In my dissertation, I wrote about military theory as "articulation." That is the idea that military theory seeks to define and link certain elements in the world in a way that makes sense. Especially in the twenttieth century, military theory has often served to define and link military understandings of science, technology, society, military, and war. These efforts often begin with the assumption that changes in any one of these areas should mirror/be mirrored by changes in the others. The elements either are or should be in sync or congruent, should change in a "coperiodized" way. Elements out of sync are typically identified as a problem in need of solution.
This is exactly the reasoning we see in Hammes' introduction to his recommended reading list. His three short paragraphs provide one of the most concise renderings of this narrative. In effect, he is saying that there have been changes in technology and science that have led to changes in society and war. Unfortunately, he says, the U.S. military has not kept pace, has not changed its "internal" thinking in a way that is in sync with changes in these other elements of the world. Another common piece of this narrative is the claim that others (e.g. businesses, terrorists, insurgents, etc.) have recognized changes and adapted themselves appropriately while the U.S. military has not. Thus, the need for action, the need to "read different" so as to think differently and, ultimately, act differently, in a way that is congruent with the world "out there."
This link has been bookmarked by 3 people . It was first bookmarked on 04 Oct 2008, by TransTracker.
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04 Oct 08
TransTrackerThis latest piece by T.X. Hammes, a "fourth generation warfare" theorist and follower of Boyd's teachings, provides a list of 12 recommended readings said to be helpful in allowing the defense community to think differently about the technologicl and social changes affecting the world. The list is an interesting mix of popular press works on nonlinear science and new media.
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Since the early 1990s, the defense industry has been talking about the revolutionary technological changes taking place across society. It has worked hard to ensure we know what those changes are and how they are affecting national security. Yet, the industry rarely talks about the fundamental requirement to change the way we think in order to understand the implications of the technological and social changes we face.
Although the wider academic and business communities are coming to grips with the fact that many of these advances are changing the way we understand the world, the defense industry does not seem to see this as an issue. We still tend to view the world as responding to linear approaches applied by bureaucratic entities.
Fortunately, over the past couple of decades, a number of books have provided thought-provoking new theories of how the world works. Unfortunately, these theories do not align with the planning processes we use in the defense industry. The first step in fixing our planning processes is to examine how science’s understanding of reality is changing.
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Add Sticky NoteThe authors of these works highlight aspects of how the world has changed. This forces us to change how we frame problems, how we organize to deal with them and even how to get the best out of our people.
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Assumption: Epistemological and organizational changes in the world "out there" should be mirrored by the same kinds of changes "within" the military.
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Chaos
By James Gleick
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Nonlinear science related.
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Linked
By Albert-Laszlo Barabasi
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Nonlinear science related.
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Commander’s Appreciation and Campaign Design
Army Pamphlet 525-5-500
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Emergence
By Steven Johnson
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Nonlinear science related.
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The Innovator’s Dilemma
By Clayton M. Christensen
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Technology/new media related.
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The Wisdom of Crowds
By James Surowiecki
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Technology/new media related.
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The Geography of Thought
By Richard E. Nisbett
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Hidden Order
By John H. Holland
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Nonlinear science related.
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The Starfish and the Spider
By Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom
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The Black Swan
By Nassim Nicholas Taleb
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Nonlinear science related.
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Wikinomics
By Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams
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Technology/new media related.
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The Singularity is Near
By Ray Kurzweil
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Technology/new media related.
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29 Aug 08
Public Stiky Notes
This is exactly the reasoning we see in Hammes' introduction to his recommended reading list. His three short paragraphs provide one of the most concise renderings of this narrative. In effect, he is saying that there have been changes in technology and science that have led to changes in society and war. Unfortunately, he says, the U.S. military has not kept pace, has not changed its "internal" thinking in a way that is in sync with changes in these other elements of the world. Another common piece of this narrative is the claim that others (e.g. businesses, terrorists, insurgents, etc.) have recognized changes and adapted themselves appropriately while the U.S. military has not. Thus, the need for action, the need to "read different" so as to think differently and, ultimately, act differently, in a way that is congruent with the world "out there."
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