Naval Perspectives for Military Doctrine Development

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...
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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