Warning Analysis for the Information Age - Higgins Counterterrorism ...

VERY NICEBut, simply stated, what does this comment and everything else we’ve discussedso far tell us about command and control?//ILLUMINATION❏ The process of observation-orientation-decision-action represents whattakes place during the command and control process—which means thatthe O-O-D-A loop can be thought of as being the C&C loop.❏ The second O, orientation—as the repository of our genetic heritage, culturaltradition, and previous experiences—is the most important part ofthe O-O-D-A loop since it shapes the way we observe, the way wedecide, the way we act.IMPLICATION//❏ Operating inside adversary’s O-O-D-A loop means the same thing asoperating inside adversary’s C&C loop. 71I suggest that we can build organizations for the Information Age based on ColBoyd’s assessment, but we must remember that Col Boyd was modeling the militaryand that the military is only a part of the national organization. We shouldconsider that what are strategic decisions from the standpoint of the military aretactical decisions from the national standpoint. Therefore, one must realize thatthe national OODA loop transcends just military organizations and decisions andincludes civilian ones as well. And in the national OODA loop, the IC is entrustedwith the intelligence half (observing and orienting) while the IC consumers areentrusted with the operations half (deciding and acting).Therefore, to build a national OODA Cycle for the Information Age we needto remember:■ The intelligence (OO) half of the national OODA Cycle is the responsibilityof the IC.■ The IC spends billions of dollars on researching and improving theObserve-Orient part of the cycle but virtually all the dollars go into the“Observe” category on new collection methods and new databases inwhich to store the collected data.71 Col Boyd.153