John Boyd
January 23, 1927 – March 9, 1997 (aged 70)
Place of death	West Palm Beach, Florida
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Air Force
Years of service	1945–1947 (Army Air Corps) 1951–1975
Rank	Colonel
Battles/wars	Korean War Vietnam War
Awards	Legion of Merit (4)
Other work	Military strategist, Author

Colonel John (Richard) Boyd (January 23, 1927–March 9, 1997) was a United States Air Force fighter pilot and military strategist of the late 20th century whose theories have been highly influential in the military and in business. is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 68th day of the year (69th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Nickname: Location in Palm Beach County and the state of Florida. ... “The U.S. Air Force” redirects here. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... Combatants United Nations:  Republic of Korea,  Australia,  Belgium,  Luxembourg,  Canada,  Colombia,  Ethiopia,  France,  Greece,  Luxembourg,  Netherlands,  New Zealand,  Philippines,  South Africa,  Thailand,  Turkey,  United Kingdom,  United States Medical staff:  Denmark,  Australia,  Italy,  Norway,  Sweden Communist states:  Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,  Peoples Republic of China,  Soviet Union Commanders... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. ... is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 68th day of the year (69th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... “The U.S. Air Force” redirects here. ... An A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-86 Sabre, P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang fly in formation during an air show at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. ... For other uses, see Aviator (disambiguation). ... A strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal, most often winning. Strategy is differentiated from tactics or immediate actions with resources at hand by its nature of being extensively premeditated, and often practically rehearsed. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... The word theory has a number of distinct meanings in different fields of knowledge, depending on their methodologies and the context of discussion. ... In economics, a business is a legally-recognized organizational entity existing within an economically free country designed to sell goods and/or services to consumers, usually in an effort to generate profit. ...

Boyd was born on January 23, 1927 in Erie, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor's degree in economics ^[1] and from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor's degree in industrial engineering.^[2] is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... “Erie” redirects here. ... Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... The University of Iowa, also commonly called Iowa or U of I, is a major national research university located on a campus in Iowa City, Iowa, USA, on the banks of the Iowa River in East Central Iowa. ... A bachelors degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years. ... The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly known as Georgia Tech, is a public, coeducational research university, part of the University System of Georgia, and located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, with satellite campuses in Savannah, Georgia, Metz, France and Singapore. ...

Boyd enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the Army Air Corps from 1945 to 1947. He subsequently served as a U.S. Air Force officer from July 8, 1951 to August 31, 1975.^[3] He was known as "Forty-Second Boyd" for his ability to beat any opposing pilot in aerial combat in less than forty seconds. The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The Army Air Corps is a component of the British Army. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare, including military airlift of cargo to further the national interests as was demonstrated in the Berlin Airlift. ...

Boyd died of cancer in Florida on March 9, 1997 at age 70. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on March 20, 1997.^[4] is the 68th day of the year (69th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... A caisson bearing a coffin, with military escort. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 79th day of the year (80th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ...

Boyd's funeral was meant to have fly-over by F-15s from the USAF's 1st Fighter Wing, but it was cancelled at the last minute because of slight haze, vindicating Boyd's life-long insistence that it was impossible to build a true all-weather fighter.^[5]

Military theories

In the early 1960s, Boyd, together with Thomas Christie, a civilian mathematician, created the Energy-Maneuverability, or E-M, theory of aerial combat. He had to steal the computer time to do the millions of calculations necessary to prove the theory (Boyd was never one to put obedience ahead of duty), but it became the world standard for the design of fighter planes. At a time when the Air Force's FX project (subsequently the F-15) was floundering, Boyd's orders to Vietnam were cancelled and he was brought to the Pentagon to re-do the trade-off studies according to E-M. His work saved the F-15 from being another costly dud. (However, cancellation of that tour in Vietnam meant that Boyd is probably the most important fighter pilot with no combat kills, since he had flown only a few missions at the tail end of the Korean War, all as a wingman.) Together with Col Everest Riccione, another Air Force fighter pilot, and Pierre Sprey, a civilian statistician working in Systems Analysis (and known as the Father of the A-10), Boyd formed the Fighter Mafia, the visionaries who conceived the FXX Light Weight Fighter program, which produced the F-16 and F/A-18 (although the F-18 was always a bastard child for the Fighter Mafia). Energy Maneuverability theory is a model of aircraft performance. ... An air-to-air right side view of a YF-16 aircraft and a YF-17 aircraft, side-by-side, armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. ... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a modern multi-role jet fighter aircraft built in the United States and used by dozens of countries all over the world. ... The F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather fighter and attack aircraft. ...

