Rating: 
Summary: Key book for all "Maneuverists" and "Warriors"
Review: Robert Coram has written an important book in "Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War" - but, as in Colonel Boyd himself, a book showing both brilliance and limitations.As a member of the U.S. Army's reserve components since 1983, a former Pentagon political appointee from 1986 to 88, and a defense consultant since 1991, I've had the opportunity see or participate in much of Colonel Boyd impacted. I bought Coram's book because I vividly remember spending a couple of days getting the "full brief" from Colonel Boyd back in 1987 in a dilapidated brick building in Washington, not far from Union Station. My Pentagon boss sent me to the briefing which was delivered by Col. Boyd and at least one of his "Acolytes." About ten people attended. At the time, I had no idea of Boyd's significance - the briefing did, however, make a lasting impression on me. Its two most salient concepts were the now-famous O-O-D-A Loop and Boyd's "To be or to do" speech (a heavy concept for a 24-year-old political idealist). The book has three main thrusts: Boyd's theories (mostly on conflict); Boyd's battles against the Pentagon's acquisition system; and Boyd's personal life. That Colonel Boyd had an unusually keen insight into the nature of human conflict should not be in dispute. His foremost contribution to art of war is a time-based view of warfare - the Observe Orient Decide Act (OODA) Loop. This book provides the context for how the author of the OODA Loop created it and worked tirelessly to get it into the hands of those who would apply it - it does not (nor should it) go in to detail as to how to apply it in combat. The book discusses Boyd's other theories and how they came to be as well. Boyd's first breakthrough was "Energy-Maneuverability" or E-M Theory - a theory that changed fighter aircraft design (and which has an interesting tangential relationship to the OODA Loop). His most purely intellectual theory was "Destruction and Creation," a theory that purports to explain the way individuals and groups think and process reality in order to "improve their capacity for independent action." This theory ambitiously attempts to tie together human behavior with the Second Law of Thermodynamics, Godel, Heisenberg, and Planck - heady stuff for a fighter pilot from Erie. Colonel Boyd's battles against the Pentagon's acquisition system - especially the U.S. Air Force and its F-15, F-16, F-111, and B-1 programs are a little more problematic. It is here that Mr. Coram might have used a bit more perspective and a little more skepticism in questioning the motives of some of the "Military Reform Caucus" members (most of whom simply wanted to spend less money on the Pentagon because they did not see the Soviet Union as a threat worth defeating). U.S. weapons systems are indeed complex and very expensive. We Americans have the luxury of trading capital for blood and we (and the parents of soldiers, sailors, pilots and Marines) are all too happy to spend heavily on the one to save on the other. True, weapons systems are typically designed by committees, take too long to field, and often cost more than advertised - but can anyone dispute the technical supremacy of American arms the world over? Many of the acquisition problems cited in the book were caused by the Pentagon's early adaptation of computer technology before such technology became commercialized, reliable, and cheap. Even so, can anyone dispute that one B-2 bomber dropping one 2,000-lb smart bomb to destroy one bridge is superior to using 100 B-52s in a raid dropping thousands of dumb bombs to accomplish the same military effect (while killing half of the adjacent city's population in the process)? In addition, Mr. Corum uses manipulates statistics to back up his claims. At one point he cites the cost of the B-1 bomber when cancelled by President Carter as $167 million a copy, then growing to $287 million when President Reagan restarted the program - never mind that inflation was clipping along at a ruinous double digit rate during that time, nor that the aircraft was significantly redesigned, nor that the total buy was less than planned before therefore providing a smaller base upon which to spread the non-recurring costs of the aircraft's development. And, lastly, never mind that the B-1 was, in and of itself, a part of President Reagan's overall plan to defeat the Soviet Union - what was Reagan to do in 1981? Order that more B-52s be built in order to preserve a leg of the nuclear triad? Finally, Mr. Corum covers Colonel Boyd's personal life - and an unhappy life it was. Colonel Boyd's life was filled with conflict. He was abusive of his family. He was rude to non-believing colleagues and superiors. In short, he was an eccentric. As is often the case with such brilliant men, it would probably have been impossible to separate the good from the bad - with Colonel Boyd, we get the whole package - or, to paraphrase Boyd himself, the whole seven hour briefing or no briefing. On a more personal note, it was odd feeling to read a book that ties together the lives of people I've met, worked with and read about, people such as Colonel Boyd himself or retired Brigadier General Huba Wass de Czege, who, as the Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver) of the 1st Infantry Division, spent some crucial minutes in my armored battalion TOC one cold Ft. Irwin morning in 1992. I didn't know it at the time, but now I know I was touched by some very brilliant and creative Americans.
