A recent article repeats the story of John Boyd whose acolytes continue to try to modify the culture of the Pentagon. Boyd originated the concept of an OODA cycle. This is often compared to the PDCA cycle attributed to Walter Shewhart who was the director of the Western Electric Laboratories in the 1920s and was the mentor of Edwards Deming, often credited with the quality improvement process used by the Japanese in manufacturing. Boyd was less concerned with improving manufacturing processes than with winning aerial combat. His classic work is about winning gunfights but, inevitably, his genius comes through and his insights will change military strategy for hundreds of years. His first major initiative resulted in the F 16 fighter. Boyd had tremendous influence on airplane design but his greatest contribution was in philosophy. He changed how the military thinks. Unfortunately, he did not live long enough to see his ideas become doctrine. It is rare for the rebel and contrarian to see how he has changed everyone else. Sadly, Boyd did not have the opportunity but he did change everything and Iraq, finally, shows how men who do not know his name, use his ideas to win wars. He would be satisfied, I suspect.
Tags: F15, F16, John Boyd, military, OODA cycle, PDCA cycle, strategy
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