The "In Touch" doctrine or the ambition to be for operational engagement what grammar is to a living language.

Doctrine is often suspected of being a closed, quasi-esoteric matter, conceived and realizede by (and for) a handful of "above-ground" specialists who have only a distant relationship with operational reality. One of the ambitions of this new review is, on the contrary, to prove that doctrine belongs first and foremost to all military personnel, and not only to a restricted group. It is the very definition of a living doctrine, just like a language. At a time when there are legions of civilian experts in all kinds of "military matters", as was once said, French soldiers, rich from their expeditions, are now in a position to make their own decisions.The French soldiers, rich in experience and operational commitment, are thinking about strategy, tactics and manoeuvres, which remain their raison d'être and make their voices heard.

The doctrinal exploratory approach

However, the doctrinal exploratory approach, which will be presented in this issue, is intended to be open to all research circles, since the doctrinal field is transversal par excellence, as it is true that the subjects on the armed forces and the doctrinal approach are not only of interest to the general public, but also to the general public.It is true that topics on armies touch upon many fields (constitutional, strategic, diplomatic, financial, technological, the list is long...) and that no significant evolution in one or the other field should escape its notice.

The "In Contact" doctrine, based on a long tradition of the CDEF and then the CDEC, brings together in a rich and coherent body of doctrine all the operational experience accumulated by a land component engaged daily in operations, on national territory and in exercises. This corpus is enriched by a series of documents known as "doctrinal reflections", the aim of which is to support the SCORPION capability transformation, which complements the doctrine and occupies the space between foresight and current doctrine.

Discipline and freedom of thought for the military, in the spirit of Guibert and Foch

Finally, it is important to defend and promote the freedom of thought of military personnel in this journal, which is not intended to duplicate doctrine documents, but rather to highlight or synthesize them.It is important to defend and promote the freedom of thought of the soldier in this review, which is not called upon to duplicate doctrine documents but rather to highlight or synthesize them in order to take the necessary height, to "place oneself at the centre of the problem", as Guibert wanted, or, more simply, to "develop through study the power of analysis, then of synthesis" as Foch wished.

Our era, moreover, fertile in upheavals, in strategic as well as technological ruptures - not unlike those in which the authors of the General Essay on Tactics and the Principles of Warfare lived - should be conducive to this work of reflection.