After his retirement from the Air Force in 1975, Boyd continued to work as a consultant in the Tactical Air office of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Program Analysis and Evaluation (better known as systems analysis). Boyd wanted to work for free, but was not allowed, so he accepted the bare minimum, one day's pay in a fortnight. He once told Spinney (Frank "Chuck" Spinney) that there were two ways to be free: to become rich, or to cut your needs to the bone. He didn't think he could become rich, so he did the latter.^[6] Boyd called the TacAir shop, in the notorious Room 2c281, the 'thunder and lightning shop' in contrast to the 'business as usual' that he said prevailed in the rest of the Pentagon. He was known to stand in the doorway, pointing and screaming, 'Out there -- business as usual! In here -- thunder and lightning!'^[7] Frank Chuck Spinney, photographed by Army Photograph Franklin Chuck Spinney (Born 1946, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio) is a former Military Analyst for the Pentagon who became famous in the early 80s with what became known as the Spinney Report, which criticized the reckless pursuit of costly weapon...

A popular anecdote credits Boyd for largely developing the strategy for the invasion of Iraq in the first Gulf War. Boyd had presented his briefing, Patterns of Conflict, to Dick Cheney in 1981. By 1990 Boyd had moved to Florida because of declining health, but Cheney called him back to work on the plans for Desert Storm. Boyd had substantial influence on the ultimate 'left hook' design of the plan. See also: 2003 invasion of Iraq and Gulf War (disambiguation) C Company, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, 1st UK Armoured Division The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. ...

In a letter to the editor of Inside the Pentagon, former Commandant of the Marine Corps General Charles C. Krulak is quoted as saying "The Iraqi army collapsed morally and intellectually under the onslaught of American and Coalition forces. John Boyd was an architect of that victory as surely as if he'd commanded a fighter wing or a maneuver division in the desert." The Commandant of the United States Marine Corps is the highest ranking officer of the United States Marine Corps and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reporting to the Secretary of the Navy but not to the Chief of Naval Operations. ... General Charles Chandler Krulak (born March 4, 1942) served as the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps from July 1, 1995 to June 30, 1999. ... Wing is a term used by different air forces for a unit of command. ... Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to twenty thousand soldiers. ... For the act of abandoning or withdrawing support from an entity, see desertion. ...

The OODA Loop

Boyd's key concept was that of the decision cycle or OODA Loop, the process by which an entity (either an individual or an organization) reacts to an event. According to this idea, the key to victory is to be able to create situations wherein one can make appropriate decisions more quickly than one's opponent. The OODA Loop is a concept originated by military strategist Col. ...

Boyd hypothesized that all intelligent organisms and organizations undergo a continuous cycle of interaction with their environment. Boyd breaks this cycle down to four interrelated and overlapping processes through which one cycles continuously:

• Observation: the collection of data by means of the senses
• Orientation: the analysis and synthesis of data to form one's current mental perspective
• Decision: the determination of a course of action based on one's current mental perspective
• Action: the physical playing-out of decisions

This decision cycle is thus also known as the OODA loop. Boyd emphasized that this decision cycle is the central mechanism enabling adaptation (apart from natural selection) and is therefore critical to survival. For other uses, see Data (disambiguation). ... Senses are the physiological methods of perception. ... For other uses, see Mind (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Natural selection (disambiguation). ...

Boyd theorized that large organizations such as corporations, governments, or militaries possessed a hierarchy of OODA loops at tactical, grand-tactical (operational art), and strategic levels. In addition, he stated that most effective organizations have a highly decentralized chain of command that utilizes objective-driven orders, or directive control, rather than method-driven orders in order to harness the mental capacity and creative abilities of individual commanders at each level. He argued that such a structure would create a flexible "organic whole" that would be quicker to adapt to rapidly changing situations. He noted, however, that any such highly decentralized organization would necessitate a high degree of mutual trust and a common outlook that came from prior shared experiences. Headquarters needs to know that the troops are perfectly capable of forming a good plan for taking a specific objective, and the troops need to know that Headquarters does not direct them to achieve certain objectives without good reason. For other uses, see Corporation (disambiguation). ... Military tactics (Greek: Taktikē, the art of organizing an army) are the collective name for methods for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. ... Operational art is the act of applying military art to the operational art of war. ... For the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, see Chain of Command (Star Trek: The Next Generation). ... Mission-type tactics (German: Auftragstaktik, also known as directive control in the US), are a central component of the tactics of German armed forces since the 19th century. ...

