Results for board

Procedures for Preliminary Inquiries, Administrative Investigations, and Boards of Officers

AR 15-6 governs preliminary inquiries, administrative investigations, and boards of officers -- the process behind almost every commander-directed investigation. The 2025 revision reorganized the procedures and added the preliminary inquiry to the title. If you are appointed as an investigating officer, read it before you interview anyone.

Active Duty Enlisted Administrative Separations

AR 635-200 governs administrative separation of enlisted Soldiers on active duty: the bases for separation, the characterization of service, and the procedural rights that attach. Company and battalion leaders use it for chapter actions; the separation authority and the servicing judge advocate drive the process. Get legal review before initiating anything.

Army Command Policy

AR 600-20 is the command policy regulation: chain of command, military discipline and conduct, prohibited relationships, equal opportunity, harassment prevention and response, and the commander's authority over Soldiers. It is the single regulation most often cited at boards and in adverse actions. It is revised frequently -- verify the current edition before quoting a paragraph.

Army Leadership and the Profession

ADP 6-22 is the Army's leadership publication and the source of the leadership requirements model. It defines the Army profession, the Army Ethic, and what leaders are expected to be, know, and do. Expect it at every promotion board.

Army Military Human Resource Records Management

AR 600-8-104 governs the Army Military Human Resource Record -- what goes in it, who may file, and how a Soldier corrects it. It is the regulation behind the documents a promotion or selection board actually sees. Soldiers preparing a board packet should read the filing rules before they submit anything.

Command and Control

ADP 6-0 is the Army's doctrine for command and control, and the home of mission command -- the approach to command and control that empowers subordinates to act within the commander's intent. The July 2026 edition drops the older 'Mission Command: Command and Control of Army Forces' title and is organized around command, control, and the command and control warfighting function. Its seven principles of mission command are among the most commonly asked board material.

Drill and Ceremonies

TC 3-21.5 is the Army's drill and ceremonies manual: individual and unit drill, the manual of arms, and the sequence for formations, reviews, and ceremonies. It is the single most quoted publication at promotion boards after the leadership doctrine. The May 2021 edition supersedes the January 2012 version.

Enlisted Promotions and Demotions

AR 600-8-19 is the enlisted promotion and demotion regulation: eligibility, the semi-centralized promotion system for sergeant and staff sergeant, promotion boards, and administrative demotions. It is one of the most frequently revised regulations in the Army, and the promotion point tables change with it. Always work from the edition currently posted on APD, not a saved copy.

Guide to the Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia

DA PAM 670-1 is the illustrated guide to wearing the uniform: placement measurements, insignia layouts, and how awards and badges are arranged. AR 670-1 says what is authorized; this pamphlet shows exactly where it goes. It is the reference for uniform inspections and board preparation.

Map Reading and Land Navigation

TC 3-25.26 is the Army's map reading and land navigation manual: grids, marginal information, terrain features, azimuths, and navigation techniques. Dated November 2013, it is still the active reference used on land navigation courses and at boards. Note the designator -- it is a TC, not an FM or ATP.

Offense and Defense

ADP 3-90 holds the fundamentals of offensive and defensive operations: the forms of maneuver, the types of attacks, and the forms of the defense. It is the doctrinal parent for FM 3-90, Tactics, which carries the detail. If a board asks about the four types of offensive operations, this is where the answer lives.

The Noncommissioned Officer Guide

TC 7-22.7 is the NCO guide: the duties, responsibilities, and authority of noncommissioned officers, the NCO support channel, and the expectations at each grade. The August 2025 edition supersedes the January 2020 guide. It is required reading for anyone going before a promotion board.