OODA vs. SARA
The folks at DNI just published a 4GW/COIN manual for Military/Police Operations. The OODA Loop is replaced with the POP (Problem Oriented Police) Loop of SARA (Scanning,Analysis,Response,Assessment). Not a bad idea.
http://www.d-n-i.net/fcs/pdf/fmfm_1-3a_police.pdf
A fundamental problem might be
that COIN is a reality but 4GW is 'bunk'. I query the utility of publications that counter an unvalidated theoretical construct rather than a reality.
I have noticed a trend amongst many contemporary authors in our area of interest that they detract from their efforts when they lean too far forward in their eagerness to appear 'cutting edge'. In this case, the introduction of the term '4GW' adds little except a downside.
Cheers
Mark
What Mark said, plus
I thought POP stood for the most common crime resulting in bumping one's head when being put in the back seat of the cruiser, Pi$$!ng Off Police? More arrests for that than any other crime in the US...
send in the ambulance chasers!
a good reverse-engineering of law enforcement principles to military matters, they touched on lapd's rampart alvarado corridor project but missed to mention that the most integral part of this project was the gang injunction portion which has to do more with the city attorney's office, the district attorney, the courts, ACLU and defense lawyers doing what they do best. standing up a solid criminal justice system (or as good as it can be) is the end game. any coin/policing analogy will not be complete without the lawyers.
a short piece from the naval post grad, monterey:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0729/p09s02-coop.html
How are we doing in Iraq? To help answer this question, the United States government came up with 18 benchmarks for progress. For me, 18 are just too many. I favor the "KISS" principle: keep it simple, stupid. So I propose one simple benchmark to replace them all: the number of Iraqi lawyers and the lawsuits they file.
حافظ الأسدلا أريد لأحد أن يسكت عن الخطأ أو أن يتستر عن العيوب والنواقص
I strongly suspect that this a Bill Lind lead publication. FMFM-1a was, so this seems to be the same beast. Like FMFM-1a, I'll most probably just not get it. I'll give it a read anyhow...
Infinity Journal "I don't care if this works in practice. I want to see it work in theory!"
- The job of the British Army out here is to kill or capture Communist Terrorists in Malaya.
- If we can double the ratio of kills per contact, we will soon put an end to the shooting in Malaya.
Sir Gerald Templer, foreword to the "Conduct of Anti-Terrorist Operations in Malaya," 1958 Edition
I read it. For the most part I liked it. I didn't agree with everything, of course, but it made some good points: like the reminders not to alienate the community. We all know that, of course, but it's always worth repeating.
It also stated the belief that in COIN (and in policing?) the center of gravity is not the enemy but the people. Maybe I've always sort of thought along those lines in policing but never really seen it articulated as a "center of gravity" before.
I understand the initial skepticism because of Lind's involvement, but look at it this way: if it makes some good points, then it makes some good points whether Lind wrote it or not; if it's worthless, then it's worthless even if Clausewitz wrote it. Just evaluate it on it's own merits, even if the author has written other things that you disagree with.
It doesn't matter what those acronyms are, though. I can never remember them when I need to.
"Pick up a rifle and you change instantly from a subject to a citizen." - Jeff Cooper
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