This biography by Robert Coram chronicles a little-appreciated facet of
military history, at the center of which is a character so unlikely as to be
nearly unbelievable. John Boyd was a
scrappy, contentious pilot of lamentable personal habits and single-minded
tenacity that carried him through 45 years of military associations from
enlisted man to fighter pilot-cum-mathematician, re-maker of fighter pilot
tactics, aircraft design and testing, and finally, author of the most original
thinking in warfare in the century.
For all this, one might imagine this iconoclast to be widely
acclaimed and lauded by his brothers in arms, but in fact John Boyd made so
many enemies that he and his ‘Acolytes’ were cast out as pariahs
by the majority of those in the military power structure he served. Still, the strength of his ideas compelled
grudging respect that survived his chest-poking of generals and flailing cigar
gesticulations that on more than one occasion resulted in smoldering neckties and
inflamed egos of superior officers.
His pugnacity might best be summed up in an admonition
against the careerism he felt poisoned military decision making…”You can be
somebody or do something, but not both.” His unflinching dedication to service of country would not permit him to
back away from unpleasant or inconvenient truth, and he relished the battles
with generals as much as flying against the MIGs of his combat days. His ideas and ideals
attracted an unlikely coterie of loyal supporters and allies who became known
as the Reformers in the Pentagon.
Unhappily, the successes were precious few against trillions
of dollars in wasteful spending on weapon systems that underperformed, or
failed to perform at all, while overrunning budgets, the size of which is the
sole measure of success in the military industrial complex. Donald Rumsfeld’s offensive
blundering about ‘going to war with the army you have rather than the one you
want’ is particularly chilling
viewed in the light of the military we paid for at the behest of generations of
self-serving be-starred bureaucrats in the
Building. This book will not ease your sleep or gird your sense of security (in case you might still harbor such), and it can only haunt those who have lost loved
ones in conflicts of the past half century.
Boyd and his acolytes paid for their dedication in the
currency of foundered advancement, constant contention, and bitter, never-ending
battles with those who should have embraced their cause. The costs to his
family were similarly severe, unhappy tolls of neglect and estrangement over
many years of obsession.
Still, there is much to inspire, amuse, and astonish in
these pages, as well as great back-story on events that many will recall from
decades of news about Pentagon procurement debacles and weapon system scandals. Be forewarned… it is worse and more shameful than
sensible people can imagine.
His ideas survive (apparently
largely, but not wholly, un-credited) in modern warfare tactics, but also in
aircraft design, business processes, and even in the approach to fighting the
entrenched bureaucracies he battled his entire career. Boyd himself observed that guerrillas often
prevail in battle, but seldom go home to victory parades. His achievements were known to few and
acknowledged be fewer still while living, and are unlikely to be widely appreciated
in death. But his legacy survives to
inspire others for whom the tension between morality and warfare is a
manageable paradox. I’m guessing this book has an avid following
among young military leaders today, and if so, perhaps some will avoid the
hardening of the priorities that seem to chronically infect our national
military decision making.
I’m grateful
to my son, Mathias, for bringing this book to my attention.
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The Gershwin Tunnel connecting the B and C concourses at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. It seems to be from a more whimsical era of air travel, but still makes me smile (August, 2007)
DC-2007 is in the books. As I write this post, I’m attending the DCMI Advisory Board meeting in a 15th floor
conference room at the Singapore National Library Board, situated in a stunning
new building that,
when I saw it for the first time earlier this week, struck me as perhaps a multinational corporate headquarters among many in this dynamic city of
international commerce. THAT
is the Library??? Wow! Twenty-seven million visitors
annually and an economy grounded firmly in information technology make it seem
eminently sensible. 
