4.5 The Boyd Model

The Boyd loop was initially used to model military command processes and is, like the JDL model couched in military terms ^[15]. However, like the JDL model, its domain of applicability is wider.

The Boyd model is commonly referred to as the OODA model or loop for obvious reasons. The four levels of the model are denoted observe, orient, decide and act:

• Observe The sensor signals are accumulated. This is equivalent to JDL level 0.

• Orient The accumulated information is used to form a picture of the situation and assess potential sources of threat. This level encompasses the three JDL levels 1, 2 and 3. It is the level at which sensor signals are fused and this also includes the incorporation of intelligence information.

• Decision The possible courses of action are assessed and an optimal selection is made. These actions will include redistribution of sensors, etc., and this level therefore incorporates JDL level 4. However, it also considers actions external to the loop which make contact with the world outside the fusion model.

• Act The plan decided in the decision phase is enacted. (There is no direct analogue of this phase in the JDL model and as a result the Boyd model is more general.) The consequences of the action on the environment should be assessed, and this forces a return to the observation phase. This closes the cycle.

In practice, the four phases of the loop are...