Breaking Doctrine

In this special episode, host Lieutenant Colonel Derek Thompson provides a comprehensive overview of the key Army doctrine updated in 2025. With the sheer volume of new information, this episode acts as a filter, sifting through the most critical changes to give listeners the highlights and explain why they matter to leaders. The review begins with foundational manuals like FM 1, The Army, and ADP and FM 3-0, Operations, before delving into the specifics of Air and Missile Defense, Army Special Operations, CBRN, Cyberspace, Engineer, and Military Police operations. This is a must listen for leaders seeking to understand the Army's doctrinal shift towards defeating peer adversaries in a complex, multi-domain environment.

Brigadier General W. Bochat, Commanding General of the 20th CBRNE Command, COL Scott Smith, Chief of Staff for 20th CBRNE Command, and Colonel (Retired) Rich Creed, Director of the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate, join our host Lieutenant Colonel Derek Thompson to discuss how the Army is preparing for and countering Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear threats. The episode covers the importance of adapting doctrine, the necessity of realistic training for contaminated environments, and the cultural mindset required to prepare the force for the complexities of modern warfare.

Major General Brett Sylvia, former commanding general of 101st Airborne Division, and Colonel (Retired) Rich Creed, Director of the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate, join our host Lieutenant Colonel Jessamyn Jempson on this episode to discuss how the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) transformed in contact between 2024 and 2025. We discuss how the division implemented mobility brigades, fielded C2 fix, deactivated its calvary squadrons and how it operationalized new formations, equipment and technology during division and JRTC exercises. We focus on the command climate that encouraged innovation and risk taking to restructure the division under an accelerated timeline.

Why is the Arctic gaining more and more national and military attention? Major General Joseph Hilbert, former commanding general of 11th Airborne Division (Arctic), and Colonel (Retired) Rich Creed, Director of the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate, join our host Captain Ed Garibay to discuss the growing importance of the Arctic region and the release of ATP 3-90.96 Arctic and Exreme Cold Weather Operations. They discuss the strategic importance of the Arctic, challenges to arctic operations, the release of the new arctic manual, and the future of the Arctic.

Lieutenant General Matthew McFarlane, commanding general of America's First Corps, and Mr. Rich Creed, Director of the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate, join our host Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Gregory to discuss the significance of the corps in large scale combat operations. They discuss the challenges and solutions to commanding large army organizations, interoperability with the Joint Force, and the future of corps level doctrine.

Major General Christopher Norrie and Division Command Sergeant Major Jonathan Reffeor (Third Infantry Division Command Team), join our host Major Avalon Dillon on today’s episode to discuss doctrine and transformation in contact. They discuss lessons learned and leveraging doctrine to enhance existing capability and technologies. They also discuss proactive organizational actions and empowering the Noncommissioned officer to achieve lethality in a transparent and unpredictable battlefield.

The Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate (CADD) recently published an update to FM 3-0, Operations. Three members of the writing team - Major Scott McMahan, Brian Goings, and Matt Farmer – discuss the key updates and feedback that led to the revision.

Lieutenant Colonel Nate Rice (host) brings three guests to talk about assessing Soldiers for Centralized Selection List positions and ADP 6-22, Army Leadership and the Profession- Mr. Bob O’Brien, Highly Qualified Expert Advisor to the Command Assessment Program- Colonel (COL) Andy Morgado, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Command Assessment Program, and Director of the Army University Press- LTC Mike Skuza, Alumni of the Command Assessment Program and Primary Select for Battalion Command They discuss the evolution of Command Selection, its ties to doctrine, and the benefits to both the Army and the assessed Soldiers

Colonel Bradely Louden (Director of the Force Modernization Proponent Center and Chief of the Army Information Operation Functional Area, the Army Deception Proponent, and Army Operations Security Proponent), joins our host Lieutenant Colonel Jessamyn Jempson on today’s episode focusing on military deception. They discuss how Army commanders and organizations can leverage this traditional military activity to achieve a tactical advantage on a progressively more transparent and lethal battlefield. They also discuss lessons learned from historical and current examples of deception.

