FM/BP-859.V1.05 - Doctrine Authority
UNITAF recognises a hierarchy of authority when clear direction is needed:
- Written Doctrine: The Force Manual, which you are reading is the primary source of established doctrine. It contains written policies, procedures, guides, skills and standards that have been formally approved by FM/BG-611 - Central Command (CC).
- Verbal or Written Instruction:
- When the Force Manual is silent on a specific issue, direction from Officers (whether verbal or written) constitutes de facto doctrine.
- While best practice encourages incorporating these instructions into the Force Manual, this is not always feasible or necessary.
- Officer instruction should generally not contradict written doctrine, but exceptions can be made by FM/BG-611 - Central Command (CC). In such cases, Officers should clarify written doctrine as soon as practical.
- Precedent: If neither written doctrine nor Officer instruction provide clear guidance, precedent may be considered. If a specific action or behaviour has been consistently permitted or prohibited in the past, this may serve as a guideline. The more recent and the more consistently a specific action or behaviour has been treated as precedent, the stronger its indication. However, members should always seek clarification rather than assuming precedent is binding. Precedent is a good starting point but not always a definitive answer.
For more information about Officers within Unit Command, see: FM/G58 - Unit Structure
Last major change:
Addition of new unit wide guiding philosophies.
