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

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This differs from traditional views on the meaning of command and control (C&C), andBoyd wants to emphasize just that (and here he is referring to his opening statements of thepresentation on the reigning command and control philosophy and associated problemswithin the US armed forces at the time). In fact, he continues to reconceptualize C&C andexposes his audience to a subtle word game to arrive at a description of C&C with a muchhigher emotive and cognitive association.The traditional definitions, Boyd explains, means to direct, order, or compel whilecontrol means to regulate, restrain, or hold to a certain standard as well as to direct orcommand. Thus, the description offered above is different than the kind that is beingapplied. In this sense, the C&C Boyd is speaking of seems, in his words, ‘more closelyaligned to leadership (rather than command) and to some kind of monitoring ability (ratherthan control) that permits leadership to be effective’. In other word, Boyd continues,‘leadership with monitoring, rather than C&C, seems to be a better way to cope with themulti-faceted aspects of uncertainty, change, and stress. On the other hand, monitoring, perse, does not appear to be an adequate substitute for control. Instead, after some sorting andreflection, the idea of appreciation seems better.[…] First of all, appreciation includes therecognition of worth or value and the idea of clear perception as well as the ability tomonitor. Moreover, next, it is difficult to believe that leadership can even exist withoutappreciation. Pulling these threads together suggests appreciation and leadership offer moreappropriate and richer means than C&C for shaping and adapting to circumstances’ 30 .This discussion sheds another light on the epitome of command and control, laidout before. In a new set of definitions Boyd not only replaces command and control withappreciation and leadership, he also subtly inserts some words which emphasize thecognitive character of the process (below those words are printed in italics to show thedifferences clearly). These changes and additions are quite relevant for they also lead to adescription which is much less directive in nature and much more in line with Boyd’sargument about the value of trust, implicit control, shared orientation, etc, he developed hereand in Patterns of Conflict. Underlying this change is the idea that initiative will not be fosteredby top down, directive command and control system. Indeed, after the newconceptualization of C&C, Boyd states that C&C represents a top-down mentality applied ina rigid or mechanical (or electrical way) that ignored as well as stifles the implicit nature ofhuman beings to deal with uncertainty, change, and stress (examples: The Battle of theSomme, Evacuation of Saigon, Mayaguez Affair, Desert I, Nifty-Nugget […]) 31 .Appreciation and Leadership 32 :Nature Appreciation and leadership permit one to discern, direct and shape what is to be done aswell as permit one to modify that direction and shaping by assessing what is being doneor about to be done (by friendlies as well as adversaries).What does this mean? Leadership must give direction in terms of what is to be done in a clear unambiguousway. In this sense, leadership must interact with system to shape the character or natureof that system in order to realize what is to be done.30 Ibid, p.32.31 Ibid, p.35.32 Ibid, p.34.242
whereasAppreciation, as part of leadership, must provide assessment of what is being done in aclear unambiguous way. In this sense, appreciation must not interact nor interfere withsystem but must discern (not shape) the character/nature of what is being done or aboutto be done;Implication Assessment and discernment should be invisible and should not interfere withoperations while direction and shaping should be evident to system - otherwiseappreciation and leadership do not exist as an effective means to improve our fitness toshape and cope with unfolding circumstances.To show the difference between C&C and Appreciation and Leadership once more andquite clearly, Boyd finalizes his presentation with a new set of definitions, which reflects thediffering themes discussed in the presentation 33 :CommandRefers to the ability to direct, order, compelwith or without authority or powerUnderstandingMeans to comprehend the import or meaning ofsomething.ControlMeans to have power or authrity to regulate,restrain, verify, (usually against some standard)direct or command. Comes from medievallatin contrarotulus, a 'counter roll' or checklist(contra, against plus rotulus, list)MonitoringRefers to the process that permits one to oversee,listen, observe, or keep track of as well as toadvise, warn, or admonish.AppreciationRefers to the recognition of worth or value, clearperception, understanding, comprehension, ordiscernment, etc.LeadershipImplies the art of inspiring people to cooperateand enthusiastically take action toward theachievement of uncommon goals.Subsequently Boyd concludes that the title ‘organic design for command and control is notappropriate’. Instead, ‘the following title more clearly reflects the spirit and content of thispresentation: Appreciation and Leadership’ 34 .IntroductionThe Strategic Game of ? and ?Although at places highly conceptual, Patterns of Conflict and Organic Design for Command andControl in essence are about military matters at the operational level. The historical exampleshe uses and the concepts he develops find their basis in operational art. He looks for33 Ibid, p.37. The definitions of command and control are here contrasted deliberately against those ofunderstanding, monitoring, appreciation and leadership. Boyd actually listed them together in onesequence.34 Ibid, p.36.243
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Science, Strategy and WarThe Strate
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We are survival machines.Richard Da
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CONTENTS1. INTRODUCTION............
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Introduction.......................