Captain Ed Garibay hosts Mr. Carlos Soto and Dr. Elena Wicker in a discussion about how we communicate as an Army. They discuss the differences and similarities of jargon, terminology, and buzzwords. Listen in to also find out if acronyms are good or bad. Finally, they discuss how leaders can create a culture of shared understanding and openness of ideas simple by the words that they use.

Join us for a relook of episode 25 where Major (MAJ) Rich Diegel (host) leads a conversation on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), how the PLA looks at Multidomain Operations, and the use of information by the PLA. MAJ Diegel is joined by Mr. Brad Marvel and Ms. Angela Williams from the TRADOC G2, Colonel (Retired) Rich Creed, CADD Director, joins the conversation, too.

Colonel John Sandor and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Austin Kilpatrick return to Breaking Doctrine after they joined us on episode 58. In this episode, they focus on the upcoming publication of FM 3-52 Airspace. They discuss how everyone needs to be thinking about airspace on today’s battlefield. They dive into the lessons learned from a counterinsurgency focus, the Joint Air Ground Integration Center, and the importance of a Unit Airspace Plan.

Join us for the second episode with Colonel (Retired) John Antal and Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Becker (host). COL(R) Antal is passionate about waking leaders and Soldiers up to the realities of today’s battlefield. In this episode, they pick up where they left off in episode 87 with FM 3-0’s imperatives. Listen in to hear the relevance of these imperatives to recent and on-going conflicts. - Designate, weight, and sustain the main effort. - Consolidate gains continuously Check out COL(R) Antal’s work here: https://theconvergence.castos.com/?search=antal https://www.academia.edu/115562878/21_COMMAND_POST_MAXIMS_Mission_Command_Tactics_for_the_Employment_of_Command_Posts_in_the_Modern_Battlespace https://www.academia.edu/115562498/The_Ten_Rules_of_Masking https://www.academia.edu/42306862/Thinking_about_the_Future_Battlespace_by_John_Antal

Colonel (Retired) John Antal joins Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Lisa Becker (host) in a two-part series about the current operational environment and how that nests with the imperatives found in FM 3-0. Truly a Soldier for Life, COL(R) Antal discusses his ongoing research into current conflicts and how he uncovered ten battlefield disrupters. LTC Becker then poses how these three imperatives nest with his work: See yourself, see the enemy, and understand the operational environment. - Account for being under constant observation and all forms of enemy contact. - Make initial contact with the smallest element possible. Check out COL(R) Antal’s work here: https://theconvergence.castos.com/?search=antal https://www.academia.edu/115562878/21_COMMAND_POST_MAXIMS_Mission_Command_Tactics_for_the_Employment_of_Command_Posts_in_the_Modern_Battlespace https://www.academia.edu/115562498/The_Ten_Rules_of_Masking https://www.academia.edu/42306862/Thinking_about_the_Future_Battlespace_by_John_Antal

Brigadier General Clinton Murray, Commanding General of the Medical School of Excellence (MEDCoE), joins our host Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Becker on today’s episode focusing on medical aspects of the battlefield. Theystart the discussion with medical considerations of today’s operational environment. Then, they turn the conversation to three big topics relevant to all Soldiers: triage, casualty evacuation (CASEVAC), and disease and non battle injury (DNBI). Leaders will hear practical ways to think about these topics and, also, how to train their formations.

