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Professional Reading Drop Box

wink

War Hoover NFO.
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Great article with a noble goal. it's very easy in the military to misuse subordinates time because managers don't have to pay for it in the form of OT and it's all too easy for career oriented folks to forget that the long days on top of deployments take a very human toll.
Goes for many professional salaried employees as well. I know from my wife's perspective, sometimes she works long hours. Particularly when preparing for trial she may work 8-12 hours on weekends and 10-14 hours on week days. All nighters are not unusual during trial. She doesn't always need her team to be there. But she wants them to offer to come in or stay late in recognition of all the time investment she is making and that their help will reduce her personal investment. She will then frequently let them off the hook. She doesn't expect that she should have to tell people to come in or work late to make a deadline. She is very considerate of her people's time, particularly those with young ones at home. She just expects them to be as considerate of her time and put in the extra hours to ease her load without having to be told. I think some of it is generational.
 

nittany03

Recovering NFO. Herder of Programmers.
pilot
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
That the Army has a branch of "strategists," but yet flails at most every task assigned is ironic. That one of those strategists would write something as stupid as this, and have it sanctioned by the Modern War Institute (part of West Point) is just sad.
Supervisor: "Hey, EMCON might be a thing we need to worry about. Can you write an article on that by Tuesday?"
Writer: "Sure."
Writer, to self: "Shit; how do I make this deadline? Ah, hell. I'll just blame everything on millennials; it's the cool thing to do these days."
 

nittany03

Recovering NFO. Herder of Programmers.
pilot
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Also, I didn't wear a SWO jacket to see the Commodore
Utility > style points. I wasn't going to freeze my balls off just because those fuckers in supply hadn't gotten me a leather jacket yet.

(What's worse is I actually had one in my hand that fit perfectly on API issue day, and that crabby old lady that used to work there snatched it away saying something like "you need one that'll fit when you make LT and get fatter." Dafuq?)
 

HokiePilot

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
I just finished reading Boyd: the Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War. I can't recommend it enough.

As a Captain at the USAF Fighter Weapons School, wrote the Aerial Attach Study that became the first and official tactics manual for the USAF. He developed the Energy-Maneuverability theory of aerial combat. His theory and personal drive was heavily influential. He was the head of the "fighter mafia" that forced the F-16 on the Air Force. Developed the OODA loop theory. His theories on maneuver warfare were heavily influential on the 1991 Gulf War. There is pretty good evidence that he actually developed the left hook plan in his weekly meetings with SECDEF Cheney.

He was a polarizing figure who advocated for small, lightweight, maneuverable elements.

One of COL Boyd's acolytes, COL Burton, wrote a book about his experience at the pentagon. It was developed into a movie called the Pentagon Wars about the development of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Its a good watch too.
 

Recovering LSO

Suck Less
pilot
Contributor
^good stuff. The Pentagon Wars is as funny as it is tragic.

Separately, contemporary malcontents with #innovative #disruptive ideas comparing themselves to Boyd - stop! You’re not.
 
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Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
I just finished reading Boyd: the Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War. I can't recommend it enough.

As a Captain at the USAF Fighter Weapons School, wrote the Aerial Attach Study that became the first and official tactics manual for the USAF. He developed the Energy-Maneuverability theory of aerial combat. His theory and personal drive was heavily influential. He was the head of the "fighter mafia" that forced the F-16 on the Air Force. Developed the OODA loop theory. His theories on maneuver warfare were heavily influential on the 1991 Gulf War. There is pretty good evidence that he actually developed the left hook plan in his weekly meetings with SECDEF Cheney.

He was a polarizing figure who advocated for small, lightweight, maneuverable elements.

I read some pretty good critique of him and how his reputation and claims to originating all of the things he is credited for might be a bit overinflated. The 'left hook' maneuver claim gives me particular pause, after all that sort of maneuver has a long and storied history in military warfare (Ardennes anyone?).
 

nittany03

Recovering NFO. Herder of Programmers.
pilot
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
He was a polarizing figure who advocated for small, lightweight, maneuverable elements.
Boyd was essentially on the same level as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or Larry Ellison. A brilliant man who probably could have had even more of an impact if he hadn't insisted on being a complete asshole. And the bio with his name on it was fine, but Coram is not exactly a neutral narrator, either. Just read it knowing that you're reading a book from one of Boyd's fanboys.
 
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