Public-release documents only
Manual Library
US military hand-to-hand manuals and studies that are approved for public release (or predate the marking system). Each one shows its edition date, the distribution statement as printed on the cover or title page, and where it came from.
What's not here, on purpose: FM 3-25.150 (2009, USACS-restricted), the Nov 2016 TC 3-25.150 draft, MCRP 3-02B 2002/2011 (Distribution B), and course packets of unknown distribution. If it isn't cleared for public release, it doesn't go up.
current Army
TC 3-25.150: Combatives
- Edition
- 31 Mar 2017
- Pages
- 408
- Distribution
DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTION: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
- Source
- Army Publishing Directorate (official)
Current Army combatives doctrine. APD lists it ACTIVE (checked Oct 7, 2026). A LSCO revision is in work but not published. Only the official APD final edition is public release; the Nov 2016 draft circulating online carries a USACS-only restriction and is not linked here.
Linked to the official copy. The file is larger than our host's 25 MB per-file limit.
superseded Army
FM 3-25.150 (FM 21-150): Combatives
- Edition
- 18 Jan 2002
- Pages
- 265
- Distribution
DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTION: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
- Source
- Internet Archive (also on Wikimedia Commons)
Matt Larsen's rewrite that made the Modern Army Combatives Program doctrine. Supersedes FM 21-150 (1992).
superseded Army
FM 21-150: Combatives
- Edition
- 30 Sep 1992
- Pages
- 232
- Distribution
DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTION: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
- Source
- Internet Archive
Scanned image, no text layer. Supersedes FM 21-150 (30 Dec 1971). APD lists FM 21-150 as inactive.
superseded transcription Army
FM 21-150: Unarmed Defense for the American Soldier
- Edition
- 30 Jun 1942
- Pages
- 75
- Distribution
No distribution statement (predates the marking system). Public-domain US Government work.
- Source
- Internet Archive
Retyped transcription, not a facsimile scan of the original.
superseded Marine Corps
MCRP 3-02B: Close Combat
- Edition
- 12 Feb 1999 (foreword signed 18 Feb 1999)
- Pages
- 113
- Distribution
No restrictive marking found. Printed: "DISTRIBUTION: 144 000066 00" (PCN). US Government work.
- Source
- Internet Archive
Supersedes FMFM 0-7 (1993). Later MCMAP editions (2002, 2011) are Distribution B and are not hosted.
superseded Marine Corps
MCRP 3-02B: Marine Corps Martial Arts (1999 content, later title)
- Edition
- 18 Feb 1999
- Pages
- 114
- Distribution
No restrictive marking found. Printed: "DISTRIBUTION: 144 000066 00" (PCN).
- Source
- Internet Archive
Near-duplicate of the 1999 Close Combat file under the MCMAP-era title.
research Army
DTIC ADA612103: Hand-to-Hand Combat and the Use of Combatives Skills: An Analysis of US Army Post Combat Surveys from 2004–2008
- Edition
- 2014 (DTIC 19 Nov 2014)
- Pages
- 18
- Distribution
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited
- Source
- Internet Archive (DTIC mirror)
Research report, not a manual. The grappling-first data: 72.6% of hand-to-hand engagements involved grappling.
research Army
DTIC ADA511484: Hand to Hand Combatives in the US Army
- Edition
- 12 Dec 2008
- Pages
- 115
- Distribution
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
- Source
- Internet Archive (DTIC mirror)
Command and General Staff College master's thesis.
research Navy
DTIC ADA536535: Navy Combatives: Adjusting Course for the Future
- Edition
- Dec 2010
- Pages
- 113
- Distribution
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited
- Source
- Internet Archive (DTIC mirror)
Naval Postgraduate School thesis. No official Navy combatives manual was found; this is the closest public document.
Not yet in the library
- AFI 36-2620, Air Force Combatives Program (2018): official PDF exists on e-Publishing, but the distribution statement hasn't been checked yet. e-Publishing
- MCO 1500.59A, Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (2019): distribution not verified. MARADMIN 580/19
US Government works are generally not subject to copyright (17 U.S.C. § 105). These files are provided free, as-is, for reference and history. They are not sold, repackaged, or presented as endorsed by any service.