Lieutenant Colonel Nate Rice (host) brings three guests to talk about ATP 6-22.1, Providing Feedback: Counseling-Coaching-Mentoring. - Colonel (COL) Andy Morgado, Director of the Army University Press - Ms. Judy Price, Leadership Editor and Doctrine Developer - First Lieutenant (1LT) Melissa Czarnogursky, Brigade S4-Assistant of the 108th ADA Brigade They discuss doctrine on counseling, coaching and mentorship, what mentorship is, what it is not, and tips on being a good mentor and mentee. Check out COL Morgado and 1LT Czarnogursky’s article on mentorship here: https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/Online-Exclusive/2024-OLE/Mentorship/

Join the CADD team for another Writing Team Talks episode! Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Lisa Becker hosts CADD’s doctrine writers for FM 5-0, LTC Joe Yurisich and LTC(R) Will Rogers. They talk about how FM 3-0 drove changes to planning and when to use MDMP or RDSP. They also give the background of why TLPs changed and updates in the orders format.

Dr. Steve Stoddard, Director of the Center for Army Analysis (CAA), is joined by our host Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Becker on today’s episode. The conversation starts with understanding what CAA does for the Army and how they inform Army Senior Leaders with data. Dr. Stoddard also gives insight into how his organization contributes to Continuous Transformation. Finally, he shows the importance of using art and science to make decisions and how tactical leaders can approach data-informed decision making

Welcome to the twelfth day of doctrine where we gift to you a Serving of Tea. We wrap up the 12 Days of Doctrine by reflecting on the past and looking toward the future. Mr. Jim Benn and Mr. Chuck Schrankel rejoin us on Breaking Doctrine to share how and why they have seen doctrine evolve. They also ponder how doctrine may look in the future. As this episode airs, both seasoned doctrine authors and leaders will be retired, so we are especially grateful for them joining one last conversation on Breaking Doctrine.

Welcome to the tenth day of doctrine with a gift of White Castle. Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Anderson, engineer doctrine author at the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence, echoes the need to stay nested with operational units to build relevant doctrine. He emphasizes changes to wet gap crossing doctrine and how this operation is combined arms. Finally, he touches on the importance of leaning forward with human machine integration. Each fall, the doctrine community comes together for the Doctrine Developers Forum (DDF). At this year’s DDF, we invited doctrine authors to share what they are working on. We bring these conversations to you in the 12 Days of Doctrine.

Welcome to the ninth day of doctrine with a gift of a Gadget or a Gizmo. Artificial intelligence and large language models are important for the doctrine community to understand and use. In today’s episode, Major Scott McMahan from CADD’s Operational Level Doctrine Division discusses the conversations within the doctrine community and how doctrine authors can use these tools. Note that this conversation is a snapshot in time and changes to the Army-approved large language model, CamoGPT, are already well underway. Each fall, the doctrine community comes together for the Doctrine Developers Forum (DDF). At this year’s DDF, we invited doctrine authors to share what they are working on. We bring these conversations to you in the 12 Days of Doctrine.

Welcome to the eighth day of doctrine where we gift a Detention Slip. Mr. Dave Flynn from the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence addresses his work as a military police doctrine author. He works through the roles and functions of the military police on today’s battlefield, how detainee operations work in the maritime environment, and the role of investigations between military police and the Criminal Investigation Division. Each fall, the doctrine community comes together for the Doctrine Developers Forum (DDF). At this year’s DDF, we invited doctrine authors to share what they are working on. We bring these conversations to you in the 12 Days of Doctrine

Welcome to the seventh day of doctrine where we gift a Cookbook. The Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE) is adapting doctrine and training to win on today’ battlefield. Listen to Lieutenant Colonel Mike Herbek, the Chief of Doctrine and Collective Training at MCoE, as he articulates their balance of continuous transformation and producing sound doctrine. Each fall, the doctrine community comes together for the Doctrine Developers Forum (DDF). At this year’s DDF, we invited doctrine authors to share what they are working on. We bring these conversations to you in the 12 Days of Doctrine.

