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A Vision So Noble: John Boyd, the OODA Loop, and America's War on Terror Paperback – May 4, 2010

by Daniel Ford (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 95 ratings
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John Boyd was arguably the greatest American military theorist since the sea power strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan at the turn of the 20th Century. Best known for his formulation of the OODA Loop as a model for competitive decision making, Colonel Boyd was also an original thinker in developing tactics for air-to-air combat, designing warplanes, and the fluid, mobile warfare known to the Germans as blitzkrieg and to modern armies as "maneuver warfare." As much as anyone, John Boyd was the architect of the two great campaigns against Saddam Hussein's Iraq, both the 1991 liberation of Kuwait and the 2003 "March Up" to Baghdad by the U.S. Army and Marines.But what of the costly, drawn-out insurgency that baffled the invaders once Baghdad had fallen? In this short book, Daniel Ford applies Boyd's thinking to the problem of counter-insurgency. Unlike the U.S. military in 2003, it turns out that Boyd had indeed put considerable thought into what might transpire after an effective "blitz" campaign. Indeed, he found many similarities between "blitzers" and what he preferred to call guerrillas, and he thought that they might be defeated by turning their own tactics against them. This is an expanded version of a dissertation submitted in the War Studies program at King's College London.
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  1. Print length
    74 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    May 4, 2010
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.17 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1451589816
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1451589818
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ford's treatment of the OODA loop is particularly helpful and may be the best explication available." (Michael Myers on Amazon.com)

"A brilliant distillation" (Retired Reader on Amazon.com)

"The book is a great synthesis of a lot of different information. Even if you don't agree with some of the author's conclusions, his clear presentation of Boyd's theories are worth the price. If you are new to this topic, you can't go wrong starting here. If you've already spent time with the OODA loop, I think you'll still find this helpful." (DDC on Amazon.com)

From the Author

When the United States and its allies invaded Iraq in 2003, I obsessively watched the video feeds from "embedded" reporters and realized that my understanding of U.S. Army tactics was sadly outdated, based as it was on my own military service and a stint as a war correspondent in Vietnam. So I enrolled in an online "programme" at King's College London, designed for mid-career officers in the British Army. My fellow students were about equally divided between those men -- captains and majors, many of them actually deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan -- and officers and civilians from other nations, from Norway to Singapore.

I particularly enjoyed our study of Clausewitz, and with the guidance of David Betz, my tutor, and a Canadian whose background was rather similar to mine, I began to explore the ways in which military strategy could be adapted to the problem of counter-insurgency. For my thesis, I drove to Quantico, Virginia, and steeped myself in the papers of John Boyd, a self-taught genius who evolved from a fighter pilot to a master of grand strategy, and whose writings have drastically changed the thinking of military forces around the world.

David urged me to publish the result, so here it is.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (May 4, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 74 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1451589816
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1451589818
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.84 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.17 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 95 ratings

