Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War

Robert Coram wrote an excellent book, Boyd, that has enormous value for anyone interested in recent US military history.John Boyd grew up in Erie, PA. He joined the army air corps and became a fighter pilot serving in WWII and the Korean war. He went on to become a trainer of fighter pilots at Nellis in Nevada for the US Air Force. He later joined the Pentagon and rose to the rank of Colonel. He was outspoken in his views on military procurement (highly critical of swing wing aircraft, pentagon waste, etc.) and other matters--a true Maverick. He later was one of the unofficial chief strategist of the 1990 Gulf War, Desert Storm. I must confess to being slightly disappointed that Dick Cheney did not give him credit as such in his recent memoir,  In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir . Boyd was one of America's great military men that almost no-one has ever heard of.In addition to having had real hands on experience in combat, he was also an intellectual and theoretician of warfare. His chief contribution to the science is the concept of the OODA Loop. OODA is an acronym that stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. This provides an intellectual framework that can apply to ANY competitive endeavor from sports to business or armed conflict.OBSERVATION: We begin with Observation (very Aristotelian, by the way!). What is going on out there? Is there a threat lurking around the corner? What are our strengths and weaknesses? What about those of the enemy/competition? Do we have any allies or partners--real or potential? We gather intelligence. We take a reckoning.ORIENT: Based on our Observations we move towards Orienting ourselves against any potential threats. Do we need to shift right or left? Which Axis threat is greater Germany or Japan? Should we consider a flanking maneuver? We Orient our forces. Take careful aim.DECIDE: We arrive at a decision. The relative size of our organization will often dictate the speed of our decision making ability. Are we talking about one fighter pilot in his plane or are we talking about making a policy change at Microsoft?ACT: Finally, it all comes down to Action. It is not enough to come up with a plan, it must be executed as well. After all the debates have ended it's time to pull the trigger.OODA is always a loop because every act leads to subsequent observations. We tried X and the result was Y. Should we do it again, give it up, make a course correction? New observations lead to re-orientations. New decisions are formulated and new actions are taken.Boyd's strategic question of of questions is simply, "How fast are you moving on the OODA loop?" Are you slow and cumbersome or quick and lithe, like a Tiger? How quickly can you move versus the competition? Where are you relative to your competition on the OODA loop?Corum's BOYD has been the best book on strategy that I have read in years. "Check it out, Tiger!"Christopher Kelly, author, with Stuart Laycock of  America Invades: How We've Invaded or been Militarily Involved with almost Every Country on Earth  and  Italy Invades

Robert Coram has written an important book in "Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War" - but, as in Colonel Boyd himself, a book showing both brilliance and limitations.As a member of the U.S. Army's reserve components since 1983, a former Pentagon political appointee from 1986 to 1988, and a defense consultant since 1991, I've had the opportunity see or participate in much of what Colonel Boyd influenced.I bought Coram's book because I vividly remember spending a couple of days getting the "full brief" from Colonel Boyd back in 1987 in a dilapidated brick building in Washington, not far from Union Station. My Pentagon boss sent me to the briefing which was delivered by Col. Boyd and at least one of his "Acolytes." About ten people attended. At the time, I had no idea of Boyd's significance - the briefing did, however, make a lasting impression on me. Its two most salient concepts were the now-famous O-O-D-A Loop and Boyd's "To be or to do" speech (a heavy concept for a 24-year-old political idealist).The book has three main thrusts: Boyd's theories (mostly on conflict); Boyd's battles against the Pentagon's acquisition system; and Boyd's personal life.That Colonel Boyd had an unusually keen insight into the nature of human conflict should not be in dispute. His foremost contribution to art of war is a time-based view of warfare - the Observe Orient Decide Act (OODA) Loop. This book provides the context for how the author of the OODA Loop created it and worked tirelessly to get it into the hands of those who would apply it - it does not (nor should it) go in to detail as to how to apply it in combat.The book discusses Boyd's other theories and how they came to be as well. Boyd's first breakthrough was "Energy-Maneuverability" or E-M Theory - a theory that changed fighter aircraft design (and which has an interesting tangential relationship to the OODA Loop). His most purely intellectual theory was "Destruction and Creation" a theory that purports to explain the way individuals and groups think and process reality in order to "improve their capacity for independent action." This theory ambitiously attempts to tie together human behavior with the Second Law of Thermodynamics, Godel, Heisenberg, and Planck - heady stuff for a fighter pilot from Erie.Colonel Boyd's battles against the Pentagon's acquisition system - especially the U.S. Air Force and its F-15, F-16, F-111, and B-1 programs are a little more problematic. It is here that Mr. Coram might have used a bit more perspective and a little more skepticism in questioning the motives of some of the "Military Reform Caucus" members (most of whom simply wanted to spend less money on the Pentagon because they did not see the Soviet Union as a threat worth defeating).U.S. weapons systems are indeed complex and very expensive. We Americans have the luxury of trading capital for blood and we (and the parents of soldiers, sailors, pilots and Marines) are all too happy to spend heavily on the one to save on the other. True, weapons systems are typically designed by committees, take too long to field, and often cost more than advertised - but can anyone dispute the technical supremacy of American arms the world over?Many of the acquisition problems cited in the book were caused by the Pentagon's early adaptation of computer technology before such technology became commercialized, reliable, and cheap. Even so, can anyone dispute that one B-2 bomber dropping one 2,000-lb smart bomb to destroy one bridge is superior to using 100 B-52s in a raid dropping thousands of dumb bombs to accomplish the same military effect (while killing half of the adjacent city's population in the process)?In addition, Mr. Corum manipulates statistics to back up his claims. At one point he cites the cost of the B-1 bomber when cancelled by President Carter as $167 million a copy, then growing to $287 million when President Reagan restarted the program - never mind that inflation was clipping along at a ruinous double digit rate during that time, nor that the aircraft was significantly redesigned, nor that the total buy was less than planned before therefore providing a smaller base upon which to spread the non-recurring costs of the aircraft's development. And, lastly, never mind that the B-1 was, in and of itself, a part of President Reagan's overall plan to defeat the Soviet Union - what was Reagan to do in 1981? Order that more B-52s be built in order to preserve a leg of the nuclear triad?Finally, Mr. Corum covers Colonel Boyd's personal life - and an unhappy life it was. Colonel Boyd's life was filled with conflict. He was abusive of his family. He was rude to non-believing colleagues and superiors. In short, he was an eccentric. As is often the case with such brilliant men, it would probably have been impossible to separate the good from the bad - with Colonel Boyd, we get the whole package - or, to paraphrase Boyd himself, the whole seven hour briefing or no briefing.On a more personal note, it was odd feeling to read a book that ties together the lives of people I've met, worked with and read about, people such as Colonel Boyd himself or retired Brigadier General Huba Wass de Czege, who, as the Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver) of the 1st Infantry Division, spent some crucial minutes in my armored battalion TOC one cold Ft. Irwin morning in 1992. I didn't know it at the time, but now I know I was touched by some very brilliant and creative Americans.Reviewer: Chuck DeVore is an executive at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. He served as a California State Assemblyman from 2004 to 2010. Before his election, he was an executive in the aerospace industry. He was a Special Assistant for Foreign Affairs in the Department of Defense from 1986 to 1988. He is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. DeVore is the author of three books, "Crisis of the House Never United - A Novel of Early America," "The Texas Model: Prosperity in the Lone Star State and Lessons for America," and the co-author of "China Attacks."