Welcome to the sixth day of doctrine where we gift a Swiss Army Knife. We bring back on the show Lieutenant Colonel AJ Redden, a doctrine author in CADD’s Tactics Division. He gives a sneak peek at what the Tactics Division is working on for ATP 3-91, Division Operations, and the Staff Reference Guide, ATP 5-0.2-1 and ATP 5-0.2-2. Each fall, the doctrine community comes together for the Doctrine Developers Forum (DDF). At this year’s DDF, we invited doctrine authors to share what they are working on. We bring these conversations to you in the 12 Days of Doctrine.

Welcome to the fifth day of doctrine where we gift Hot Wings. Lieutenant Colonel Bill Lewis, Aviation Doctrine and Tactics Division Deputy, discusses the nesting of doctrinal publications and why we should examine the content of our doctrine for today’s Army. He also shows the focus areas at the Aviation Center of Excellence and the greater aviation community. Each fall, the doctrine community comes together for the Doctrine Developers Forum (DDF). At this year’s DDF, we invited doctrine authors to share what they are working on. We bring these conversations to you in the 12 Days of Doctrine.

Welcome to the fourth day of doctrine where we gift a Fire-Breathing Dragon. Today’s episode focuses on the initiatives surrounding chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) operations. Lieutenant Colonel Derek Taylor, Chief of CBRN doctrine, shares his efforts on writing doctrine for today’s battlefield. He also talks how important synchronization is within the joint force and homeland defense partners. Each fall, the doctrine community comes together for the Doctrine Developers Forum (DDF). At this year’s DDF, we invited doctrine authors to share what they are working on. We bring these conversations to you in the 12 Days of Doctrine.

Welcome to the third day of doctrine where we gift Ghost Stories. Back for another fascinating conversation, Mr. Marty Bartram from the Psychological Operations Branch discusses upcoming changes to FM 3-53, Psychological Operations. He gives the background on how he built a spectrum of influence and its connectedness with the new categories of behavior. Each fall, the doctrine community comes together for the Doctrine Developers Forum (DDF). At this year’s DDF, we invited doctrine authors to share what they are working on. We bring these conversations to you in the 12 Days of Doctrine.

Welcome to the second day of doctrine where we gift Graphic Novels. Mr. Marty Bartram from the Psychological Operations Branch shows how he is innovating doctrine with graphic novels, building interactive figures, and increasing awareness of changing doctrine. Each fall, the doctrine community comes together for the Doctrine DevelopersForum (DDF). At this year’s DDF, we invited doctrine authors to share whatthey are working on. We bring these conversations to you in the 12 Days ofDoctrine. Operation Sooty GROUSE: https://www.milsuite.mil/book/docs/DOC-1324518

Welcome to the first day of doctrine where we offer perspective on how change takes time and is an iterative process. Today, Brigadier General Babich, Director of the Mission Command Center of Excellence, provides opening remarks to the Doctrine Developers Forum (DDF) on how history can provide insight on today’s changing Army and complex battlefield. Each fall, the doctrine community comes together for the DDF. At this year’s DDF, we invited doctrine authors to share what they are working on. We bring these conversations to you in the 12 Days of Doctrine.

Mr. Joe Koskey and Mr. Mike Kitchens from the Mission Command Center ofExcellence join Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Becker on today’s episode about Knowledge Management (KM). They start off the discussion about the importance of the cognitive hierarchy in processing data to information, knowledge, and understanding. They discuss recent changes to ATP 6-01.01, Knowledge Management, including defining and assessing learning organizations.

Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Lisa Becker hosts today’s episode with two membersof the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB), Colonel Brandon Teagueand LTC Eddie Callahan. They discuss Security Force Assistance (SFA), theimportance of relationship building during SFA, and building interoperability with partners. They focus on how the 5th SFAB grounds their training in doctrine, resulting in confidence between partners and strengthening of our landpower network.

Join us for a relook of episode 24 where our host Major (MAJ) Rich Diegelguides the conversation on the evolving doctrine and force structure of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). MAJ Diegel is joined by Mr. Brad Marvel, Senior Military Analyst at the TRADOC G2 and Colonel (Retired) Rich Creed, CADD Director.

