Are there standardized military strategies for common situations, at least in the U.S. military? An overheard conversation...

by HapticSloughton

At a gaming convention, I overheard a US Army veteran applying his former trade to a strategy boardgame, where he was saying things like "If you're surrounded, you do this, if you have the high ground, you do this," etc.

Is this something that's in a manual of some kind, or was this likely just personal experience? I believe the gentleman in question was old enough to have served in Vietnam or Korea.

Jon_Beveryman

This is probably a better question for r/WarCollege but the short answer is yes. The US Army publishes all manner of field manuals covering everything from the actions of the rifle squad and platoon (ATP 3-21.8, "Infantry Platoon and Squad") to large-scale combat operations at the corps and divisional level (FM 3-0 "Operations). There are specific drills in some of these manuals, like the classic Battle Drill 1A "Squad Attack" as well as more general guidelines and ways of thinking, all coming together to form what is known as doctrine.