About the author

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Daniel Ford

Daniel Ford

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Daniel Ford has spent a lifetime studying and writing about the wars of the past hundred years, from Ireland's war of liberation to America's invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. A U.S. Army veteran and a reporter in Vietnam, he wrote the novel that was filmed as 'Go Tell the Spartans', starring Burt Lancaster. As a historian, he is best known for his prize-winning study of the American Volunteer Group--the gallant 'Flying Tigers' of the Second World War. Most recently, he has written a memoir of his life so far: "Looking Back From Ninety: The Depression, the War, and the Good Life that Followed." Visit www.DanFordBooks.com and sign up for a monthly newsletter about war, flying, and less important subjects.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
95 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Retired Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Distillation
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2011
Verified Purchase
This book provides an accurate and concise description of the ideas and thinking of Colonel John Boyd (USAF ret. 1927-1997). Ford uses his understanding of Boyd's ideas to somewhat gingerly explore what sort strategy Boyd might have advised for the misnamed Global War on Terror. However the chief value of this book is its brief, but well thought out examination of Boyd's tactical, operational and strategic thinking. As such the book makes an excellent introduction to the more detailed and in depth study of Colonel Boyd by Frans P.B. Osinga, "Science, Strategy, and War: The strategic theory of John Boyd" (2007 Routledge). Boyd's ideas resonate as much today as they did in the 20th Century.
8 people found this helpful
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Michael Myers
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Overview of John Boyd's Thinking
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2010
Verified Purchase
Dan Ford, after exhaustive study of all the available sources on Boyd's thought has written a very useful and concise summary of his major theories. Having read everything written about John Boyd, I found Ford's treatment perhaps the best treatment of his thought for those not interested or unable to invest the time in the very dense work of Osinga or the more breezy account by Coram. Ford's treatment of the OODA loop is particularly helpful and may be the best explication available. If this short work is your first introduction to John Boyd, it will surely whet your appetite for more. As others have said, for a concentration on the theories, see Hammond; for more on the personal life, read Coram. If you're willing to be challenged intellectually, spend time with Osinga. Well done, Mr. Ford!
24 people found this helpful
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DDC
5.0 out of 5 stars A very helpful overview with some nice points
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2012
Verified Purchase
I've been studying Boyd and the OODA loop for the past 2-3 years - reading his briefings online, reading books about him and his work (the  Maneuver Warfare Handbook (Westview Special Studies in Military Affairs)  and  The Mind of War: John Boyd and American Security  were helpful), and pestering the Army and Marine Officers that I work with. From this perspective, I really appreciated this book. If you've studied Liddell-Hart and Sun Tzu, you may find some of this repetitive, but the integration of points that Boyd relied on is helpful.

The book is a great synthesis of a lot of different information. Even if you don't agree with some of the author's conclusions, his clear presentation of Boyd's theories are worth the price. If you are new to this topic, you can't go wrong starting here. If you've already spent time with the OODA loop, I think you'll still find this helpful. I highly recommend this to you.
11 people found this helpful
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RB Westbrook
3.0 out of 5 stars Good book about an incredible man
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2014
Verified Purchase
John nBoyd is an inspirational and hugely influential leader who has changed the face of combat and decision making in the world. He needs to be better known and this book does a good job of making that happen.
One person found this helpful
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K. Midnite
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2018
Verified Purchase
This book is a very good read it reads very fast and it was very enjoyable makes a lot of sense I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I did.
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cdm
4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful addition to the John Boyd literature
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2010
Verified Purchase
Short, but an interesting read. I'm not sure if this would be the best introduction to Boyd's work, but it fills some gaps and provides some clarity around Boyd's ideas. Coram is a good place to start if you're interested in the person; Hammond if you're more interested in his ideas or Osinga if you're an academic. If you've already read the above, you should read this, too.
13 people found this helpful
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Jim Stovall
5.0 out of 5 stars OUTSTANDING RESDING...
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
Without going into a long story I will tell you his met all of my expectations plus....Outstanding reading as was the book JOHN BOYD THE FIRST LT. WHO CHANGED THE ART OF WAR!
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A solid unpacking of Boyd
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2016
Verified Purchase
Boyd has achieved a near mythic status in conflict analysis like that of Sun Tu, meaning he can be spun to support nearly any strategy. Ford does a good job of reconnecting to Boyd's actual thinking.
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Top reviews from other countries

William Carruthers
4.0 out of 5 stars A good quick overview of Boyd’s OODA Loop
Reviewed in Canada on March 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
A quick overview of the OODA Loop. It is particularly good at a focus on Orientation as the key to the process. A good introduction.
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Cambria
5.0 out of 5 stars Observe, orientate, decide and read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2017
Verified Purchase
Recommended for anyone interested in strategy and tactics
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D. Birch
4.0 out of 5 stars Good All-round Presentation of Boyds Innovative Thinking.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2011
Verified Purchase
Excellent short book that brings together all John Boyds theories and thinking on tactics linked to his sources and other peoples thoughts on the matter, whether directly involved with him or not.
2 people found this helpful
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maidugari
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent but frightening
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 26, 2016
Verified Purchase
Excellent book which I recommendExcellent to everyone over 60.
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