Colonel (COL) Richard Ikena, Commander of the Mission Command Training Program (MCTP), and COL(R) Rich Creed join our host Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Becker for a rich conversation on operational framework. They base the conversation on FM 3-0 and the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) handbook titled MCTP FY23 Key Observations. Our guests start out this jam packed episode by describing the operational framework. They show how developing the operational framework during the military decision-making process gives leaders and their formations agility. Our guests also describe why the operational framework plays a key role in integrating with joint enablers. Referenced CALL Handbooks can be found at the following link:https://www.army.mil/CALL#org-publications

Major General Christopher Beck, Commanding General of the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence sits down the CADD team, Colonel(R) Rich Creed and Lieutenant Colonel Nate Rice (our host). During our episode, they talk about the evolution of protection and the urgency of the Protection Warfighting Function in Large Scale Combat Operations. They also emphasize how important protection is to every Soldier on today’s battlefield.

Colonel Shawn Kadlec, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Commandant for the U.S. Army, joins our host, Captain Ed Garibay, to discuss the evolving role of EOD in today’s military. They discuss importance of EOD in large scale combat, the difference between EOD and the engineers, and how the field is evolving. They also talk about ways for commanders and staff to incorporate EOD into planning.

Our host Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Becker returns to the conversation on Russian Threat Doctrine based on ATP 7-100.1, Russian Tactics. She is joined by TRADOC G2’s Senior Intelligence Analyst, Mr. Jerry Leverich, Mr. “Flip” Boyer, and Colonel (Retired) Rich Creed. In this episode, they place Russian and US doctrine side-by-side to discuss the defense, offense, use of fires, employment of combined arms, and planning ofmilitary operations. They use historical events and current operations to showcase the differences and similarities between how these armies fight. Check out more on this topic at Russia Landing Zone | How Russia Fights | TRADOC G2 Operational Environment Enterprise: https://oe.tradoc.army.mil/russia-landing-zone-how-russia-fights/

TRADOC G2’s Senior Intelligence Analyst, Mr. Jerry Leverich joins Mr. “Flip” Boyer, Colonel (Retired) Rich Creed, and our host Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Becker to begin a conversation about ATP 7-100.1, Russian Tactics. They discuss the background behind this publication and how they used (and continue to use) observations from current events. Our guests also talk about how Russia views the world and their culture of information. Check out more on this topic at The Russia Landing Zone: https://oe.tradoc.army.mil/russia-landing-zone-how-russia-fights/

Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Zach Griffiths, Dr. Trent Lythgoe, and Colonel (Retired) Rich Creed join our host LTC Lisa Becker to talk about The Harding Project. They discuss how Army Professionals advance the Profession of Arms through professional writing and discourse. They examine myths of writing, tips to get better at writing, and writing initiatives within The Harding Project. For more information on The Harding Project and professional writing, check out the links below. The Harding Project Substack: Harding Project Substack: https://www.hardingproject.com/ Professional Writing Guide: ST_22-2_US_Army_CGSC_Writing_Guide: https://safe.menlosecurity.com/account/login?form Military Review: Military Review: https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Military-Review/

The American, British, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand (ABCANZ) Armies’ Program is designed to enhance interoperability and demonstrate the collective strength of the ABCANZ Armies’ and USMC. Join Lieutenant Colonel Phil Wingo (host), Colonel (COL) Craig Madden, Chief of Staff for the ABCANZ Armies’ Program, and COL(R) Rich Creed as they discuss how the program increases mutual trust between our armies, improving our ability to fight together.

