I am normally not one to speak up about an article written by a fellow aviator, but felt it necessary in this case. Maj. Lee Robinson’s article, “COIN in the air” [April] contains quite a bit of doctrine hypocrisy.
If this article was written before 2011, then please disregard my entire letter. The author repeatedly indicates that aviators need to follow doctrine, or that the current doctrine must be changed. The issue I have is that he refers to multiple doctrinal terms that have been rescinded. Among them are “Full Spectrum Combat Aviation Brigade,” “FM 3-0” and “battlespace.”
I plan and execute training scenarios for all AH-64D units deploying to Afghanistan through the 21st Cavalry Brigade at Fort Hood, Texas. We are very specific here about following the current Army doctrine. It also is important to remember that the Army definition of doctrine contains the statement, “Doctrine acts as a guide to action rather than a set of fixed rules.”
Bottom line: If you are going to take a swing at the “doctrine piñata,” make sure you are hitting the correct one.
CW5 Eric D. Fremming (ret.)
Senior aviation plans analyst
System Studies & Simulation Inc.
Fort Hood, Texas
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