Tedious book about an overrated American pilot who invented a manoeuvre that worked for one aircraft. Most of the book concerns his problems with superior officers, a typical "One man against the World" story that we've seen in dozens of similar books and films.

This book, while technically (Suspect) biased, is a must read.It is a massive eye opening homage to a great an unknown American hero.It is definitely the tip of the iceberg and I hope that’s Col Boyd’s India’s and innovation will influence my reading for a long time to come.

I had heard of John Boyd, but never fully realised the true impact of his life's work in the wider military environment. It becomes apparent, in Robert's excellent text, that Boyd was a troubled genius who strived to influence and shape the, then, arcane environment that was the pentagon. Between Boyd and a small band of 'believers' waged their 4th generation warfare techniques, within the Pentagon, to influence, cajole and out-manoeuvre the many who did not agree with, and see the benefits of change. Boyd's lasting legacy can be found in the aircraft used in the Airforce and the tactics employed in the wider military.This book is a great read which takes the reader through the life of Colonel John Boyd, it is engaging, well written and never dull. The only time I put it down was to research texts that were referenced within the book. Never in a biography have I learnt so much about a much wider subject than this book. Great work Robert!!!!!!

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK. IT IS WELL WRITTEN ABOUT A SUBJECT THAT I KNEW A LITTLE ABOUT BUT THIS WAS COVERED THE VARIOUS SUBJECTS IN GREAT AND WELL DETAILED DEPTH. IT IS THOUGHT PROVOKING AND HAS A VERY HUMAN TOUCH. SHOULD BE COMPULSORY READING FOR MILITARY SCHOLARS AS WELL AS POLITIICANS INVOLVED IN DEFENCE MATTERS.

I strongly recommend this book - a very engaging biography on a complex and enigmatic man. From Col John Boyd's drive to master his profession, and calling, as a fighter pilot and his subsequent personal journey to develop a revolutionary theory on the application of force, it is a fascinating, engaging read.Coram's narrative can slip into hyperbole to make a point, particularly when describing Boyd's confrontations with 'the orthodoxy', be they his peers, superiors or a monolithic service [Navy, Army, Marines or Air Force]. However, this style does encourage you to identify with Col Boyd and understand why his unconventional approach allied with his sheer determination was so necessary to question dogma and unchallanged assumptions. You live Col Boyd's struggle to develop a mathmatical formula [the EM theory] to allow a comparative assessment of a fighter aircraft and how this was extrapolated to become a theory of manoeuvre applicable through the strategic, operational and tactical levels of warfare. There is a price for this innovation and it was his family; it is clear Col Boyd was a singularly driven man.Any military professional must read this book as it provides an ideal means to understand the development of the Manoeuvrist Approach in the modern Western context. I have a few criticisims; source referencing could be better and there really should be wider selection of photographs. Finally, alot of detail is invested in the the EM theory, the F-X and LWF that a explanatory diagrams would of added value in illustrating core points, but these do not detract from an engaging biography.