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1. INTRODUCTIONTo flourish and grow
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testing of the decision selected by
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momentum and tempo, which in combin
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tracing the history of war Boyd saw
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in general. Referring to Karl Poppe
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constitute an argument about strate
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2. ON STRATEGY AND STRATEGIC THEORY
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its internal make up and the dynami
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strategist’s task is not to creat
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must be holistic, paying due respec
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Such a division can also be discern
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sensibility that would be capable o
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Why strategic theorizing is difficu
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truth is independent of human belie
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policy, is policy’ 107 . Subseque
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of systems of thought which will gu
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Science and Strategic TheoryDominan
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the major intellectual currents tha
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friction, which is infused with the
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3. THE SEEDS OF A THEORY AND THE FE
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Slowly his writings matured. In 196
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This situation also reflected the d
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at the cost of airspeed depletion)
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and air power theorists are notably
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Lawrence wrote Liddell Hart that fo
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The Indirect ApproachThe foregoing
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in weakening the opponent’s will
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standing in a direct theoretical li
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perfect information, so Chapter 9 r
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According with the enemy is the ass
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preconceived battle plan depends up
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mental or moral, instead they aim t
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calculation, based on the assumptio
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Turbulent environmentThis convictio
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the introduction of the M1 Abrams t
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campaign with which it was most com
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The debates resulted via the improv
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emphasized being more responsive, a
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4. SCIENCE: BOYD’S FOUNTAINKnowle
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The list exceeds 20 pages. Indeed,
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counter-culture. He had read severa
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Popper’s Evolutionary Epistemolog
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species. Finally, theories, unlike
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discovery’ 39 . ‘We have here t
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for failure and an encouragement fo
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investigated and a change of the ru
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Paradigm shiftBeyond NewtonIn the p
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philosophical aspects, Prigogine an
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uncertainty in another “conjugate
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The link between thermodynamics and
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As Ludwig Bertalanffy noted, the gr
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assessing deviation from coursecoun
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the system by the environment or ot
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A slightly more complex model from
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implementation of the right program
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The model below shows this process
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The process of learning, and the pr
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Positive indicatorsNegative indicat
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In Patterns of Conflict he also emp
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progressed and developed a new lang
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advances in knowledge, adaptation,
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TraditionalReductionismLinear causa
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exist only because they are open. T
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Concentration of chemical ANew stab
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It preserves the web-like pattern o
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Orientation shapes the character of
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either. The edge of chaos is where
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The final region is the boundary be
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Levels of adaptationThis naturally
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Operate inside adversary’s OODA l
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Organisms which are internally cons
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The last mentioned feature implies
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mathematics, in short chaos and com
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Such efforts have lead to suggestio
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processes are maintained simultaneo
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Boyd’s views on command and contr
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Several of these ideas surface in B
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problems they seek to comprehend or
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ehavior in reaction to what the oth
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sciences, which he termed a new int
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egulations, orders, and other means
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as focus for military planning on t
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A Discourse and the scientific Zeit
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Sharpening our mental capabilities
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perceive it’ 184 . By trying to c
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Ensure a large variety of conceptua
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The main intent of the effort is to
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e true. Thus tested and refined, it
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particulars or we can start with th
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inconsistencies may emerge to stifl
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although not exact1y -- since the u
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eality 29 . As indicated earlier, t
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He then incorporates a section of t
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Attack enemy’s plans as best poli
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planning process which included var
Page 202 and 203: Boyd does not find fault with these
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Page 210 and 211: Blitzkrieg disrupts the connections
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Page 214 and 215: Only the fourth condition relates t
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Page 220 and 221: Maneuver Conflict - as practices by
Page 222 and 223: In light of his previous observatio
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Page 226 and 227: This then leads to the second wrap-
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Page 230 and 231: dimension on the behavior of a stra
Page 232 and 233: Theme for Disintegration and Collap
Page 234 and 235: Strategic AimDiminish adversary’s
Page 236 and 237: ApplicationRevisiting Sun Tzu, rein
Page 238 and 239: The general underlying idea of Coun
Page 240 and 241: to victory by connecting them to th
Page 242 and 243: destruction and creation to his inv
Page 244 and 245: Boyd’s inspiration also came in p
Page 246 and 247: The Big O: Orientation.The ensuing
Page 248 and 249: implicit cross-referencing process
Page 250 and 251: Magnify adversary’s friction and
Page 254 and 255: patterns that produced success in m
Page 256 and 257: General SurveyIn this section his i
Page 258 and 259: city, however, the situation is qui
Page 260 and 261: “Destruction and Creation”, by
Page 262 and 263: So Boyd discerns within the adversa
Page 264 and 265: On isolation and interactionPhysica
Page 266 and 267: The Art of Success:Shape or influen
Page 268 and 269: The meaning of strategy and the art
Page 270 and 271: however is not much different, but
Page 272 and 273: Examples from EngineeringSome Outst
Page 274 and 275: words, in order to gain a richer im
Page 276 and 277: what applies to science and enginee
Page 278 and 279: technology, is connected to the gam
Page 280 and 281: The real OODA loop270
Page 282 and 283: This relates the OODA loop clearly
Page 284 and 285: for a process of learning, of evolv
Page 286 and 287: thing any system is constantly faci
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Page 290 and 291: 8. CONCLUSIONThe history of science
Page 292 and 293: found himself in. To Sun Tzu Boyd a
Page 294 and 295: strategy. He elaborates on several
Page 296 and 297: ehavior, demonstrating the value of
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Page 300 and 301: That social scientific knowledge, o
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undertakes to improve its own perfo
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The reflexive nature of modern soci
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the context within which the situat
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“road maps for action”, but rat
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all point at the changes the techno
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central sign of post-modernity. In
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a revolution in military affairs oc
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This will affect war and warfare:
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Athena’s Camp. They see swarming
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commanders to improve their decisio
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Military War Beyond Military War No
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schemas. Gell-Mann developed the id
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extent in the novel approach for th
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ANNEX B: BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PATTERNS O
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LeBoeuf, Michael, “GMP, The Great
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Wolf, Eric R., “Peasant Wars of t
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Bartolomasi, Paolo: ‘The Realitie
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Cohen, William S.: Report of the Qu
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Fukuyama, Francis: The Great Disrup
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Hughes, Daniel: ‘Abuses of German
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Lewin, Roger, and Birute Regine:
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Murdock, Paul, ‘Principles of War
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Rosenau, James, N.: ‘Many Damn Th
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Walt, Stephen M.: ‘Rigor or Rigor
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Science, Strategy and War The Strategic Theory of ... - Boekje Pienter

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