In July, in a sharp break from tradition, the Army began encouraging its personnel from the privates to the generals to go online and collaboratively rewrite seven of the field manuals that give instructions on all aspects of Army life.

The program uses the same software behind the online encyclopedia Wikipedia and could potentially lead to hundreds of Army guides being wikified. The goal, say the officers behind the effort, is to tap more experience and advice from battle-tested soldiers rather than relying on the specialists within the Armys array of colleges and research centers who have traditionally written the manuals.