Over the past two decades, wildland fire professionals have been confronted with worsening conditions and complex challenges that cry out for change and new ways of thinking. However, change requires a framework within which people reliably translate policy into timely, effective action. Doctrine, or a body of teachings, instructions, taught principles, or positions, may represent a framework within which land management agencies and rural fire services might change to confront their challenges. A good doctrine should: 1) establish a common purpose; 2) create a common language for expressing organizational strategy; and 3) institutionalize a common structure for action. Some agencies have invested in doctrine, naturally turning to established experts-the military-for inspiration. However, while parallels between warfighting and firefighting seem obvious, the analogy breaks down quickly because firefighting is a civilian undertaking with no moral equivalence to war, and the mission is not paramount over the safety of individual firefighters. In short, firefighting is not warfighting. However, nine cognitive demands underlying United States Marine Corps doctrine and six principles of that doctrine appear relevant to wildland fire; and the authors of this paper explore how those nine demands and six principles might form the core of a fire operations doctrine.