In 2007, strategy writer Robert Greene discussed the loop in a post called OODA and You. He insisted that it was "deeply relevant to any kind of competitive environment: business, politics, sports, even the struggle of organisms to survive," and claimed have been initially "struck by its brilliance." Robert Greene was born in Los Angeles in 1959. ...

Foundation of theories

Boyd never actually wrote a book on military strategy. The central works encompassing his theories on warfare consist of a several hundred slide presentation entitled Discourse on Winning & Losing and a short essay entitled Destruction & Creation (1976). For other uses, see Essay (disambiguation). ...

In Destruction & Creation, Boyd attempts to provide a philosophical foundation for his theories on warfare. In it he integrates Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem, Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, and the Second Law of Thermodynamics to provide a context and rationale for the development of the OODA Loop. The philosopher Socrates about to take poison hemlock as ordered by the court. ... The word theory has a number of distinct meanings in different fields of knowledge, depending on their methodologies and the context of discussion. ... Kurt Gödel (IPA: ) (April 28, 1906 Brünn, Austria-Hungary (now Brno, Czech Republic) – January 14, 1978 Princeton, New Jersey) was an Austrian American mathematician and philosopher. ... In mathematical logic, Gödels incompleteness theorems are two celebrated theorems proven by Kurt Gödel in 1931. ... Werner Karl Heisenberg (December 5, 1901 – February 1, 1976) was a celebrated German physicist and Nobel laureate, one of the founders of quantum mechanics and acknowledged to be one of the most important physicists of the twentieth century. ... In quantum physics, the outcome of even an ideal measurement of a system is not deterministic, but instead is characterized by a probability distribution, and the larger the associated standard deviation is, the more uncertain we might say that that characteristic is for the system. ... Thermodynamics (from the Greek θερμη, therme, meaning heat and δυναμις, dunamis, meaning power) is a branch of physics that studies the effects of changes in temperature, pressure, and volume on physical systems at the macroscopic scale by analyzing the collective motion of their particles using statistics. ... The OODA Loop is a concept originated by military strategist Col. ...

Boyd inferred the following from each of these theories:

• Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem: any logical model of reality is incomplete (and possibly inconsistent) and must be continuously refined/adapted in the face of new observations.
• Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle: there is a limit on our ability to observe reality with accuracy.
• Second Law of Thermodynamics: The entropy of any closed system always tends to increase, and thus the nature of any given system is continuously changing even as efforts are directed toward maintaining it in its original form.

From this set of considerations, Boyd concluded that to maintain an accurate or effective grasp of reality one must undergo a continuous cycle of interaction with the environment geared to assessing its constant changes. Boyd, though he was hardly the first to do so, then expanded Darwin's theory of evolution, suggesting that natural selection applies not only in biological but also in social contexts (such as the survival of nations during war or businesses in free market competition). Integrating these two concepts, he stated that the decision cycle was the central mechanism of adaptation (in a social context) and that increasing one's own rate and accuracy of assessment vis-a-vis one's counterpart's rate and accuracy of assessment provides a substantial advantage in war or other forms of competition. For other uses of the term entropy, see Entropy (disambiguation) The thermodynamic entropy S, often simply called the entropy in the context of thermodynamics, is a measure of the amount of energy in a physical system that cannot be used to do work. ... In thermodynamics, a closed system, as contrasted with an isolated system, can exchange heat and work, but not matter, with its surroundings. ... For other people of the same surname, and places and things named after Charles Darwin, see Darwin. ... This article is about biological evolution. ...

Elements of warfare

Boyd divided warfare into three distinct elements:

• Moral Warfare: the destruction of the enemy's will to win, via alienation from allies (or potential allies) and internal fragmentation. Ideally resulting in the "dissolution of the moral bonds that permit an organic whole [organization] to exist." (I.e., breaking down the mutual trust and common outlook mentioned in the paragraph above.)
• Mental Warfare: the distortion of the enemy's perception of reality through disinformation, ambiguous posturing, and/or severing of the communication/information infrastructure.
• Physical Warfare: the destruction of the enemy's physical resources such as weapons, people, and logistical assets.

