Book Description

This publication, Field Manual FM 3-50 Army Personnel Recovery, is the Army's doctrinal publication for personnel recovery. It presents doctrinal guidance and direction for Army personnel recovery operations and is the foundation for developing tactics and techniques, handbooks, and unit standard operating procedures (SOPs). It provides operational direction for commanders, staffs, and trainers at all echelons, from company to theater army. This doctrine helps ensure all echelons of the Army organize, train, and equip to conduct personnel recovery and prevent isolating events. The principal audience for FM 3-50 is Army commanders and staffs responsible for the planning, preparation, execution, and assessment of personnel recovery operations. This publication provides guidance for other Service commanders and staffs who command and work with Army forces. This publication is also a resource for United States government agencies and other unified action partners who seek to understand the role of the y in safeguarding and recovering Soldiers, Army civilians, and contractors authorized to accompany the force. This publication is organized into six chapters: Chapter 1 describes personnel recovery. It defines Army personnel recovery and discusses the foundations of personnel recovery. It explains Army personnel recovery components and concludes with the Army personnel recovery proficiencies. Chapter 2 addresses the personnel recovery responsibilities and supporting tools of commanders at all echelons and staffs at battalion level and above. The discussion applies to headquarters from battalion and brigade to theater army. Chapter 3 discusses the planning for personnel recovery. It discusses how the staff uses the military decisionmaking process, the personnel recovery appendix format, isolated Soldier guidance, and the evasion plan of action. Chapter 4 discusses personnel recovery considerations for major combat operations. It emphasizes personnel recovery in the context of offensive and defensive tasks. It discusses the characteristics of major combat operations, the cause of isolation incidents, and conducting the operations process. Chapter 5 discusses the personnel recovery considerations for stability. It discusses the characteristics of stability as they apply to personnel recovery. It then explains the isolation risk in stability as well as isolation risk reduction strategies. It elaborated on Department of State and Department of Defense interactions. Lastly, the chapter discusses interactions with other partners. Chapter 6 discusses the personnel recovery considerations for defense support of civil authorities operations. It discusses characteristics of defense support of civil authorities tasks. It explains the personnel recovery capability phases. It concludes with the commander and staff's focus during defense support of civil authorities. This publication makes several major changes from FM 3-50.1 (now obsolete), which it supersedes. This publication articulates the importance of the commander in successful personnel recovery operations. It enlarges the scope of Army personnel recovery doctrine for stability and defense support of civil authorities tasks. This publication incorporates the doctrinal concepts in ADP 1, ADRP 3-0, ADP 3-07 ADRP 3-07, ADP 3-28, ADRP 3-28, ADP 3-90, and ADRP 3-90. Other changes from FM 3-50.1 include: -The Army term and definition for personnel recovery are modified; the term is changed to Army personnel recovery (see introductory table 1). The definition is limited to military efforts. -Chapters 4 and 5 are combined to include personnel recovery operations during offensive, defensive, and stability tasks in large-scale combat, and in defense support of civil authorities. -Former appendixes are integrated into applicable chapters and chapters are arranged to align appropriately with current joint personnel recovery doctrine.