Rating: 
Summary: Boyd, The Fighter Pilot Who Changed The Art Of War
Review: Robert Coram has written one of the ten best non-fiction books I've read in a quarter century. It is, however, a book that transcends the genres of military history and biography implied in its title. A factually dramatic account of one man's genius and sacrifice in his decades-long personal battle to reform America's military and industrial complex, Boyd is a tale of cultural conflict on a grand scale, but from which every man, and every woman may find moral enlightenment in their personal and material lives. John Boyd was a brilliant Air Force fighter pilot in the last days of WWII, who became perhaps the top jet fighter pilot in Korea, and later, Vietnam, when he conceived and taught new aerial combat tactics in a program that came to be known as "Top Gun" school. In doing so, he formulated altogether new concepts in aircraft design and maneuver, which brought him to the attention of the nantion's top military and naval strategists and planners. If only he could have gone along with his superiors-told them what they wanted to hear; done as they wished him to do-his rise to a general's rank was virtually assured. But John Boyd had a character flaw he was unable to overcome: He could only speak-and act upon-the truth. And the truth was, as Boyd showed with mathematical clarity: Our Air Force, Navy, Army and Marines were so far behind the curve and so co-opted by national defense industries, they all preferred to remain so, rather than break new ground that would lead to the precision warfare that made its debut in the 1991 Gulf War, and again, in disarming Iraq. For in the end, John Boyd won his war with the Pentagon and the military industrial complex, despite other personality flaws, like an inability to control his penchant for invectives when face-to-face with generals and admirals-thus assuring their continued enmity. If reviewers seem to have overlooked the hilarity of some of these incidents reported by Coram, many readers will laugh aloud. Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Boyd's amazing career, is not the revolutionary reforms he lived to see implemented, so much as they were achieved in spite of himself. Deliberately setting a superior's tie on fire by punching a lit cigar into the adversary's chest during debate, in the presence of subordinates, is not a thing one excuses, much less forgets. Nor is yelling down a busy Pentagon hallway to a general who denied him, "You're a (exlitive) loser!", a form of expression not likely to earn future promotion. Robert Coram's remarkably readable biography details the life of a man who consciously and consistently conceded career advances in his one-man war to expose bureaucratic and corporate collaboration. A profound and topical biography that reads more like a tragicomedic fiction than the bureaucratic malfeasance it brings to the harsh light of day, Coram's book and Boyd himself, can only miss becoming household names by inept marketing. Even readers who disdain books on warfare may take note of John Boyd's concern about the portent of an expanded Islamic conflict. Robert Clarke, chief historian of the 802nd Air Division, USAF 1953, and the author of: Ellen Swallow- The Woman Who Founded Ecology, Follett, 1973
Rating:
Summary: The Conflict Between Theory and Reality
Review: Robert Corum has done a masterly job in writing and telling a true to life story of what the United States culturally says it admires in people-intelligence, hard work and truth! The story of John Boyd should be read by as many people as possible, beginning with those aspiring to be leaders in both the military and civilian sectors. Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed The Art of War will begin a national renaissance in truth telling and seeking responsibility to stem the tide against our great nation becoming a 4th Century Rome. In reality, as Corum points out in page after page, the culture does not hold those like Boyd as the epitome of honor and selfless service. Instead, he retired a colonel (despite an incredible contribution to Air Force Fighter aviation and the theories of the art of war) and his family in poverty. But Boyd's greatest achievement of riches came not in the form of tangibles known greedily as money and property, but in the intangibles he achieved, a devoted following-the "Acolytes"-from talented men who are the true defenders of the Constitution; and who in the pursuit of truth, attempt to force the military establishment