US Army Small Unit Tactics Handbook Tenth Anniversary Edition

Description

This is the Handbook that I wish I would have had when I went through the Small Unit Tactics Phase of the US Army Special Forces Qualification Course. At that time we were limited to the Ranger Handbook and FM 7-8, that while good, did not cover anywhere near as much material as this book.

Doctrine

While it is clearly written with the future Special Forces soldier in mind, this handbook is an indispensable guide for anyone in combat arms or working in the security profession. This book goes well beyond just Small Unit Tactics to provide a history on the martial tradition of the Special Forces as well as crucial aspects of Unconventional Warfare.

In particular the sections on the theory of war, leadership, and higher level tactics are incredibly well formed. It is rare to find discussion of ware at this level and to this depth in a common soldiers guide.

Planning

Within the Special Operations community US Army Special Forces are somewhat unique in that we do all of our own planning for our missions and deployments. While some special operations units will simply execute on a target package, Army Special Forces develop the mission themselves. This guide provides a detailed guide to the planning process so crucial in today’s complex operating environment.

Operations

Patrolling, the nuts and bolts of small unit tactics, is covered in depth in the operations section of the handbook. This section is where you’ll see the most overlap with other small unit tactics books you may be familiar with such as The Ranger Handbook or Army FM 7-8. The material on patrolling is extensively covered here, as well as combat patrols, urban combat, fire support, and more.

Tenth Anniversary Edition

The Tenth Anniversary Edition is an updated version of the US Army Small Unit Tactics Handbook. Compared to the 2020 revision, notable updates include recent Medal of Honor recipients such as MSG Matthew O Williams from 3rd Special Forces Group and MSG Earl D. Plumlee from 1st Special Forces Group for their actions in Afghanistan.

Many of the sections are nearly identical to the previous edition while some have undergone updates. For instance, Chapter 10 (Prepare a Patrol in the 2020 revision, TLPs and MDMP in the 10th Anniversary Edition), has been significantly updated. Given the importance of this particular chapter to SFQC students it makes for a worthwhile upgrade.

Buy It

Longtime Special Forces soldier and instructor Paul LeFavor has done us all a service in producing such a well put together work. Whether you’re preparing to meet our nation’s needs as a soldier, looking to protect your rural homestead, or LARP on the weekend at an airsoft event, this handbook will become a treasured guide.