Pocket-size war-fighting booklets headed to field

[USMCRET6391]

By Laura Bailey
Times staff writer

Marines looking for extra schooling on how to survive Iraq will soon receive lessons straight from the battlefield in pocket-sized booklets.

The first of the series, containing information on tactics and techniques gleaned from recent operations, will debut in June under the direction of Marine Corps Combat Development Command at Quantico, Va.

The individual books, called Marine Corps Warfighting Publication Interims, will fit in a Marine’s cargo pocket and feature up-to-date information in areas relevant to the Marines in Iraq, such as urban operations and convoy tactics.

The idea is to get the latest on enemy tactics and Iraq-specific information into the hands of Marines quickly.

The Doctrine Division usually updates its publications, such as those on urban operations or mountain warfare, every four years, with information gained from experimentation, training and exercises. That’s not frequent enough for a wartime environment, said Col. Len A. Blasiol, director of Concepts and Doctrine divisions at Combat Development Command.

“We want to be more proactive about getting these lessons out,” Blasiol said.

“The mission of Doctrine Division is to provide our Marines in the operating forces with doctrine that is timely, relevant, and compelling. [The] publications, developed and published very quickly using lessons straight from the battlefield, allow us to accomplish that mission in a way that supports the immediate needs of Marines in combat,” he said.

The first publication will cover urban operations, specifically house take-down tactics. After that, Blasiol said, the division will regularly produce the publications as lessons are identified.

“It depends on how the lessons come in. We can publish two or three a month, or maybe just one,” he said.

The topics will originate largely from the Warfighting Lab and the Marine Corps Center for Lessons Learned, which collects and analyzes thousands of after-action reports, briefings and observations from the field. Many of the booklets will be focused on the tactical level, Blasiol said.

The publications will also have a Web-based version, making them readily available to Marines all over the world.

“House Take Down” will be available on the Internet before the end of June and printed versions will be available in the next 30 to 60 days, said Maj. Don Han, the infantry doctrine officer who is coordinating the publications.

While the booklets can be used as tools for commanders, they will also be useful for junior Marines too, Han said.

He added that some of the lessons will help Marines keep up with the enemy.

“Obviously the enemy is going to change their tactics. We’re going to, too. But if there’s one TTP [tactic, technique and procedure] that can help a Marine out, I’m all for it,” he said.

The information in the publications will be good for two years before being refreshed.

[Rusty24]

Sorry that is one more piece of junk that I need to carry ... along with the .... sucide card, Red Cross card, shot records, local customs yada-yada-yada. Read up before you go. Or better yet, see the INTEL FOLKS! Who comes up with these ideas?

[Vulture6]

I think it's a good idea. Get these in the hands of those Marines coming in to the fleet from non-deploying billets. Let them get current and study their profession if they've been out of it for a while. Get it in the hands of recent SOI grads so they can start getting in the right frame of mind before they get into their new platoons.

This isn't something to carry in to battle ("Wait, before you kick down that door let's check the oversized pocket guide!"). But it does strike me as something that can bring folks up to speed before they join a unit. If you know the basics and some lessons learned before you join the platoon, then you can spend your time learing SOPs and how to work together, rather than the basics of taking down a building.

[Xenophon]

Hell, every candidate at OCS gets a cargo pocket-sized copy of Sun Tzu's Art of War. Why not these? They should add Mao Tse-Tung's Guerilla Warfare while they're at it.