Among the great benefits of being retired, is the time I have had to devote to one of my passions, reading. At the suggestion of a former Air Force comrade, I just finished a book titled Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War. I had never heard of Col. John Boyd until I read his autobiography that was written by Robert Coram. I recommend the book to you.
Boyd’s Air Force career began as an F-86 fighter pilot in Korea. While serving as an Instructor Pilot at the USAF Weapons School, Boyd was dubbed “Forty Second Boyd” for his ability to defeat any opposing pilot, while from a position of disadvantage, in 40 seconds. Single handedly, he re-wrote the tactics manual for aerial combat. Along with a colleague, Col. Boyd created the Energy-Maneuverability Theory, which, subsequently, moved the Air Force away from high speed, straight line aircraft toward planes with high maneuverability. Boyd’s creative thinking “saved” the F-15 by changing its design and played a critical role in the development of the F-16, F-18, and A-10.
Boyd also created the OODA Loop (Observation, Orientation, Decision, Action), which was applicable not only to aerial combat, but to combat ground operations as well. The OODA Loop had substantial influence on the operations plans for Operation Desert Storm, which featured the bypass of resistance, creation of deception and ambiguity, and multiple thrusts against the enemy. The Marine Corps adopted this thinking in the complete revision of its doctrine.
Col. John Boyd, whom most of us never had heard of, is considered one of our nation’s greatest military theoreticians.
The views expressed in this column are solely those of the Commander and do not represent those of VFW Post #8870, its membership, or VFW.