to provide our servicemen the leaders, doctrine and equipment they need to do their mission. Boyd set the heroic example for others to emulate as they desire to call themselves professionals against the tide of dishonesty; against those who are the worse when they say they speak of truth, yet practice something mendacious in promoting themselves. In light of the great popularity that the defense establishment now holds in the eyes of a novice and ignorant public, this book is a warning, maybe belatedly late one at that, given the timing of the war with Iraq. Corum's story of Boyd subtly warns that the current defense establishment, tied to the behemoth Industrial-military-congressional complex, is a corrupt institution. It is not corrupt in terms of South American politicians or the Chicago crime family's hold on politicians-the taking of money behind the scenes-but in that it subtly says one thing, yet practices something very different. While its leadership manuals, colorful posters and fancy power point presentations tout words of character, moral courage, autonomy and trust, in reality the military culture punishes those who live by what is written and desired. And in the end, as Corum highlights, it is about money-more money for more advanced weapons systems. The real wars that the Services want talented people for are fought inside the Beltway, not on the battlefield. Corum presents Boyd's struggles-both with himself and the culture he sought to perfect-in page after page of this wonderful book. Boyd's competitive drive achieved much, as we are now seeing as people write of the exploits of the "Mad Colonel." Boyd was an officer, who despite his luminosity in flying, his winning of top science and engineering awards for his "Energy-Maneuverability Theory," was passed over for general because he did not possess the right social skills-or as Corum put it, "He [Boyd] had not yet acquired subtlety and bureaucratic skills"-but more critical, refused to play the game when it contrasted with what was right. This is a horrible precedent for an organization, particularly a military one, to set for its younger generations of leaders-tell the truth at your own peril-that must constantly give accurate reports in the face of a type of warfare that demands accurate situational reports. Robert Corum has done our nation a great service in telling the story of not only Colonel John Boyd, but those around him who devoted their lives in doing what is right. Hopefully this book will infect many others who as Boyd did when he said, "...one day you will take a fork in the road, and you're going to have to make a decision about which direction you want to go. If you go that way you can be somebody. You will have to make compromises and you will have to turn your back on your friends. But you will be a member of the club and you will get promoted and get good assignments. Or you can go that way and you can do something -something for your country and for your Air Force and for yourself." Most importantly Boyd would close, "If you decide to do something, you may not get promoted and you may not get good assignments and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors. But you won't have to compromise yourself." "To be somebody or to do something. In life there is often a roll call. That's when you have to make a decision. To be or to do? Which way will you go?" As Corum points out, unfortunately, too many have picked the former, and unfortunately for our country, has gave us a military that spends more than the next 21 opponents, "the 21 Power standard," and when it does fight, only wins indecisively. Donald E. Vandergriff is the editor of Spirit, Blood and Treasure: The American Cost of Battle in the 21st Century, and the author of Path to Victory: America's Army and the Revolution in Human Affairs.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful
Review: The art of writing has been raised to a new level. This is the best autobiography that I have ever read. If Amazon readers gave other books that I have read a 4 or a 5 star rating then on a scale of 1 to 5 this books rates an 8 or higher. When you read this book you will not stop at the end of the book as John Boyd did not stop at the end of his life. People, Ideas and Hardware: John Boyd was so much about common sense and goals, it is hard to understand that so many people did not "get it".
Robert Coran, please do not stop, you have reached another level in writing and philosophy. Go get "em" tiger. This will be a movie- no question.
