United States Army Field Manuals

United States Army Field Manuals are published by the United States Army's Army Publishing Directorate. As of 27 July 2007, some 542 field manuals were in use. They contain detailed information and how-tos for procedures important to soldiers serving in the field. They are usually available to the public at low cost or free electronically. Many websites have begun collecting PDF versions of Army Field Manuals, Technical Manuals and Weapon Manuals.

Use of Field Manuals
Numerous field manuals are in the public domain. Especially for people training survival skills (e.g., survivalists, adventurous travelers, victims of natural disasters) the US Field Manuals may be a valuable resource.

Wikifying the Field Manuals
According to The New York Times (14 August 2009), the Army has started to "wikify" certain field manuals – allowing any authorized user to update the manuals. This process, specifically using the MediaWiki arm of the military's professional networking application, milSuite, was recognized by the White House as an Open Government Initiative in 2010.

List of selected field manuals

 * FM 1, The Army – "establishes the fundamental principles for employing landpower." Together, it and FM 3–0 are considered by the U.S. Army to be the "two capstone doctrinal manuals."
 * FM 3–0, Operations – The operations guide "lays out the fundamentals of war fighting for future and current generations of recruits."
 * FM 3-0.5.130, Army Special Operations Forces Unconventional Warfare. Establishes keystone doctrine for Army special operations forces (ARSOF) operations in unconventional warfare.
 * FM 5–31, Boobytraps – Describes how regular demolition charges and materials can be used for victim-initiated explosive devices. This manual is no longer active, but is still frequently referenced.
 * FM 3–21.8, The Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad
 * FM 3–24, Counterinsurgency – Published December 2006.
 * FM 21–76, US Army Survival Manual – Used to train survival techniques.
 * FM 34-52, Intelligence Interrogation – Used to train interrogators in conducting effective interrogations while conforming with US and international law. Updated in December 2005 to include a 10-page classified section as a result of the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal. Replaced in September 2006 by FM 2-22.3, Human Intelligence Collector Operations.
 * FM 3-21.20 – covers the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT)
 * FM 27-10 (1956) – Cornerstone of rules of war for the US Military. This manual was last modified in 1976 and is still used by the US military today.
 * FM 3–25.150 (Combatives)
 * FM 3–21.5 (Drill and Ceremony)


 * Notes about Further Reading
 * A. (   Retrieved 31 August 2013.)
 * B.