Science, Strategy and War The Strategic Theory of ... - Boekje Pienter

Magnify adversary’s friction and stretch-out his time (for a favorable mismatch infriction and time), thereby:Deny adversary the opportunity to cope with events/efforts as they unfold.Circling back to the beginning, to the set of criteria Boyd had stipulated for a ‘first ratecommand and control system’, Boyd concludes that it is implicit orientation which shapesthe character of insight and vision, focus and direction, adaptability, and security. Therefore,a command and control system, any design or related operational methods should play toand expand, not play down and diminish, implicit orientation 23 . As he states, ‘up to this pointwe have shown orientation as being a critical element in command and control - implyingthat without orientation there is no command and control worthy of the name. Very nice,but simply stated, what does this comment and everything else we’ve discussed so far tell usabout command and control?’ 24 Boyd takes his audience by the hand by offering thefollowing important illumination 25 :The process of observation-orientation-decision-action represents what takes placeduring the command and control process - which means that the OODA loop can bethought of as being the C&C loop.The second O, orientation - as the repository of our genetic heritage, cultural tradition,and previous experiences - is the most important part of the OODA loop since itshapes the way we observe, the way we decide, the way we act.ImplicationOperating inside adversary’s OODA loop means the same things as operating insideadversary’s C&C loop.Redefining command and controlThus far one could argue that Boyd has addressed the organic part of the title of thepresentation. He has developed several ideas about the command and control process bytaking a systems view, or rather a complex adaptive systems view. Although clear andpersuasive, these ideas are still rather conceptual and general. So Boyd now makes his waytoward the practical side of effective command and control, which will lead him to aredefinition of command and control and a focus on the essence of leadership.His starting point, and the normative framework, is clearly the previous discussionon the criteria for a first rate command and control system. Indeed, his views on effectivecommand and control aim to effectuate such a system. And again, he seeks inspiration, if notsubstantiation, in some historical snapshots he had already used in Patterns of Conflict. Herefers among others to Napoleon’s use of staff officers for personal reconnaissance, vonMoltke’s message directives of few words, the contrasting British approach of tight controlduring the Battle of the Somme in 1916 26 . But he leans in particular, and explicitly, on Martinvan Creveld’s study Command in War to gain a “richer view”. Boyd includes an entire pagefrom van Creveld’s book that deals with the Israeli command set up during the June 196723 Ibid, p.24.24 Ibid, p.25.25 Ibid, p.2626 Ibid, p.28.240