CSA's Reading List: Where's the Doctrine?

CSA Raymond T. Odierno

Army Chief of Staff, Raymond T. Odierno has just released his professional reading list.  This list was previewed back in early December, when Gen. Odierno invited comments from readers.  My comments to that first list are posted here.

With the issuance of the current list, one notes that there are still no doctrinal materials listed.  This suggests to me two things.  One is that the CSA has just telegraphed to the field that doctrine is not important.  The other is that maybe we should just scrap doctrine and, in its place, publish the annual CSA reading list to the field.  The books the CSA recommends would become the Army's doctrine.  In addition to providing the troops with better reading, this would also save a ton money in this era of constrained resources ... no doctrine writers, editors, or publishers, and fewer website managers.  Just publish a list.  Make it required reading.  Shape promotion board questions from books on the list.  You don't read the books, you don't get promoted.  Plus, you'd have the additional benefit of a force that was much more doctrinally literate.

For those purists out there that insist we must have field manuals, hey, we'd still have the joint pubs.  It's a win-win-win proposal.