The OODA loop is a non-linear process, in which you “bunch’ things Observed into an Orientation to enable the Decision to be small, while the Action is at a minimum. This creates a power, expressed in the Power-law of the distribution of energy by the number of events over maximum magnitude of those events, that is huge.
At the End of the process there is the greatest release of energy in a distribution (power) that is “looped” back into itself. By looping the release of energy back into the loop, the process becomes more efficient, and the number of events and the magnitude needed in those events get smaller.
The loop with the quickest release between decision and Action represents the process with the greatest amount of power in that instance. By “looping” this power back into itself you create a low number of instances needed to Act. At the same time, while maintaining the same number of resources, you can start decreasing the magnitude needed at each event. This conservative use of resources creates a very efficient process.
In the end, the loop with the least resources, able to exert the greatest number of instances, wins.
So, while the USA, with all its resources, Acted against two countries, Iraq and Afghanistan, in a pretty efficient manner, Muslims were able to bring multi-nations down with one act, the self-immolation by one individual.
One the other hand, simplicity is the advantage strategy has over process. The complexity needed for one event to create the instances needed to destroy multi-economies, is enormous. With strategy, the loop with the simplest strategy wins over the one with the longest process that doesn’t Act.
Strategy is why, as described in the book Empire of the Summer Moon (Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the most Powerful Indian Tribe in american History) by S.C.Gwynne, the Comanches were so powerful. They took one simple strategy, shoot from horse-back using the weapon which could out-perform every other weapon, and out-Acted every other loop, outward from their band.
It wasn’t until a simpler strategy (use the Federal Government, the band outside of no other, to destroy the enemy) developed that the Comanches were defeated.
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