GEN Charles Flynn, Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific, and Colonel (Retired) Rich Creed join Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Becker on today’s episode about the maritime domain, focusing on Chapter 7, FM 3-0. They discuss the contributions of the Army in the Pacific theater during WWII and how the Army has shifted during the “Pacific Pivot.” They emphasize the Army’s contributions to all Warfighting Functions in maritime operations. Throughout the episode, they weave in the importance of INDOPACOM’s Land Power Network.

Lieutenant Colonel Jessamyn Jempson hosts COL(R) Mike Gibler, Major Jesse Davis, and Major Ian Staley to talk about their experiences as instructor and students at the Command and General Staff Officers’ Course. They discuss the curriculum, dynamics of a staff group, and having the mindset for the Army Profession. They also share their experiences conducting in-person interviews during the AIM Marketplace and put to rest some common cliches of the course.

Colonel John Sandor and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Austin Kilpatrick join our host, Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Becker, to talk about the Air Domain. They discuss how every formation in the U.S. Army operates in the Air Domain, so commanders and staff need to be familiar with operations within and throughout the air. They also talk about the congestion of the air domain, the importance of the Joint Air Tasking Cycle, and the impact of the Army Joint Support Team.

Our host, Captain Ed Garibay sits down with BG Beth Behn, Commandant of the Transportation Corps and Colonel (Retired) Rich Creed to talk about Army watercraft operations. BG Behn is known as the Army’s “boat lady” because of her operational experiences and current focus on Army watercraft. Our guests articulate the need for Army watercraft, the future of Army watercraft, and the importance of Army Mariners.

Lieutenant Colonels (LTC) Jason Wood and Shaun Young join our host, LTC Lisa Becker, to talk about ATP 3-72, Operations in a Nuclear Environment. They discuss their work at the United States Nuclear and Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction Agency and the writing process for ATP 3-72. They also discuss how commanders and staffs can integrate nuclear operations in planning and training. They wrap up the episode by talking about ally and partner integration and the psychological component of nuclear operations.

Major General Dave Doyle and Command Sergeant Major Alex Kupratty from the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, Colorado join Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Becker and Mr. Rich Creed from CADD to talk about how to train for multidomain operations. They talk about the first two principles of training as found in FM 7-0, encouraging creativity, and the role of senior leaders in prioritizing training.

Our host, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Lisa Becker sits down with MG(R) Brad Gericke to talk about the role of nuclear weapons, the importance of training to operate in a nuclear environment, and how to think about prioritizing our training time. MG(R) Gericke brings invaluable insights on how to raise our “Nuclear IQ” from his time working on the Army staff and as a panel member for a recent Army Science Board study on nuclear operations.

The Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate (CADD) recently published a brand-new publication, ADP 3-13 Information. Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Lisa Becker hosts the ADP 3-13 writing team for this episode, LTC(R) Chuck Schrankel and LTC(R) Mike Flynn. They describe the team approach to writing this book and the big ideas on how Soldiers should think about information.

With a focus on National Nutrition Month, our host, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Lisa Becker spotlights FM 7-22's Nutritional Readiness. She is joined by MAJ Jordan DeMay and CPT(P) Steph Meno, both serving as registered dieticians within the Training and Doctrine Command enterprise. They share the importance of nutrition for Soldiers and how leaders can maximize H2F performance teams.

For National Nutrition Month, our host, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Lisa Becker dives into the importance of holistic health and fitness (what we refer to as H2F) and how leaders stay engaged with holistic health and fitness. LTC Becker discusses the details and practical application with Command Sergeant Major Steve Helton, CSM of the Combined Arms Center (CAC) at Fort Leavenworth, KS.

For our 50th episode, our host, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Lisa Becker teamed up with the Mad Scientist podcast “The Convergence” to discuss how we understand the threats that we face. How has that understanding been shaped and changed over time? Joined by General Gary Brito, Commanding General of the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Mr. Ian Sullivan, Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence, TRADOC G2, COL (R) Rich Creed Jr., Director of the Combined Arms Doctrine Directorate, and the host of “The Convergence” Matt Santaspirt.