Military Reform

John Boyd's briefing Patterns of Conflict provided the theoretical foundation for the "defense reform movement" (DRM) in the 1970s and 1980's. Other prominent members of this movement included Pierre Sprey, Franklin 'Chuck' Spinney, William Lind, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Testing and EvaluationThomas Christie, Congressman Newt Gingrich,and Senator Gary Hart. The Military Reform movement fought against what they believed were unnecessarily complex and expensive weapons systems, an officers corps focused on the careerist standard, and over reliance on attrition warfare. Another reformer, Jim Burton, disputed the Army test of the safety of the Bradley fighting vehicle. James Fallows contributed to the debate with an article in Atlantic Magazine titled "Muscle-Bound Superpower", and a book, National Defense. Frank Chuck Spinney, photographed by Army Photograph Franklin Chuck Spinney (born 1945, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio) is an American former military analyst for the Pentagon who became famous in the early 1980s for what became known as the Spinney Report, criticizing the reckless pursuit of costly weapon systems... William S. Lind is director of the Center for Cultural Conservatism at the Free Congress Foundation. ... Title page from the first edition of Miscellanies Thomas Christie (1761 – 1796) was a radical political writer during the late eighteenth century. ... Newton Leroy Gingrich, Ph. ... Gary Warren Hart (born Gary Warren Hartpence, November 28, 1936) is a politician and lawyer from the state of Colorado. ... General Characteristics (M2 Bradley) Length: 21 ft 2 in (6. ... James Fallows is an American print and radio journalist who has been associated with The Atlantic Monthly for many years and has written eight books. ...

Maneuver warfare and the Marines

In January 1980 Boyd gave his briefing Pattern of conflict at the Marines AWS (Amphibious Warfare School). This led to the instructor at the time, Michael Wyly, and Boyd changing the curriculum, with the blessing of General Trainor. Trainor later asked Wyly to write a new tactics manual for the Marines. (Coram 382) Wyly then went on, with Lind and others, guided by General Alfred M. Gray, Jr. to write FMFM 1 (Warfighting). Wyly, Lind, and a few other junior officers are credited with developing concepts for what would become the Marine model of maneuver warfare. Michael Duncan Wyly is a retired U.S. Marine Colonel. ... General Alfred M. Gray General Alfred M. Gray, Jr. ... Maneuver warfare, is the term used by military theorist for a concept of warfare that advocates attempting to defeat an adversary by incapacitating their decision-making through shock and disruption brought about by movement. ...

Wyly, along with Pierre Sprey, Ray Leopold, Chuck Spinney, Jim Burton, and Tom Christie were considered by writer Coram to be Boyd's Acolytes. (Coram 182)

Notes

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Boyd, John. "Destruction and Creation" (PDF), available from Goal Systems International
• Coram, Robert. Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War. New York: Little, Brown, 2002. ISBN 0-316-88146-5 and ISBN 0-316-79688-3. Biography; contains "Destruction & Creation".

• Hammond, Grant T. (1997). The Essential Boyd. Retrieved on 2007-01-25.

• Hammond, Grant T. (2001). The Mind of War: John Boyd and American Security. Washington, D.C: Smithsonian Institution Press. ISBN 1-56098-941-6 and ISBN 1-58834-178-X.  An explanation of Boyd's ideas.

• Henrotin, Joseph. L'Airpower au 21ème siècle. Enjeux et perspectives de la stratégie aérienne. Bruxelles: Bruylant (RMES), 2005. Perhaps the best book (but in French...) on air strategy. Widely details John Boyd's theories.
• Lind, William S. Maneuver Warfare Handbook. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1985. ISBN 0-86531-862-X. Based on John Boyd's theories.
• Osinga, Frans. Science, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2007. ISBN 0-415-37103-1. Aims to provide a better understanding of Boyd's ideas concerning conflict and military strategy. Contains a full description and explanation of all of his presentations. Takes reader beyond rapid OODA loop idea and demonstrates direct influence on development of Network Centric Warfare and Fourth Generation Warfare. Argues Boyd is first postmodern strategist.
• Richards, Chet. Certain To Win: The Strategy Of John Boyd, Applied To Business. Philadelphia: Xlibris Corporation, 2004. ISBN 1-4134-5377-5 and ISBN 1-4134-5376-7. Develops the strategy of the late US Air Force Colonel John R. Boyd for the world of business.

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... William S. Lind is an American expert on military affairs and a pundit on cultural conservatism. ...

External links

• Boyd & Military Strategy
• See and Hear his Presentation--Boyd Q&A Videos and Audio Clip of his Conceptual Spiral presentation
• From Air Force Fighter Pilot to Marine Corps Warfighting: Colonel John R. Boyd, His Theories on War, and Their Unexpected Legacy. by Jeffrey L. Cowan