The Mind of War Quotes

“The perception of the opponent is always the target.”
― Grant Hammond, The Mind of War: John Boyd and American Security

“It is a state of mind, a learning of the oneness of things, an appreciation for fundamental insights known in Eastern philosophy and religion as simply the Way [or Tao]. For Boyd, the Way is not an end but a process, a journey…The connections, the insights that flow from examining the world in different ways, from different perspectives, from routinely examining the opposite proposition, were what were important. The key is mental agility”
― Grant Hammond, The Mind of War: John Boyd and American Security

“Boyd’s review of the literature on these approaches led him to the following impressions. It is advantageous to possess a variety of responses that can be applied rapidly to gain sustenance, avoid danger, and diminish an adversary’s capacity for independent action. Organisms must cooperate or, better yet, harmonize their activities in their endeavors to survive in an organic synthesis. To shape and adapt to change, one cannot be passive; indeed, one must take the initiative. The combination of variety, rapidity, harmony, and initiative—particularly their interaction—seems to be the key that permits one to shape and adapt to an ever-changing environment. These qualities aid in getting inside an adversary’s OODA loop. With these insights in mind, Boyd began his historical review of conflict, theorists, and practitioners of the art of war.”
― Grant Tedrick Hammond, The Mind of War: John Boyd and American Security

“Orientation, the big O in the OODA loop, is the schwerpunkt.”
― Grant Hammond, The Mind of War: John Boyd and American Security