Independent of any specific geographical conflict, what sorts of strategies deal best with the types of conflict that go under the names "fourth generation warfare," "low intensity conflict," or, as favored by the late American strategist, Col John R. Boyd, "highly irregular warfare"? For our potential adversaries have surely learned that to challenge our high technology fighters and tanks in a "fair fight" will only produce defeat, but they may also be learning from Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, and even Iraq that there may be other ways to achieve their goals. Boyd's insights on what makes an effective competitor may help us understand our strengths as well as our vulnerabilities in this new environment and what we should do to achieve our national interests at acceptable cost.
Boyd's OODA "Loop" From "The Essence of Winning and Losing," with commentary. 91 KB PowerPoint presentation. [Also works as a slide show. Printer-friendly version on page 5.]
Interested readers can find excerpts from Boyd's Discourse on Winning and Losing in HTML format, as well as presentations by several of his colleagues, at "Theory of Maneuver Conflict" on Belisarius.com.
A Discourse on Winning and Losing
This is the title Boyd gave to his collection of briefings on competitive strategy (widely known as the "Green Book," with apologies to Wittgenstein). Defense and the National Interest is pleased to present these as a resource for research and implementation. They are Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) images of the actual charts used in his legendary 8-hour briefing sessions. You are welcome to download these for your personal use, but in accordance with Boyd's express wishes, these versions are not authorized for commercial reprint. Please note that they are copyrighted by the Estate of John R. Boyd. (Download a free Acrobat reader here.)
Introduction The Abstract and Conceptual Spiral (July/August 1992). An overview of the rest of the Discourse and introducing his "Pattern for Vitality and Growth" (411 KB)
Patterns of Conflict (December 1986) Boyd's monumental look at what makes any organization competitive. Encompassing 2,500 years of the history of conflict, this briefing introduces his famous "OODA loop" concept. (2,845 KB)
Organic Design for Command and Control (May 1987) Perhaps the most approachable of Boyd's briefings and as applicable to business (or to the PTA) as to war. (399 KB) Also available in HTML on Belisarius.com
Strategic Game of ? and ? (June 1987) The heart of competitive strategy. A noted psychiatrist recently observed that the goal of Boyd's strategy is to inflict severe psychological trauma on the opposing commander prior to any actual engagement. This briefing tells how to do it. (573 KB)
Destruction and Creation (September 1976) Boyd's original paper on strategy, linking such diverse sources as Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem and the Second Law of Thermodynamics to the practice of strategy. (in HTML with links to Chuck Spinney's commentary "Evolutionary Epistimology" on Belisarius.com)
The Essence of Winning and Losing (January 1996) Boyd's "Last Briefing" A 5-chart summary of the Discourse, including the final version of the "OODA loop." (in HTML on Belisarius.com)
New Conception for Air-to-Air Combat (August 1976) Although not included in the Discourse, this briefing is an important way station on the road to the OODA loop. Here is where Boyd concluded that there was something missing in his own energy-maneuverability concept and ended with the observation that "He who can handle the quickest rate of change survives." This proved to be the observation that led Boyd from air-to-air combat towards a more general theory of competition. (1,292 KB .pdf)
A Swift, Elusive Sword, presented at the Fall 2001 Boyd Conference in Quantico, Virginia. A 327 KB PowerPoint slide show that illustrates themes from the book.
"Shock-based Operations: New Wine in Old Bottles," Lt Col John N. T. Shanahan, May 2001. Doctrine in the 21st Century must deal with opponents who change rapidly to adapt to our technological superiority. The best way to deal with these "complex adaptive systems" is with a doctrine that produces shock and paralysis, not one that tries to bludgeon them into submission. (378 KB MS Word document.)
Bulging Muscles Won't Win The Next War, By David Hackworth. Gustavus Adolphus was a master of using a small, highly trained and motivated, agile forcea lá Boydto defeat his fearsomely-armed, but ponderous, imperial adversary. Now, at the dawn of the 21st Century, we have become the muscle-bound imperials. Reprinted from Soldiers for the Truth.
Because Boyd was not well known to the public (or even the military) at large, many people are unfamiliar with his career and the origins of his strategy. For those who are interested in learning more, Defense and the National Interest presents a collection of biographies and synopses of his career.
Genghis John, By Chuck Spinney, originally published in the Naval Institute Proceedings. This is the most approachable introduction and overview, written for a general audience.
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