The U.S. Army believes our nation's future is one of "persistent conflict"-- protracted confrontation among state, nonstate, and individual actors willing to use violence to achieve their political and ideological ends. "U.S. Army Operations Field Manual," required reading for Army leadership, provides the intellectual core of how our Army will organize, train, equip, and conduct operations in this environment. In other words, this manual explains how to run the best army in the world.