‘What is this?’: Army leader’s long-promised Big Book overwhelms soldiers

A year ago, just two months into his job, Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer promised soldiers a new app that would allow them to keep an overview of service regulations and policies in their pockets.

The so-called Army-wide “Blue Book” was a centerpiece of Weimer’s plans for his first year in command – and his consistent emphasis on discipline. The book would contain all service regulations and be updated in real time, saving soldiers the trouble of wading through scattered and difficult-to-analyze policy documents.

The final product released this week didn’t quite live up to expectations. A 23-page printed pocket version of the book summarizes some Army policies – mostly uniform rules – and includes creeds of service, a brief overview of the U.S. Constitution, and the Army song (written out and performed). The digital version with all the same information is six pages long due to formatting.

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“All Soldiers will use this Blue Book and its associated regulations to strengthen, enable and demonstrate the Army profession through enforced standards and discipline,” the book states. “All soldiers are expected to carry a copy of this document when wearing their service uniform.”

This paragraph is repeated a second time in the book. It was unclear whether this was an error.

In interviews with Military.com, five senior Army officials expressed concern about why the Big Book was featured so prominently during a major speech by Weimer in October 2023, effectively delisting from service with the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) presented. conference and during its unveiling at this year’s conference.

While the content of the book itself was not considered particularly notable, the emphasis it received as a central priority of Weimer’s tenure caused a stir.

“But seriously, what is this? A year, and that’s the main thing?” said a senior sergeant on condition of anonymity to avoid retaliation, holding up and waving the Big Book.

Weimer’s office declined to comment.

The sergeant major also made a surprise announcement Tuesday that soldiers will receive newly designed training uniforms in about a year, replacing the current uniforms that were fully introduced to the force in 2017.

Sergeant. Maj. Tyson Crosby, who leads a dedicated advisory board, led the development of the Blue Book. A released statement from the Army said the book was a massive undertaking and that Crosby and his team “put in countless hours,” including temporary duty tours, or TDYs. work on it.

The Big Book bears a striking resemblance to the manuals issued to undergraduate trainees, but contains – sometimes vague – interpretations of established guidelines.

In one example, the book says commanders can ban soldiers from participating in social media if there is a threat to “good order and discipline.” However, this rule is not clearly defined, and this line is one of the few parts of the book where an existing rule is not appropriately cited.

However, despite the instruction to soldiers to carry the Big Book while in uniform, this instruction is not supported by an enforceable policy, which typically requires a signed memorandum from a senior officer. Since most soldiers carry cell phones and the book is published online, they would probably technically have it with them.

Some of the Army officials viewed the book as an example of growing pains. Weimer spent his entire career in special forces and much of it with the secretive Delta Force. These organizations are largely separate from the conventional army, meaning Weimer assumed leadership of an army with which he is largely unfamiliar.

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