What Army Regulations should every new shave tail 2LT (O-1) read and know?

CPT Chris Loomis

The first regulation an Army officer or NCO should read is AR 600-20 Army Command Policy.

CPT Chris Loomis, why are second lieutenants called shave tails?
It goes back to the beginning of the U.S. Cavalry. When green troopers first arrived at their new cavalry assignments they were assigned a horse with a shaved tail so they could be easily identified. This led to the nickname "Shave Tail" for newly assigned troopers. These new troopers were in need of extensive training in all areas of horsemanship. The horse with a shaved tail was given extra space in which to operate since its rider was marked as a novice. (from Wikipedia)
Now you know!
I figured you already had enough guidance regarding ARs!

The one that tells you not to salute the 1LT....Sorry had to go there

Rather than burying your nose into a book, I'd suggest keeping your eyes open to the world around you.

Studies show that people when they have that "fight or flight" fear, they develop tunnel vision, and I think the same instinct comes into play on a lesser level when you are joining a unit as a fresh 2LT.

Rather than emphasizing regulations, work on understanding the mechanisms of the Army and grab hold of your PSG and CO if you are a PL or a squad leader and platoon leader if you do not fall into a leadership role. Trust them. Ask TONS of questions. Maybe they'll get annoyed, but as a 2nd LT, "you don't know what you don't know". Burying in a book will take you away from your troops, which is where you belong. There are so many regulations that you could spend a lifetime and never learn them all. Network with other leadership, engage your NCO corps and rely on them for mentorship, and then observe the interactions between your own leadership and your subordinates to see how it works. In addition to seeing how it works, see how the troops respond. Morale is low if the Soldiers are not engaged, and thus you can generally identify a poor leader by how the troops respond.

Just some suggestions.....outside the box.
v/r,
CPT Butler

Here's a list, CPT Chris Loomis:

http://www.armyadp.com/regulations-list.html

There are some good ones on that list. It's a start. In addition to the standard regs, you may have a focus in your job that requires you to know and work with certain ARs. In my job, for example, AR 381-12, AR 381-10, and AR 381-20 are very important. They're all good regulations, but the average 2LT probably does not need to be familiar with AR 381-20, for example. And even AR 381-10 is probably not that important, unless you're in an intel job. I would recommend at least a passing familiarity with AR 381-12, TARP.

Whichever ones your CO, 1SG and PSG tell you to know and understand. Those three people are your primary sources of information and mentorship.

As you were not an NCO prior to commissioning, I would also recommend you watch your strong NCOs and draw insights from how they lead troops.

Additionally, as you are an MP, be sure you are as up on all applicable local laws and post-specific regs/directives

The one that says listen to your senior NCOs. Remember a lot of those senior NCOs had as much if not more college as a 2nd LT plus the experience of actually leading many missions down range.

To be quite honest CPT Chris Loomis, AR 600-20, Army Command Policy, should be the one that any new LT should thumb through. Should they know it cover to cover? Good luck with that. With most Army Regulations and Field Manuals, they are packed with useful information but are not "page turners." With that being said, Army Command Policy is something that you should know and everything else will be picked up through on the job (OJT) training. Your Platoon Sergeant, Executive Officer, and others at your first duty station will square you away. ;)

AR 670-1 and DA PAM 385-63. Depending on what your branch is, read the relevant FM's and AR's. Become familiar with DA PAM 25-30 which you can use to look up the most up-to-date TM's and their changes. Also, get yourself an LIW account through LOGSA so you can get access to all of the TM's for different equipment online. You'll need to inventory equipment someday as a PL or eventually CO.

In order, to get you started:
AR 600-20 (Army Command Policy)
AR 623-3 (Army Evaluation System)
AR 735-5 (Army Property Accounting Policy)
AR 27-10 (Military Justice)

These will address directly the pitfalls that plague young officers early in their career.