Rating:
Summary: Correction of previous review
Review: The art of writing has been raised to a new level. This is the best biography that I have ever read. If Amazon.com readers gave other books that I have read a 4 or a 5 star rating then on a scale of 1 to 5 this books rates an 8 or higher. When you read this book you will not stop at the end of the book as John Boyd did not stop at the end of his life. People, Ideas and Hardware: John Boyd was so much about common sense and goals, it is hard to understand that so many people did not "get it".
Robert Coran, please do not stop, you have reached another level in writing and philosophy. Go get "em" tiger. This will be a movie- no question.
Rating:
Summary: Fighter Pilot, Engineer, Scholar, Patriot, Hero
Review: There are Americans who are famous and ought to be, or famous and ought not to be. Colonel John Boyd was an American who is not famous and ought to be. In a time when we are fighting a war on terrorism (and I am writing this as it seems inevitable that we are to have an active push into Iraq), all Americans ought to read a splendid biography of a patriot, warrior, and philosopher of war who made a difference, _Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War_ (Little, Brown) by Robert Coram. John Boyd isn't going to have statues and memorials (although Boyd Hall at Nellis Air Force Base has been named for him), and he didn't write books. As he would have said, he was far too busy getting things done than making a name for himself. It is worth contemplating all that he got done. He was the best fighter pilot in the Air Force. He developed a theory that revolutionized air-to-air combat. He wrote the Air Force's manual on it. He inspired the F-16. He read deeply on the philosophy of war, and his teachings transformed the most fighting of the services, the Marine Corps. He was responsible for tactics in the Gulf War. He hated the failings of the military-industrial complex, and many of those who nestled within it hated him. Boyd emerged from a tough, fatherless upbringing in Erie, Pennsylvania, and entered the military as an enlisted man, taking part in the occupation of Japan immediately after World War II. He entered the Air Force, going to Korea just at the end of the war. At Fighter Weapons School he did so well he was invited back as an instructor. He was known as "Forty Second Boyd": with an opponent fighter trailing him (thus all advantage to the opponent) he bet "forty seconds or forty bucks" that in forty seconds he could reverse the positions. No one else ever won the bet. He boned up on calculus and thermodynamics that would enable him to really understand what fighter planes do, and developed the innovative "energy - maneuverability" theory to explain fighter flight mechanics, and to compare one fighter to another. Coram explains, "While still a junior officer, John Boyd changed the way every air force in the world flies and fights." Assigned to the Pentagon, he made lots of enemies, and made secure friends, men proud to be called his "acolytes." It is a tribute to Coram's brisk writing that even the parts of the book that have to do with Boyd's "Fighter Mafia's" iconoclastic views of fighter design and battles for funding are fun; of course, part of the energy comes from the unconventional way Boyd fought such battles. After he retired, he became a consultant, but not the sort of consultant that signs on to a lucrative spot within the suppliers of materiel to the military. Having been a fighter pilot, and engineer, he moved himself into becoming a scholar, deeply reading in Sun Tzu and Clausewitz. His philosophy of war has changed the Marine Corps, and won as a convert then Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, who implemented Boyd's recommendations into the Gulf War. Over the objections of the generals, of course. This astonishing man, like many others who put all their efforts into their work, was a terrible father and husband. Coram admits that the "part of his legacy that concerns his family is embarrassing and shameful." This biography is admiring, but unfawning. Coram has wonderful anecdotes to tell, and often slips for effect into the sort of profanity that Boyd favored. Big, entertaining, heroic, and inspiring, _Boyd_ is just the book to be its subject's fitting memorial.
