that the commanders need to
exercise individual initiative in battle. Doctrine is defined in
the dictionary as "a principle or body of principles presented by a
specific field, system or organization for acceptance or belief."1
From an organizational perspective, doctrine is those shared
beliefs and principles that define the work of a profession.
Principles are: (1), basic truths, laws, or assumptions; (2), rules
or standards of behavior; (3), fixed or predetermined policies or
modes of action. Professions are occupations and vocations
requiring training and education in a specialized field--training
and education in the doctrine of that profession. Doctrine is the
codification of what a profession thinks (believes) and does
(practices) whenever the profession's membership perform in the
usual and normal (normative) way. Generally, society lets
professions regulate their own activities if there is a doctrine
which defines how the profession will do its work and there is some
form of management and oversight of the activities of those who
belong to it. Because of a number of special circumstances, the
military as a profession is subject to more than the average amount
of oversight by government. Like other professions, militaries have
always had doctrine which defines how they do their job. Unlike
some professions however, military doctrine does not have one
standard approach nor common thread which can be found in all
nations and in all military Services. Military doctrine in the U.S.
has been consciously made a province of the uniformed Services
rather than the civilian Office of the Secretary of Defense
General
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