The OODA Loop: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act

Author: Graham Dunne

The OODA Loop was developed by USAF Colonel John Boyd in the early 1970’s, to use your opponent’s decision-making lag time against them. A pilot in the Korean conflict, he later attended Fighter Weapons School. Boyd graduated at the top of his class, and upon graduation, was invited to stay at the FWS as an instructor. As a flight instructor, he was dubbed “40 second Boyd.” Boyd would bet students he could start in a position of disadvantage, and yet score a kill on them within 40 seconds, or he would give them $40. (Significantly more valuable in the 1970’s…) He was never beaten, tied once. Boyd went on to serve well through Vietnam, into the first Gulf War.
Boyd was a master of reading other’s movements in the sky, with deadly counter measures. Additionally, he would use his own movement to disrupt and delay his opponent’s OODA loop. Let’s take a look at how it actually works.

Here’s an example: you exit 7/11 on a hot day, ice cold Slurpee in hand. As you walk to your car, a bad guy walks towards you with his hand on a gun, clearly visible in his waistband, ordering you to give him your keys and wallet. You tell him you don’t want any trouble, as you throw your keys towards him. As he looks down at the keys you draw your subcompact from your waistband. He attempts to draw his, but you move laterally as you draw. You get your pistol out first, placing center mast hits on his upper torso. Play stupid games, get stupid prizes…

So, what happened there with the OODA loop? By throwing your keys you distracted him, slowing his orientation phase, (which I have always thought should be “analyze”, it probably just didn’t fit with the acronym). Once he finally decided to draw his weapon, and acted upon that decision, you were moving laterally, which threw a proverbial monkey wrench into his decisional making process, sending him back to the decisional phase. It may have been half a second with each of your movements, but those add up into seconds, and can be an eternity in a gunfight. 

Moral of the story: create distractions and move. The only time we don’t move is when we’re behind cover and concealment. 

The OODA Loop is surprisingly simple, don’t over think it. I went through a two-day seminar on using the OODA Loop to other’s disadvantage. I expected it to be more complex, but it’s simple. I came to the belief that its use is instinctive. Trust your instincts, read into what’s behind other’s movements and speech, and use your own movements and speech to create distractions. 

About the author:

Sergeant Dunne is a former Marine and police officer, with 30 years of service. He has served as a SWAT operator and sniper, and was a full time academy instructor for 8 years. A police Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross recipient, he is founder and lead instructor for Ragnar Tactical.