PREFACE

"Once hostilities are over, Americans are spontaneous and headlong in their eagerness to return to civilian life. No people on earth have been known to disengage so quickly from the ways of war."

President Harry Truman

This manual establishes doctrine for planning and executing redeployment operations. It describes the redeployment principles, planning, and execution necessary for the Army's role in the power projection strategy of the United States. It discusses the functions and responsibilities of Army units and supporting organizations and systems in executing the redeployment mission. It describes redeployment operations and the roles of Army commands, units, installations, and supporting units in redeployment operations.

This manual is a guide for Army commanders and staffs involved in planning, equipping, supporting, and executing redeployment operations. It focuses on the redeploying units and other commands and elements that must execute the functions and processes of redeployment missions.

Field Manual (FM) 100-17 contains the capstone doctrine for five subordinate field manuals (Figure 1). These field manuals address: Army pre-positioned stocks on land and afloat; deployment; reception, staging, onward movement, and integration; and lastly, redeployment. These manuals provide doctrine for the Army to project its power from continental United States or outside continental United States bases.

Figure 1. Force Projection Doctrine

This manual is a counterpart to FM 100-17-4. All deployed forces eventually redeploy, perhaps using the same means of conveyance and many of the same procedures and processes. Redeployment operations are similar to, but do not necessarily mirror, deployment operations. This manual discusses redeployment operations to enable units to better prepare for these complex missions.

Redeployment scenarios may differ widely depending on the location, command structure, forces employed, and the characteristics and capabilities of the infrastructure. This manual focuses on the redeploying unit and other Army organizations that are key to redeployment.

The first chapter of this manual describes the doctrinal framework for redeployment operations. Chapter 2 discusses command and control in post-conflict operations that permit the disengagement and redeployment of units. It also covers planning, responsibilities, and concepts. Chapter 3 addresses the movement to the port of embarkation, including the operations within the assembly area and the redeployment assembly area. To enable readers to understand what is occurring at each major location, the functions of the key participants are described. Chapter 4 discusses port of embarkation operations. Port of debarkation operations and onward movement complete the movement of units to their final destinations in Chapter 5.

This manual contains descriptions of redeployment functions and responsibilities. The reader should use this manual to determine what must be done to accomplish the redeployment mission. It should be the basis for development of standing procedures and plans to meet the requirements for individual units and specific circumstances.

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