… about success and failure. It is a story about Iraq, and of something much bigger than Iraq. It is, perhaps, a small look into what makes victory, and defeat. It is a tale of infantrymen, of brave soldiers in dusty alleys a world away. It is a story of generals and strategies, too.
But to understand our newfound success there, to know a little of how we achieved it and most importantly, how to keep it, we need to move away from that Mesopotamian desert and those boots on the ground, and back to a different desert on the other side of the world a half century ago. For there, a vision was vouchsafed to a most unlikely warrior priest… the kind of insight that comes once or twice in all of human history.
There are some diverse threads to connect here. But if you have the patience to take a walk with me, you may perhaps see things in a way you have not seen them before.
(Grab a coffee.)
…well written, well documented, well presented.
A lesson of life we all could learn when facing adversary.
1. Observe
2. Orient
3. Decide
4. Act
Most of us quit after step 3…politicians quit after step 1 sadly. CYA.
“A man’s ultimate motivation is to provide for his family. A man, when all is said and done, is powered by nothing more or less then the desire to make his family safe and proud of him.”
—————-
Funny, in all the retort and dialogue of war, killing, and the Perfect Sword, the author states this line which made me choke and bring a tear to my eye.
I think Canada needs to pay more attention and bring it’s military up to speed with pride – something horribly lost in decades of Liberal airhead thought patterns.
Unfortunately this male drive has been lost in our public schooling system. The effeminacy, if I can call it, has neutered a lot of great future leaders.
Then again, there is a ray of hope when one hears of the proud things the Canadian military is doing in Afghanistan.
Now if we could only transfer that energy and vision to our urban centres.
We may, sooner than we think when the fight comes here from decades of decay and multiculturalism.
Check it out:
1. Observe
2. Orient or Situational Awareness
3. Decide
4. Act
I think that most of us and especially governments and bureaucrats, totally ignore Steps One and Two. Totally.
Think about Dion and Layton; about the Official Opposition and their continuous screams to ‘Implement Kyoto! Have a Full Inquiry! End Poverty! Save the World!.
They have no observations of reality that have led them to those ‘decisions’. No Situational Awareness of what it’s really like outside their safe Ottawa offices and pensions. So, they just make their Decisions.
If they are Liberal/NDP, these decisions remain rhetorical. They don’t translate into any actions, because our bureaucrats have learned that actions have results…which require..Steps One and Two. Far easier to remain, forever, in Step 3. With Rhetorical Decisions.
Thanks for the post, kate.
Water flowing downhill. Brilliant! How can we get this essay to Stephen Harper? I think he already knows a lot of this.
Tears were flowing as I read the last chapter. So much brilliance, including the writing.
“Why is it that the fielded military can adopt Boyd’s concept of agility and maneuverability, but the political leadership remains absolutely blind to the fact that this battle may or may not be won on the streets of Baghdad and Fallujah and Ramadi, but it absolutely can be lost on the CBS Evening News? One would think the insurgents would need a multi-billion dollar, worldwide high-tech satellite network to spread their propaganda. But, being the generous people that we are, we have gallantly lent them ours.”
It’s not just the media traitors, but the entire political left. These people are not oriented to win against an opponent. They, in their minds, have already lost not only every real battle, but every imaginary battle they’ve arbitrarily created, including AGW, the war on poverty, etc.
Liberal/left thinking and ideology is the most lethal disease humanity is facing. If it was cured, Islamofascism would be of little concern.
Marvellous!
And maybe someday we’ll piss of the wrong tribe and instead of bombs and bullets they’ll shoot back with ebola.
But you armchair generals probably have a plan for that.
That was a brilliant piece. It seems Boyd indeed synthesised the concepts of many brilliant tactician/strategists, from Napoleon’s “L’audace, l’audace, toujours l’audace” to Musashi’s Book of Five Rings and “the way of two swords as one”. Has Boyd written anything? If not — a great shame.
A very nice read.
Among the gems:
“[A]ll isolated cultures suffer from a lack of perspective, from a lack of flexibility and from a self-reinforcing groupthink that protects the status quo at the expense of the pain of innovation.”
nice…very nice indeed.
Morningstar “But you armchair generals probably have a plan for that”
Err no , you can’t “plan” for everything , that’s the whole point.
Implicit in your remark is that action causes something else to happen that isn’t predictable. That’s right.
But don’t just stand there, do something. We deal with issues as they arise and get ready for the next event. It is a never ending process, that’s life. And we’re winning despite this:
“They get tired of fighting just like we do. I suppose the only difference is that if one of them urges surrender on their own people they are taken out and beheaded, while if some of our own people do so to us, they are given an Academy Award and big sack of cash.”
A lesson of life we all could learn when facing adversary.
