In discussing the OODA Loop theory on Limited War by Colonel Boyd with in the context and patterns of conflict, it appears that we as a nation have forgotten the other options dictated by previous conflicts in the works of von Clauswitz "On War" in that we are disregarding such options and scenarios entirely. In our attempt to move the human race into a different space we are also changing the theory of war in order to do so. Yet at the same time not admitting that we are not so good at it, as we are led to believe by the academics.
In fact as we see Pentagon employees in the DC Suburbs reading the Koran, Middle Eastern Culture and history books to understand the culture, that culture is becoming more adept at using our wonderful new attitude to take advantage of such efforts and new concepts of conflict. We are seeing the NATO employees in Tucson doing the same thing. We are listening to the powers that be to keep the conflict scaled down, but just enough to operate the war machine.
By using this OODA Loop theory in it's entirety, we are being manipulated into only choosing certain chess board moves by the enemy (the face-less cowards of international terrorism) and we are not using the whole track, which I might add is the first thing they teach you in motorcycle street racing class. It is as if limited war and diplomacy is being used against this strategy. Yet, at the same time we appear to be allowing these methodologies to the utmost and are failing to act decisively in many instances.
Without such threats of all out war where you annihilate your enemy into oblivion, it is becoming harder and harder to negotiate to fulfill our political will, since the enemy real or perceived does not believe that we will ever use such options. Yet we have an arsenal more than capable of doing so and a quick intense history-making event of the ultimate in destructive power to show strength has yet been seen in the last 5 decades. We are seeing un-negotiable thoughts of our foes, middle fingers high in the air and treaties that these folks have no intention on fulfilling as a matter of fact they are laughing at us and some of the larger more potentially deadly foes in our future are being trained by us and are already finding ways to counter our Future War Strategies of net-centric, blue force tracking and combat scenarios.
Why, because we are teaching them, they are helping us design ours and we are allowing loose lips to sink future ships. When we allow students to come learn nuclear physics, IT, modern materials, fluid dynamics, frequency energies and modern business tactics, they are not going back to their countries to make paper dolls and we both know it.
Thus with this said, the power struggles are lasting decades instead of swift changes to set mankind back on course, including the god forsaken horrible attributes and consequences of nuclear weapons. Surely it is not pretty or even something you want to think about. In Colonel Boyd's model which has since been adopted by our war time leadership observe, secure options and eventually act, we have in fact failed to act and failed to achieve the goals set forth to stabilize regions. Fear Factor is being replaced. We are choosing targets via military lawyers and allowing the same non-reality based thinking which has stagnated American Industry with over regulation and incessant litigation to enter the realm of wartime.
Previously and I can remember my dad an accomplished RAG Wing Fighter pilot serving in 250 combat missions in a jet over Vietnam and also eventually running his own squadron saying the fighter pilot Naval mantra; "Never give a sucker and even break, take the advantage and cheat" reason being; there are no points for second place and in case you don't get it, you are dead if you are not number one.
Mr. Von Clauswitz was quick to point out in the ideas of pre-emption that if you fail to attack your enemy as he prepares to attack you, then you do so at the expense of all you are and all you have built. We are seeing this now. This is not a debatable human trait in the study of war, it is fact of life or death, depending on the way you look at it. It is not Them VS. Us, it is not Conservative VS. Democrat. It just is, and that is the way it works. Although war is hell, and killing one's own species is nothing to be gleeful about, it is a fact of the human kind and probably innate for a reason. And to that end we must also remember that a large statement of power and force will be remembered for a while. We need to make a statement to the world and too the International Terrorists and those who wish to manipulate them to do harm to the American people that we are the United States of America, we are united and be fore warned that this nation is off limits to attack.
The best way to do this is to turn those who might harm us to glass. And let them help their people mind their own business, since it is fairly obvious that the World is once again at impasse as it is caught between fundamentalist thinking and fundamentally that is flawed, not working and unacceptable if we are to move mankind into the future and the next evolutionary step.
In Boyd's model of limited war we are to use normal combat operations to focus enemies attention, extra ordinary actions to keep enemy unbalanced and to believe that the side which has the most accurate picture should prevail? Should have, would have could have. Judging by that basic strategy it appears that we are following the OODA Loop fairly closely. And throwing in a little Sun Tzu's "cheng and ch'i", in that we are isolating our opponent's center of gravity like a teenager who takes Judo. We appear to developing mistrust of our enemy and trying to get them to break ranks and disrupt there system of organization by local and regional non-cooperation, yet while doing so we have fractionalized the enemy and therefore harder to gain access to good Intel.
We have provided increased friction and we have hopes that paralysis will set in and well it has seeing as the conflict is coming to a close and another one and another enemy lurks, so off we go again studying and failing to act, for fear of acting inappropriately. Again, fundamentalism and extremism runs deep along the common theme of the last 5000 years in the culture and we should expect few changes really? Yet we are teaching our enemy as we go. And we need to add many new plays to our playbook ASAP.
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