A Swift, Elusive Sword: What if Sun Tzu and John Boyd Did a National Defense Review? [Paperback]

Chester W. Richards (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2003

A study of national security and military strategy by Col. Chester Richards (USAF Ret.), suggests that ancient strategic wisdom may help solve the dilemma confronting the U.S. military: spending on defense exceeds that of any combination of potential adversaries, but the services still face cancellation of weapon systems and lack of funds for training, spares, and care and feeding of the troops. Richards suggests U.S. military leaders can break out of the "dollars equals defense" mindset, and create more effective forces. The second edition contains a new forward written in response to the effects that the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States have engendered in the U.S. military.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The author would like to thank General Charles Krulak, U.S.M.C. (Ret.), former Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Pat Garvey, NYNM, Charles A. Leader, Franklin C. Spinney, Major Don Vandergriff, U.S.A., Colonel Michael Wyly, U.S.M.C. (Ret.), and Major Chris Yunker, U.S.M.C. (Ret.) for their invaluable contributions and input. The views in the final product are those of the author.

About the Author

Chet Richards was an associate of the late Col. John Boyd from 1973 until Boyd's death in 1997. He reviewed all of Boyd's major works and worked closely with him on applying the concepts of maneuver warfare to business. Dr. Richards has consulted in this area since the early 1990s and operates a web site called "War, Chaos, and Business: Modern Business Strategy" devoted to making Boyd's strategies accessible to businesses. He holds a Ph.D. in mathematics and recently retired as a colonel in the Air Force Reserve, where he was Air Attaché (Reserve) to Saudi Arabia.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 88 pages
• Publisher: Center for Defense Information (February 2003)
• ISBN-10: 1932019014
• ISBN-13: 978-1932019018
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,286,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Presentation of the Wisdom of 2,000 Years, February 20, 2007

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Steve Dietrich (Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Monica CA, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Swift, Elusive Sword: What if Sun Tzu and John Boyd Did a National Defense Review? (Paperback)

Col Richards walks the reader through how Sun Tzu and John Boyd might have assessed 4th generation warfare and the world in which we find ourselves. His presentation is thought provoking to say the least.

Sun Tzu's wisdom has survived 2,000 years of study by people from a young Mao to the United States Marines. Sun Tzu is all about winning the battle before the battle begins. His wisdom is durable beyond expectations,
" Those whose generals are able and not constrained by governments are victorious ."

Sun Tzu speaks of "The Way" where there is unity of purpose between the ruler and the population. By inference a goal is to break that bond.

John Boyd, cigar chomping fighter pilot turned student of war. His early studies focused on why one side won aerial combat in the jet age. After annoying the Fighter Mafia of the USAF to no end he was sent off to an obscure Pentagon office, hidden exile. However, Boyd used the time to launch a study of Patterns of Conflict, which turned into a monumental brief. Out of this effort also came the OODA loop which stressed the importance of maintaining an advantage by processing information and operating on a faster cycle than the opposition.

Boyd's greatest contribution was not to the USAF but rather to a fundamental restructuring of the Marine Corps battle doctrine. After the 1991 Gulf War the Marine commandant gave Boyd much of the credit for helping to achieve what many pundits believed to be impossible, rapid movement through the heavily armed Iraqi forces occupying Kuwait.

Again and again Sun Tzu, Boyd and Richards stress the importance of non combat war. Victory, not slaughter is the goal.

During the early days of the war in Iraq the press was filled with reports of very tired US troops, often so far beyond their supply lines that they were short on food, yet they continued on. Why, too often the Generals are seeking near perfect preparation while Boyd and others understood that the ability to act is a way that kept the enemy off balance was the quickest and lowest cost way to victory. Richards seeks to restructure the military along the visions of Boyd and Sun Tzu.

Richards acknowledges that he goes far beyond his mentor, John Boyd, in his recommendations for an overhaul of the US military from top to bottom. Richard's ideas are bold and near revolutionary, reduce the officer ranks, close the service academies, promote officers from the ranks of the enlisted, fill pilot slots in the AF, Navy and Marines with non officers. The list goes on.

Col Richards has produced a highly readable book, filled with wisdom of the past 2,000 years along with his own ideas. Highly recommended.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Impressive Set of Subjects, November 27, 2006

By 

Unmoved Mover (Anywhere & Everywhere) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Swift, Elusive Sword: What if Sun Tzu and John Boyd Did a National Defense Review? (Paperback)

As I understand it, Dr. Richards' book is in fact an amended version of a presentation he gave at a conference in Quantico in Fall of 2001. The presentation itself, which is available on the net in Powerpoint format, was a straight-forward summary of the new situation we find ourselves in: the age of 4th Generation Warfare. The book expands on the presentation, pointing out the obvious flaws of U.S. military management by examining the ideas of John Boyd and Sun Tzu.

In an era where the U.S. still emphasizes gadgets over human assets, answering every other problem with more cash rather than new concepts, Boyd's advice ("People. Ideas. Technology. In that order.") seems more practical than ever. Richards' work is a good examination of Boyd's core concepts and solid guide to reorganizing U.S. Defense strategy.

Readers who enjoyed this book may also want to take a look at H.J. Poole's "The Tiger Way." It applies similar concepts towards the reorganization of the military on the tactical level.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read!, June 21, 2004

By 

Stratiotes Doxha Theon "2 Thes 2:15" (Richmond, Missouri) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Swift, Elusive Sword: What if Sun Tzu and John Boyd Did a National Defense Review? (Paperback)

The difference between an effective and efficient military as opposed to an ineffective and bloated military. A must read for every military planner and every citizen concerned with runaway government spending.