1. Observe
2. Orient
3. Decide
4. Act
Coming to Canada soon:
Congress recently passed a bill to phase out incandescent light bulbs by 2012 after strong lobbying from Sylvania, GE, and Phillips, the major manufacturers. All their fluorescent bulbs are made in China, while incandescent bulbs are made in the US. Which country has more stringent safety and emissions controls? Not China. Not observed by politicians: Fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, more info here:
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts46.html#bookmark04
Sylvania, GE, and Phillips stand to make billions based on the false assumption that because fluorescent bulbs use less electricity they are more “green” than incandescent bulbs, but have the politicians considered the inevitable harm to the environment and people from mercury contamination.
Excellent essay, thanks for posting the link Kate. Can’t think of a better way to start my day. Now have to resist the urge to start reading some of Boyd’s writings which are available in electronic form at:http://www.d-n-i.net/second_level/boyd_military.htm
Wonderful, sent this on to my hubbys’ computer for his perusal.
“[A]ll isolated cultures suffer from a lack of perspective, from a lack of flexibility and from a self-reinforcing groupthink that protects the status quo at the expense of the pain of innovation.”
Tenebris,
Absolutely a great quote.
I wish more people who repeatedly spend their days arguing on certain websites understood the concept of ‘self-reenforcing groupthink”.
Might be worthy of an entire thread of it’s own someday.
Thanks Kate,
A great read. It’s not the first time that I’ve seen:
1. Observe
2. Orient
3. Decide
4. Act
Thanks again for the post. I’ve forewarded it on to some folks that will enjoy it and some that will become enraged by it, and that’s a good thing too.
Pat
“they’ll shoot back with ebola.”
It’s sad the way the left yearns for western civilization to be punished and destroyed. They’d perish along with the rest of us, but somehow they never seem to figure that out. Meanwhile, most of the “tribe” he refers to is frantically trying to move here.
Morning Star… that title is a term of enlightenment. You sure ya have the right handle?
Boyd’s course of study doesn’t mention blitzkreig, which is the basis of his innovative theory. He refined it I guess.
As for the commentors references to Dijon et al, their sin is a lack of ” real world experience”. Experience trumps everything else as far as I’m concerned.
Whittle’s blog is a very good one, but he was on hiatus for a time. Glad he’s back.
Much better reading than the whining New York (why am I not surprised) cougar/slut/ “pity me and my cast of drunks/friends”.
Rednik, theologically speaking, angels in Scripture were sometimes referred to as stars.
The “Morning Star” was the name given to Lucifer, who before his corruption, rebellion and expulsion from Heaven was the most brilliant and beautiful of the creations in Heaven. (Ezekial 28: 12-17). Lucifer rebelled against God (Isaiah 14: 12-14) and, after his expulsion from Heaven along with other corrupt angels, became Satan. (Ephesians 2:2)
So, “Morning Star” ain’t exactly a good moniker.
Thanks for promoting Bill’s essays. He’s an amazing thinker and writer.
well it,s nice to see you folks finally get to Mr. Whittle. i had it in tips for you on Jan. 2 at 7:03 p.m.what the hell took you so long? a dam good read though.
c.j.g – actually, Bill sent it to me a few days ago and I decided to hold it for the weekend, when people tend to have more time.
I have to make a confession: I usually skip the military stuff having succumbed to a perhaps too cynical view of the Iraq war. But I DID read this splendid top-drawer essay. WOW.
Whittle’s writing is on rails — riveting. You can’t NOT finish it after the first few lines!
Kate has also demonstrated her own fingertip tactical skills in holding this to the weekend. I doubt I’d have read it if posted on Monday.
Dave in PA….I’m not one to quote scriptute but here we go..Ezekiel..Ezekial 28: 12-17
Read the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. No mention of lucifer.
The point is not everyone sees the world with the same eyes or heart.
Sorry Kate for going off topic.
Morningstar is much,much older than any bible.
From the times of romulus and remus.
But all you armchair theologines know that.
And maybe someday we’ll piss of the wrong tribe and instead of bombs and bullets they’ll shoot back with ebola.
You are an idiot if you think there is anything we can do to STOP such people from using all means at their disposal, except killing them.
Morningstar try writing a sentence without using “armchair” it’ll help your argument. Try, Bush is a Nazi ,Neocon or Harper eats puppies. Romulus and Remus me thinks you might have a nipple fixation.
Sorry morningstar, but the founding of Rome, thus the time of the legend of Romulus and Remus, goes back to about 750 B.C., roughly contemporary with the book of Isaiah. Although the book of Ezekial is generally believed to date from around 500 B.C. the earliest parts of the bible were probably written around 3,500 B.C.
An idiot can get elected, and they often do (Pelosi, Reid et al) but truly talented and competent people, like John Boyd and General Patraeus, reveal themselves to us and make a huge difference. The beauty about these people is that they don’t get voted out. Thank God. Now if we can only get the elected people to recognize the worth of these gems and allow their genius to be expressed.
You guys need to get laid!! That’s for sure.