What does the term DOTLMS mean and what is its origin?
The term DOTLMS is derived from an initiative of General Vuono’s while CSA, although the idea began taking shape while he was TRADOC commander. His aim was to define TRADOC’s, and presumably the Army’s, mission in broad but specific terms. What came to be known as the “Six Imperatives” were, put simply, “Doctrine, Organization, Training, Leader Development, Materiel, and Soldiers,” or DOTLMS for short. DOTLMS seems to have appeared first in the Army Green Book of October 1987, pp. 20-28, but the functions were not yet labeled “Imperatives.” They appeared once again in published form in Army Focus of June 1989, but were labeled “Priorities” on that occasion. Vuono laid out what he termed his “Six Imperatives” in late 1989 in addressing the AUSA Annual Luncheon at the annual meeting in October 1989. The December 1989 issue of Army carries the text. The Imperatives and the acronym got much play during the ill-fated Modern LA Maneuvers and is still around. See the 1997 Memo Subject: Effect
