Army Personnel Recovery (FM 3-50.1)

Field Manual (FM) 3-50.1 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. It provides operational direction for commanders, staffs, and trainers at all echelons, from company through theater army. This doctrine helps ensure all echelons of the Army organize, train, and equip to conduct personnel recovery and prevent isolation incidents. This FM supersedes and builds on the groundbreaking work of FM 3-50.1, Army Personnel Recovery, 10 August 2005, by articulating the importance of the commander in successful personnel recovery operations, enlarging its scope to include stability operations and defense support of civil authorities operations, and addressing unified land operations. This updated manual incorporates the doctrinal concepts in FM 1, The Army; ADP 3-0, Unified Land Operations; FM 3-07, Stability Operations; and FM 3-28, Civil Support Operations. Army personnel recovery doctrine is consistent with joint personnel recovery doctrine, applicable Department of Defense directives (DODDs) and instructions (DODIs), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff instructions and manuals, Army policy and regulation, and federal law. It is Department of Defense (DOD) policy, established in DODD 3002.01E, to preserve the lives and well-being of individuals who are in danger of becoming, or already are, beleaguered, besieged, captured, detained, interned, or otherwise missing or evading capture while participating in activities or missions sponsored by the United States. The target audience for FM 3-50.1 is Army commanders and staffs responsible for the planning, preparation, execution, and assessment of personnel recovery operations. This manual provides guidance for other Service commanders and staffs who command and work with Army forces. This manual is also a resource for United States government agencies and other unified action partners who seek to understand the role of the Army in safeguarding and recovering Soldiers.