The OODA Loop

Application: The OODA loop is a formalized decision making procedure that is useful in to any situation where a practiced decision-making process is necessary. It is especially important when the decisions have to be made quickly, as in a threat situation. The development of a rapid decision making process can give you or your team huge tactical advantages. Most people, when confronted with threats, take a “chess player role” where they make a move and wait for you to make a move. Your moves should be as rapid as possible to keep the threat off balance and keep the initiative on your side.

O-O-D-A stands for Observe-Orient-Decide-Act

It is a “loop” because in a situation it is a flowchart, and repeating, until the situation is over. Let me describe the steps in an OODA Loop and explain how they can be applied. At the end I will give an example of their use in a “home defense” and “tactical” situation.

Observe- You perceive, through your senses, a threat or situation that must be dealt with

Orient- You synthesize the information with things you already know about your own (or your teams) mental state, disposition and capabilities. It is not necessarily a physical orientation to face a threat.

Decide- You decide what your reaction to the threat or situation should be based factors such as the capabilities (of you and your team) your position, the nature of the threat etcetera.

Act- You carry out your decision.

Returning to the loop: Once you have acted you are committed to the action until you observe a new threat or situation. Your action could be successful, or afterwards it might require more action at which time you must reenter the loop at the beginning.

Speed: The speed at which you get through the loop can give you a tactical edge. The objective is to get through the loop faster than your adversary. In an ideal situation you can deal with a threat before your opponent has even realized he is in a confrontational situation and entered his own OODA loop. If not, and the enemy has time to react, then you have to “get inside” his loop. This means that you need to be performing the loop faster than he can.

Background: The OODA loop was developed by US Air Force fighter tactician John Boyd. It has been applied to business and computer programming as well as military strategy and tactics. My greatest understanding of the OODA loop came from reading Paul Howe’s excellent book Leadership and Training For the Fight.

Training: As the OODA loop is a purely mental thing it is hard to train. Training is best accomplished by playing rapid “what if” games. After this it can be practiced in force on force and tactical field problems.

Step	Home Defense Example	Tactical Example
Observe	You are watching TV in your bedroom at night and hear someone working your back door handle	You are moving through a wooded environment with a team and hear noises, people moving and talking, some distance to your left
Orient	You realize that there may be a threat to your families safety… you take stock of possible responses to that threat	You mentally put the potential threat in relation to the location of your team and the terrain
Decide	Based the perceived location of family members and layout of the house you will recover your HD weapon and go out of your bedroom to investigate	The terrain is close, between two open areas, there are not supposed to be hostile patrols in this area. You decide that it is best to let the threat pass by you
Act	You recover your HD weapon and flashlight and leave your bedroom to investigate	You signal your team to form a linear hasty ambush parallel to the line of movement and stay concealed
At this point you are committed to your action, and until you have new input (which you should constantly be looking for) you need to follow through with your decision. Once you observe new information you will enter the OODA loop again.
Observe	When you enter the hallway outside your bedroom you see a large man turned away from you, his hands are in front of him and can’t be seen	A group of unarmed refugees/foragers comes in to view
Orient	You realize that his location is at your children’s door, that your children should be inside and asleep and that no one’s lives are immediately threatened	Knowing the location of your team and the rout of movement of the non-hostiles you see that they will probably move past your position
Decide	Based on the fact that he is outside your children’s bedroom, and your states laws regarding self defense you will confront him	You decide to continue observing and let the group pass without confrontation unless they spot you
Act	You illuminate the threat with your flashlight and shout for him to raise his hands and turn around	You continue to lie low, observing the group