Galaxy of Emptiness

From Robert Leonhard’s book, “The Art of Maneuver” which paraphrases William S. Lind’s book, “Maneuver Warfare Handbook.”

The Boyd Cycle

A cycle of observation, orientation, decision and finally action.

Colonol John Boyd studied fighter combat engagements in the Korean War. Despite flying planes that were inferior in speed, climb and turning ability, the Americans were able to dominate the skies due to superiority in 2 critical attributes, hydrualic controls and a superior canopy with a wide field of view. These last two attributes allowed American fighter pilots to rapidly observe and orient to the situation moment by moment. The American fighter pilots were able to act and react faster than their opponents.

The key survival necessity of any organism, whether individual or collective, is to be able to shorten the Boyd cyle.