Rating: 
Summary: Reveals how 1980s Military Reform Movement failed: hubris
Review: This book is a chilling reminder of the high personal costs of trying to reform the U.S. military: almost all of the 1980s reformers had their lives destroyed with Colonel Boyd in the background encouraging them to their deaths. The book, written by a fawning devotee of the Boyd mentality tries to put a positive spin on these men's sacrifices by distorting reality to make it appear the the u.s. marines have embraced a more truthful warfighting style when their very arrogance prevents the humility needed to see reality clearly to have a faster "OODA loop". Read his chapter on how the Mc defecated on Colonel Wyly and then ponder how all of a sudden the USMC is this embodiment of OODA loop; it doesn't compute, its a lie. The USMC without a warfighting doctrine used the '80s reformers to create an outward appearance to continue their arrogance and robotics while the reformers used the USMC to foist a lie that their half-baked ideas were being taken seriously by "somebody". The central problem with Boyd and the reformers in the '80s are revealed here in this book: they accept the idea of being cocky and arrogant which is a vice not a virtue---then think you can suddenly shift gears and be this humble, honest human being who sees things for what they are in order to have a faster OODA loop. It doesn't work that way. Its this basic existentialist hubris that CREATES the senior officer jerks that the author laments in his book as the nemesis to the reformers having their way! The USMC is an organization that creates narrow-minded egotists from day 1 of basic enlisted/officer training for example, that are 99.9% more likely to become the narrow-minded dehumanizers who want to fight wars with frontal and simplistic assaults without any respect at all to what the enemy is doing BECAUSE THEY DO NOT EVEN RESPECT THEIR OWN MEN WHO HAVE LESS RANK THAN THEY. If they treat their own men like feces how can they even begin to RESPECT the enemy as a cunning, capable foe?
He's a undisciplined "raghead" to them. I think the reformers deserve our thanks; but the best way is to pick up the torch they have dropped, reignite it properly with a sound military reform movement that is HUMBLE, HUMAN and pro-active instead of arrogant, reactive and iconoclastic, based on a COMPLETE, sound military philosophy not a fighter pilot's observation about dogfight kinetic energy levels.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: This book takes us from the days of WWII, the over-achieving F-86 in Korea, the horrible F-111 (apparently, the only good thing about it was the Soviet's copied it) all the way up to the war in Afghanistan. Boyd is held in some great esteem by the author of this book as well as some of the most powerful people in the world. I'd suggest you read the book, and decide for yourself... James :)
Rating:
Summary: Good yarn, good lessons
Review: This book works on two levels. First, it is a biography of a very interesting man; it also provides a "slice of life" (a la Chuck Yeager's autobiography) for those interested in military careers. On a deeper level, it introduces a revolutionary way of thinking. The OODA loop, put simply, is to do the least-expected thing to get your opponent off balance, and to follow that with more "least-expected" actions until you achieve your goal. The trick is to understand the situation before the opponent does. Since reading this book, I've started seeing "OODA Loops" everywhere there has been success in competition--basketball games, boxing matches, contract negotiations, advertising campaigns, chess, office politics, the invasion of Iraq... The book provides a good (if basic) intro to Boyd's ideas, but it does give you the tools to understand his (very chewy)concepts. It also includes an extensive list of books Boyd found interesting, which I have been using to guide my own reading.
Rating:
Summary: Good yarn, good lessons
Review: This book works on two levels. First, it is a biography of a very interesting man; it also provides a "slice of life" (a la Chuck Yeager's autobiography) for those interested in military careers. On a deeper level, it introduces a revolutionary way of thinking. The OODA loop, put simply, is to do the least-expected thing to get your opponent off balance, and to follow that with more "least-expected" actions until you achieve your goal. The trick is to understand the situation before the opponent does. Since reading this book, I've started seeing "OODA Loops" everywhere there has been success in competition--basketball games, boxing matches, contract negotiations, advertising campaigns, chess, office politics, the invasion of Iraq... The book provides a good (if basic) intro to Boyd's ideas, but it does give you the tools to understand his (very chewy)concepts. It also includes an extensive list of books Boyd found interesting, which I have been using to guide my own reading.
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