The John Boyd collection (merged thread)

[MASON]

Boyd seems excellent in fighter tactics and strategy but the central analogy when applied to forces of size seems to hold only when one faces a rational enemy who above all wishes to preserve the lives within the force. An army division can outmanuver and corner an enemy but unless the enemy is willing to surrender you may still have to destroy him and that requires a certain level of political will to support such actions made even more difficult when the opposing force usually justs melts back into the populace rather than die or surrender.

Often we solace ourselve that a force that melts back into the populace is destroyed this in fact is not true they melted effectively on their own terms still armed with knowledge and experience if not actual arms.

[Ski]

I liked Hammond's book more than Coram's FWIW.

DNI and Belisarius are the two websites that have all of Boyds work on them.