A year ago, Army Sergeant Major Michael Weimer, just two months after taking office, promised soldiers a new app that would put a snapshot of regulations and policies in their pockets military.

The so-called army-wide “Blue Book” was a centerpiece of Weimer’s plans for his first year in command — and his single-minded emphasis on discipline. The book would contain all of the service’s regulations and be updated in real time, saving soldiers from having to wade through scattered and difficult-to-analyze policy documents.

The final product released this week didn’t quite live up to expectations. A 23-page paperback version of the book summarizes some Army policies – mostly uniform rules – and includes military beliefs, a brief overview of the U.S. Constitution, and the Army Song (written and performed) . The digital version with all the same information is six pages long due to formatting.

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“All Soldiers will use this Blue Book and its associated regulations to strengthen, enable and demonstrate the military profession through enforced standards and discipline,” the book states. “It is expected that all soldiers carry a copy of this document with them when in service uniform.”

This paragraph is repeated a second time in the book. It was unclear whether this was an error.

In interviews with Military.com, five senior Army officials expressed concerns about why the Blue Book was being so emphasized, both during a major speech by Weimer in October 2023, actually presenting at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Service conference, and during its unveiling at this year’s conference.

Although the content of the book itself was not considered particularly noteworthy, the prominence it received as a central priority of Weimer’s tenure raised eyebrows.

“But seriously, what is it? One year, and that’s the main thing?” » declared a command sergeant major, on condition of anonymity, to avoid reprisals, brandishing and waving the Blue Book.

Weimer’s office declined to comment.

The sergeant major also made a surprise announcement Tuesday that soldiers will receive newly designed physical training uniforms within about a year, replacing the current uniforms that were fully rolled out to the force in 2017.

Sgt. Maj. Tyson Crosby, who heads an enlisted advisory committee, led the development of the Blue Book. A statement released by the Army said the book was a massive undertaking and that Crosby and his team “spent countless hours” working on it.

The Blue Book bears a striking resemblance to the manuals distributed to basic trainees, but with interpretations – sometimes vague – of established policies.

In one example, the book says commanders can ban soldiers from being on social media if there is a threat to “good order and discipline.” However, this rule is not clearly defined, and this line is one of the only parts of the book that does not appropriately cite an existing regulation.

Meanwhile, despite directives that soldiers must carry the Blue Book with them while in uniform, these directives are not supported by any enforceable policy, which usually requires a memorandum signed by a senior officer. Presumably, since most soldiers carry cell phones and the book is published online, they would technically have it on them.

Some Army officials viewed the book as an example of growing pains. Weimer spent his entire career in special forces, and much of it in the secretive Delta Force. These organizations are largely separate from the conventional military, meaning Weimer has taken the reins of a military he knows little about.

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