Info@war.mil

Nonlinear Science, Informatics, and Nonlinear Science, Informatics, and Transformations of U.S. Military Thought Transformations of U.S. Military Thought

in the Post-Vietnam Erain the Post-Vietnam Era

Sean LawsonSean Lawson

Dissertation Proposal DefenseDissertation Proposal Defense

Department of Science and Technology StudiesDepartment of Science and Technology Studies

Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRensselaer Polytechnic Institute

21 April 200621 April 2006

Sage 5203Sage 5203

Introduction and Organization

OrganizationOrganization Proposal SummaryProposal Summary

Overview and objectivesOverview and objectivesBackground/periodizationBackground/periodizationSituating/significanceSituating/significanceComponentsComponentsPlan of work/timelinesPlan of work/timelines

““Preemptive Strike”Preemptive Strike”Known BugsKnown Bugs

Overview and Objectives

“Performance of U.S. forces in…Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom has provided a glimpse of the potential future of the emerging way of war.” –Arthur K. Cebrowski, Director of Force Transformation

Overview

In the post-Vietnam period, how and why has the U.S. military increasingly conceived of information gathering, processing, and distribution—and the denial of those capabilities to the enemy—as the central activities of warfare, and how have these conceptions been inflected with metaphors of nonlinear science (i.e. chaos, complexity, networks) and notions of an emerging Information Age?

Objectives

Understanding more… & Thinking better

Background/Periodization

Three Phases of Post-Vietnam Change:Three Phases of Post-Vietnam Change: Military Reform Movement (1976-1991[?])Military Reform Movement (1976-1991[?]) Revolution in Military Affairs ([?]1986-1998)Revolution in Military Affairs ([?]1986-1998) Military Transformation (1998-present)Military Transformation (1998-present)

Military Reform Movement

John R. Boyd

“People, Ideas, Technology—In That Order !”

Revolution in Military AffairsIntelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR)

Precision-Guided Munitions (PGMs) Command, Control,

Communications, Computers (C4)

Military Transformation

Nonlinear Science Goes to War

A schematic drawing of Boyd’s theory of command and control. Feedback and blurred boundaries between observer and observed are important features.

Nonlinear Science Goes to War

Nonlinear Science Goes to War

BehaviorBehavior AdaptabilityAdaptability FlexibilityFlexibility Self-OrganizationSelf-Organization EmergenceEmergence ResilienceResilience RobustnessRobustness SpeedSpeed

StructureStructure NetworkedNetworked DecentralizedDecentralized Non-HierarchicalNon-Hierarchical FlatFlat AmorphousAmorphous DispersedDispersed DistributedDistributed

What Does it Mean to Be “Like” a Complex What Does it Mean to Be “Like” a Complex System?System?

Information Age Warfare

Situating/Significance

Science and Technology

StudiesInfo@war

.mil

History of Military

Technology

Military History

Components

Questions

Sources Framework

Second-Order Observing

I n f o @ w a r . m i l

Questions In the post-Vietnam period, how and why has the U.S. In the post-Vietnam period, how and why has the U.S.

military increasingly conceived of information gathering, military increasingly conceived of information gathering, processing, and distribution—and the denial of those processing, and distribution—and the denial of those capabilities to the enemy—as the central activities of capabilities to the enemy—as the central activities of warfare, and how have these conceptions been inflected warfare, and how have these conceptions been inflected with metaphors of nonlinear science (i.e. chaos, with metaphors of nonlinear science (i.e. chaos, complexity, networks) and notions of an emerging complexity, networks) and notions of an emerging Information Age?Information Age? Why did the U.S. military develop an interest in Information Why did the U.S. military develop an interest in Information

Warfare in the first place?Warfare in the first place? Why has the U.S. military accepted the idea that we now live in the Why has the U.S. military accepted the idea that we now live in the

Information Age?Information Age? Why has the U.S. military increasingly relied upon nonlinear Why has the U.S. military increasingly relied upon nonlinear

science-based metaphors?science-based metaphors? What is the relationship between information technology, military What is the relationship between information technology, military

knowledge and subject formation, language and rhetoric?knowledge and subject formation, language and rhetoric?

