WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army today released How the Army Fights, new operational warfighting guidance that provides a common framework for translating tactical success into campaign-level advantage for the Joint Force.
Developed by the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, How the Army Fights builds on the Army’s multidomain operations doctrine by explaining how the force employs land power at the operational level of war. The guidance aligns how the Army organizes, trains, equips and sustains its formations for contested, high-intensity conflict.
“The challenge is on us as the leaders of the Army to make the decisions that are needed for the Army today,” said Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle. “This guidance provides a clear framework for focusing the Army’s efforts and ensuring the force is prepared to fight and win.”
The framework organizes Army land power through four interdependent operational elements:
Convergence creates and exploits positions of advantage by synchronizing effects across domains.
Strike degrades and destroys enemy systems through lethal and nonlethal fires at range.
Close Battle closes with and defeats enemy forces, seizes key terrain and consolidates gains.
Endurance postures, protects and projects combat power across time, distance and contested conditions.
Together, these elements enable operational maneuver and connect battlefield actions to campaign outcomes. Convergence and Endurance establish the conditions for success, while Strike and Close Battle deliver decisive effects.
How the Army Fights reinforces that the Army must maintain its technological edge while recognizing that war remains a human endeavor. The guidance addresses the integration of advanced capabilities, including uncrewed systems, artificial intelligence-enabled tools, resilient networks and precision fires, while underscoring the enduring importance of Soldier judgment, discipline and leadership.
“Technology will extend our reach and strengthen our combat power, but war remains a human contest of wills,” said Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Christopher C. LaNeve. “Our Soldiers remain our decisive advantage.”
The guidance directs the Army to prioritize operational readiness for the pacing threat, defend the homeland as a strategic base for power projection, and strengthen posture, interoperability and resilience with allies and partners. It also recognizes the need to sustain combat power across vast distances and under persistent adversary pressure.
How the Army Fights is unclassified and available for public download on Army.mil.
