About

I am a political economist studying innovation, industry, and international security. Since September 2001, I have been advising industries and ministries on their issues of strategy, planning, and policy. My work aims to inform investors, industrialists, technologists, and policy-makers on how to effect, economically, a secure future.

Recent Articles

« "Nein." Thankfully moving past the EADS-BAE mess. | Main | My response to Harold Brown: the service secretaries may not be the problem »

24 October 2012

"Beyond Hagiography"—my paper at the 2012 Boyd & Beyond symposium

Every October for the past three years, the Marine Corps University at Quantico has hosted a symposium on the work and legacy of John Boyd, the noted American military strategist of the 1970s and 1980s. Boyd is most widely known as the progenitor of the OODA Loop (Observe-Orient-Decide-Act), a notion of military decision-making, or as Boyd would have it, "of learning and appreciation". He's also very notable for his influence on the USMC's strategic culture from roughly the end of the Cold War through today.

Attached, after a number of requests, is my recent paper on the subject. I actually wrote it before last year's symposium, but at the last minute was unable to attend and present. I didn't even present it this year, but word got around, and the paper has generated some buzz and some criticism. In hopes for more of both, I post it below.

As I've said before, I'm neither a fan nor a serious detractor of Boyd. His influence over the USMC alone would make him worthy of study. I uncovered what I considered to be some serious problems with his theories, and thus decided to write.

As always, comments are appreciated, though I recommend Scott Shipman's Boyd-and-Beyond Facebook group as the best forum for those. There's already an active discussion underway there, and some of the commentaries are really good.

Jim +1-512-299-1269 www.jameshasik.com

Download 20120515 Problems of Boyd.pdf

Posted at 18:00 |

Comments

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

The comments to this entry are closed.

Accolades

  • Read only the first few pages. The clarity and eloquence of them is highly unusual. Extremely un-boring. Everything that one does not need to know seems to have been removed before publication.
    — Attorney, politician, academic, and strategist
  • I'm continually amazed and impressed with what appears to me to be some magical ability you have to synthesize a tremendous sweep of ideas and sources and to cogently streamline into a tight and, most importantly, readable essay.
    — Test engineer, Naval Air Systems Command
  • One of the most insightful analysts on issues of defense economics...
    — Senior defense industry equities analyst
  • I need a Jim.
    — DC think tank director
  • Simply outstanding.
    — Deputy Under Secretary at the Pentagon, on recent analyses of future force structure requirements
  • You and Aboulafia are the only two publicly-quoted defense consultants worth paying attention to.
    — Public policy advocate
  • You’re one of the few guys who brings me real numbers. Most people just try to blow smoke...
    — President of a major military trucks and armored vehicles manufacturer
  • You are an impressive madman whom I am glad to know.
    — Vice President and M&A practice leader with an aerospace & defense consultancy
  • One of the best strategic moves we could have made, short of starting another war.
    — General Manager, leading weapons manufacturer, regarding recommendations for using the lessons of the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq to plan the future of the company’s product lines
  • Exactly what we needed.
    — CEO of a defense buy-out firm, on market insights and financial projections regarding an acquisition target
  • Your ability to infer from open sources is wonderful.
    — Vice President for Corporate Strategy, leading armored vehicles manufacturer, on recent studies of fatality patterns in military vehicles in Afghanistan and Iraq
  • We should have done [this] a year ago, but I could never find someone like you with the right perspective.
    — Vice President for Business Development at a fast-growing manufacturing firm, on recommendations for managing the company’s problematic alliance with a Fortune 500 defense contractor

Recent Posts