“Doctrine is a set of fundamental principles which guide actions - authoritative, but requiring judgment in application. They are most important during periods of great chaos, such as on a battlefield or during a major natural disaster when communications and unity of command are difficult”. (Perkins, Shaping DHS Doctrine for Operational Success, July 2007, 1) “…doctrine reduces “mission creep”. The Coast Guard, for example, has long prided itself on ‘getting the job done’ no matter what was asked of it, completing unusual missions timely and effectively. Over a number of decades, missions accreted even while resources dried up, eventually resulting in a “dull knife”. Doctrine outlines what a service or agency must be competent in and, in general or specific terms, how it should do it. With only 40,000 active duty members, the Coast Guard cannot be all things to all people. Doctrine will describe what can be done and what can’t without reducing its flexibility”. (Ibid, 4) “Clear doctrine prevents or at least reduces miscommunication by creating common frames of reference. It shows at a glance what other organizations will do, and therefore improves clarity of purpose and definition of roles in disaster prevention and response”. (Ibid, 6) “Sound doctrine enables sound training, and it is training that permits thoughtful action during periods of chaos”. (Ibid, 7) as a guide to action within the military services. See also: U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Operations Planning and Execution System; overview at http: //www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/other_pubs/jopes.pdf “The Doctrine-Training-Operations Cycle: Any organization that tries to stay efficient creates a structure that enables a cycle of continuous improvement. New procedures (doctrine) and methods are taught to new members and to senior staff in refresher courses. Training results in operations that are consistent with the new and improved doctrine. Based upon feedback, the procedures are further modified and new training is given until the desired end result indicates that doctrine and training are producing the best results reasonably achievable”. (Ibid, 10) “Doctrine Pyramids: For any…organization, doctrine should assume the shape of a multi-tiered pyramid…that guides operations in increasing detail with each level down. Each component of an organization or service within the Department should have its own doctrine pyramid that is guided by the overarching Department’s pyramid. The highest level doctrine is typically summed up in a single book so that a new member or student can quickly get a sense of key concepts (by convention this single book is often titled Doctrine Publication 1)”. (Ibid, 11)