p.98 Boyd deserves greater recognition and study, particularly since his
simple OODA (observe, orient, decide and act) Loop and resulting work have significantly influenced contemporary US military
concepts, equipment design and have even reached into the realm of business strategy.
p.99 Boyd was a theorist of conflict.
p.99 Boyd's fundamental (but not sole) legacy for strategists - the
observe, orient, decide, act (OODA) loop or ‘Boyd Cycle’. A combatant able to move through
this loop more quickly than an opponent will ultimately disorient that adversary and be able to strike before the adversary
can effectively respond.
p.100 Boyd’s most important strategic presentation was
‘The Strategic Game of ? and ?’ (in which the question marks represent ‘winning’ and ‘losing’
respectively).
p.102 In dealing with strategy and its definition, he [Boyd] outlined
his typical approach (author’s italics):
- make a general survey (observe)
- consider the essential elements (orient)
- place in strategic perspective (decide)
- implement (act)
As a broad approach to strategic planning, indeed any
complex problem-solving, this provides a strong overarching framework.
p.103 All strategic theories will shift in and
out of fashion. Boyd’s work, however, boasts continued and universal applicability. He attempts to
understand the core of human behaviour in conflict and provides deductions towards the development of battlefield
command and control. Boyd provides a dynamic dialectic model for strategy in conflict
