Why John Boyd Still Matters

John Boyd was one of the most influential military thinkers of the 20th century, and the intellectual godfather of the U.S. Marines’ military strategy. Today, as artificial intelligence continues to transform battlefields in Ukraine and the Middle East, author and retired Marine officer Ian Brown argues that Boyd’s ideas are more relevant than ever. Today, Brown joins Aaron MacLean to discuss how Ukraine is harnessing Boyd’s concept of narrative warfare, what Boyd can teach us about conflict in the age of AI, drones, and precision strikes, and his new book co-authored with Frans P. B. Osinga, Snowmobiles and Grand Ideals.

2:20 Who Was John Boyd?
7:25 What Boyd Learned From Dogfighting
15:37 From Air Combat to the OODA Loop
23:49 Is the OODA Loop Really About Speed?
29:33 What Do Blitzkrieg and Insurgency Have in Common?
36:44 Surfaces and Gaps
41:25 Why Did the Marine Corps Embrace Boyd?
48:25 The Marine Corps’ Warfighting Doctrine
50:25 Does Modern Warfare Challenge Boyd?
53:18 Information as a Weapon
53:53 Boyd’s Ideas Meet Drone Warfare
54:55 From Nagorno-Karabakh to Ukraine

This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com.

This episode of School of War is also brought to you by Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company.  Stratolaunch helps the U.S. and its allies move new hypersonic technologies from concept to capability, faster and cheaper.  Learn more about how Stratolaunch is accelerating the future of hypersonics at Stratolaunch.com.

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