SourcesSource Type Examples

minutes of meetings

official publications internal policy and planning documents such as “vision statements,” doctrinal publications, and field manuals

public statements speeches by military officials, transcripts of news conferences and/or press briefings, transcripts of testimony before Congress

military professional journal articles Air and Space Power Journal (Air Force), Parameters (Army), Military Review (Army), Proceedings of the Naval Institute (Navy), Joint Forces Quarterly (Joint Staff), Marine Corps Gazette (Marine Corps)

letters

curricular materials from staff and war colleges

Army War College, Air War College, Naval War College, Marine Corps University, Naval Postgraduate School, National Defense University, National War College, Army Command and Staff College, Air Command and Staff College, College of Naval Command and Staff. Materials to be considered: syllabi, instructional texts, invited lectures, degree requirements

civilian university professional degree programs in security or strategic studies

Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service, MA in National Security Studies program; Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies, MA in Strategic Studies program. Materials to be considered: curricular materials

conference proceedings

interview transcripts conducted by myself or others

military-affiliated contractor/think-tank reports

RAND, Center for Naval Analysis, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Others

FrameworkThe World Military as

Observing System

Epistemic Culture/Apparatus

SKP

SKP SKP

Epistemic Culture/Apparatus

SKP SKP

SKP

Observation Observation

O

R

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E

N

T

A

T

I

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Workflow SourcesSources

Military Reform Movement

Boyd writes "Destruction and Creation"

Hart gives up Reform Caucus co-chair position

Hart publishes, "A New Democracy"

U.S. invades Grenada

Congress creates Office of Test Evaluation

Hart proposes reform defense budget

Lind prepares report critical of Grenada invasion tactics

Reagan forms "P ackard Commission"

Congress mandates competition in weapons

R&D

1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993

Military Reform Movement

Boyd writes "Destruction and Creation"

Hart gives up Reform Caucus co-chair position

Hart publishes, "A New Democracy"

U.S. invades Grenada

Congress creates Office of Test Evaluation

Hart proposes reform defense budget

Lind prepares report critical of Grenada invasion tactics

Reagan forms "P ackard Commission"

Congress mandates competition in weapons

R&D

1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993

Reference Manager

FileMaker Database

Excel Timelines

GraphViz Networks

Reports

Word processing

(Citation/bibliography)

“Closed”

Information Strategy

OpenMedia Reports

Nonclassified defense publications

Interviews

FOIA

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E

A

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C

H

Proposed Chapters Chapter 1: IntroductionChapter 1: Introduction

Part I: The Military Reform MovementPart I: The Military Reform Movement Chapter 2: The Reformers Observe the WorldChapter 2: The Reformers Observe the World Chapter 3: The Reformers Re-OrientChapter 3: The Reformers Re-Orient

Part II: The Revolution in Military AffairsPart II: The Revolution in Military Affairs Chapter 4: From Reform to Revolution: A Shift Chapter 4: From Reform to Revolution: A Shift

in Worldview?in Worldview? Chapter 5: The Revolution WithinChapter 5: The Revolution Within

Part III: Military TransformationPart III: Military Transformation Chapter 6: From New World Order to World Chapter 6: From New World Order to World

Without OrderWithout Order Chapter 7: Transforming MilitariesChapter 7: Transforming Militaries

Plan of Work/TimelinesDate Activity

February – May 2006 --Defend dissertation proposal (April)--Literature review and theoretical framework portions of Ch.1 (introduction).--Begin gathering “leads” to sources on military reform.

June – October 2006 --Research and writing on military reform movement.--Produce rough, working drafts of chapters 2 and 3.--Begin gathering “leads” to sources on RMA

November 2006 – March 2007 --Research and writing on RMA--Produce rough, working drafts of chapters 4 and 5.--Begin gathering “leads” to sources on military transformation.

April – August 2007 --Research and writing on military transformation--Produce rough, working drafts of chapters 6 and 7.

September – December 2007 --Revise theoretical framework and literature review portions of introduction.--Add project overview and outline of current debates sections to introduction.--Revise and rewrite in preparation of first draft.--Write chapter 8 (conclusions).

January 2008 --Submit first draft to committee.

March 2008 --Submit second draft to committee.--Present at RPI STS Colloquium.

April 2008 --Submit final draft to committee.

May 2008 --Dissertation defense.

Preemptive Strike

Known BugsKnown Bugs BackgroundBackground

Too heavily influenced by reformers’ Too heavily influenced by reformers’ accountsaccounts

Periodization—i.e. Why not 1945 Periodization—i.e. Why not 1945 ? ? Use of IW as blanket termUse of IW as blanket term Overcoming “the military” as rhetorical Overcoming “the military” as rhetorical

black boxblack box

Questions, Comments, Discussion…