VMBRARIVM

Tactics Notes Conventions

4 min read

Tactics Notes Conventions

Rules for authoring notes in tactics/. This garden is a doctrine knowledge wiki (same density and navigation pattern as the intelligence garden). Digests stay comparable, citable, and graph-linked.

Frontmatter (required)

---
title: "Note Title"
aliases: []
tags: [concept, <domain-tags>]
date: YYYY-MM-DD
section: "0N-Section-Slug"
status: seed | draft | stable
source: "Pub designator (edition) or original"
---
StatusMeaning
seedScaffold in place: BLUF + origin + planned expansion; navigable
draftStructure complete; body still thin or unreviewed against the pub
stableReviewed against the cited pub; usable as a teaching/reference source

Optional coverage band on or under Doctrinal Framework:

  • full - pub directly governs the claim
  • partial - pub adapted or summarized at this echelon; adaptation stated
  • original - no adequate open pub; authored tradecraft

Concept note spine

Use this heading order for concept notes (aligned with intelligence wiki density). Field procedures and pure MOCs use their own spines below.

  1. Core Definition (BLUF) - one tight paragraph; define, then situate.
  2. Doctrinal Framework - pub, edition, echelon, coverage; key doctrinal terms and how editions differ if relevant.
  3. Mechanics - how it works; numbered phases, tables, or decision logic.
  4. Application - how it is used at detachment / small-unit / operational scale; constraints and interfaces.
  5. Historical & Contemporary Cases - when known from open sources; omit section only if none are defensible.
  6. Related Concepts - enables / counters / pairs-with; wikilinks.
  7. Failure Modes - common analytic or execution errors.
  8. Key Connections - See also cluster (planning, recon, targeting, influence, etc.).

Do not split notes into “professional use” vs “civilian transfer.” Write one operational knowledge base. Readers who transfer the logic do so themselves.

Section MOC spine

Section indexes (0N Name/0N Name.md) follow the intelligence garden pattern:

  1. Opening purpose paragraph
  2. Purpose
  3. Scope (bullets)
  4. Key Categories (blockquote links to subfolders / note clusters)
  5. Key Connections (cross-section wikilinks)
  6. Analytical Use
  7. Concept Registry (live notes + stubs planned)
  8. Read order (optional)

Field procedure spine

For notes under 10 Field Procedures:

  1. When to use
  2. People (1 / 2 / team)
  3. Inputs
  4. Steps (5 to 9)
  5. Done when
  6. Abort if
  7. Outputs
  8. See also

Taxonomy

Top-level sections are numbered 01–12. Nested categories use two-digit series matching the parent decade (e.g. 11–13 under 01, 21–22 under 02). Pattern mirrors intelligence/01 Actors & Entities/11 State Actors/.

SectionDomain
01 Command & PlanningMission command, planning processes, mission variables
02 Reconnaissance & SurveillanceMethods, pattern analysis, SR tradecraft
03 Targeting & EffectsTarget analysis, effects selection, assessment
04 Special Operations ActivitiesCore activities, irregular warfare, contingency
05 Influence & InformationMISO, MILDEC, information operations
06 Intelligence SupportAnalytic frameworks, IPOE, collection, networks
07 Protection & Counter-SurveillanceDetection, counter-measures, force protection
08 Civil Affairs & Human TerrainCivil affairs, civil networks, human terrain
09 Sustainment & IntegrationSustainment, CF–SOF integration
10 Field ProceduresExecutable cards cut from stable concepts
11 Authors & DoctrineDoctrinal contributors and key works
12 LibrarySource map, reading order, archive pointer
  • Note titles are human-readable Title Case filenames: Mission Command.md.
  • Wikilink by title: [[Mission Command]].
  • Section folder: 0N Name/; section MOC: 0N Name/0N Name.md.
  • Prefer one idea per note. Split if a note needs two independent analytical objects.

Sources

  • Prefer open Army/Joint pubs (ADP, FM, ATP, GTA, JP where public).
  • Cite designator and edition when known.
  • Original tradecraft: source: original and state that under Doctrinal Framework.
  • Full manuals stay in the private doctrine archive; this tree holds digests only.
  • Do not paste multi-page extracts. Paraphrase and cite.
  • Cross-link the intelligence garden for actor, crisis, and strategic-concept depth; do not duplicate those dossiers here.

Style

  • No emojis.
  • Wikis may use em dashes (same allowance as intelligence/). Prefer clear clauses over ornament.
  • Name jargon, then define it once.
  • Offense and defense language are both in scope when doctrine teaches them; stay factual, not theatrical.
  • Status and coverage honesty over completeness theater.

Graph View