Haiti – Essence of Decision – Operation Unified Response

In attempt to establish a framework for discussion of the many facets of the Haiti disaster, and as a precursor  to addressing the question – What kind of a community or organization –or indeed, group of organizations – can survive and thrive in unconventional, uncertain and severe crisis environments? - multiple articles from varying perspectives on Operation Unified Response  are being posted on  DaVinci's Horse,  the Facebook Page.

•  Note:You do not have to be a Facebook Member to view the page and follow the links to articles.Facebook may present an interim page with requirement to click  Continue.  To go to DvH , after following a link click the page tab rather than using the back arrow.

Boyd Compendium          Edition Archive     Facebook page    "What Kind of War"

PWH begins 2010 with four new elements which can be viewed directly by clicking on the title below each picture for that element.

• 
  
  The work of the late Col John Boyd has been at the core of much of what this website is about.  This page provides a partial archive of his work – created with the closing of White Horse advisor, Dr Chet Richards, Defense and the National Interest Website.


• 
  
  For ease of reference, all previous editions of PWH have now been archived including the e-mail announcements and Editor's Notes.  Previous work will be increasingly leveraged in 2010.


• 
  
  There is now a Facebook link on the website to a page created on FB for the DaVinci's Horse series and for posts considered more relevant to day-day events – such as the ongoing operations in disaster relief in Haiti.


• 
  
   In On War, Carl von Clausewitz stated that the single most important thing both a statesman and a commander must do was to determine "what kind of war" they were embarking upon.  Since the 08:46: 40 impact of American Flight 11 on the World Trade Center, have we determined or defined such?  I think not and this series leverages thinking and writing from multiple perspectives to emphasis that point and more importantly, discuss why it impedes our progress. There are 11 posts…. so far. In addition, this series is intended as essential elements of information for a culture of preparedness and  precursor to efforts to be discussed in 2010.

Edition #9 is planned to be on line by late (incorporate results and research on operations in Haiti) February (March April time frame).  Leveraging previous focus on  the idea of  a Resilient Community, a necessary Culture of Preparedness, and the portrayal of our world as "systems of systems existing in unstable equilibrium" as noted by  Dag von Lubitz in Edition #8 DaVinci's Horse article, "The Utility of Effort," the focus for Project White Horse  084640 in 2010 will be:

Organizational and Community Operations for Surviving and Thriving in a High Tempo Observe-Orient-Decide Act Environment

Haiti operations add: In this century we now have the arrival of the "fourth horsemen" (9-11, Tsunami, Katrina + now, Haiti) as unconventional hypercomplex crisis. Despite the oupouring of publicity, media, and massive donations, did anyone really think multi-function, multi-nation, multi-organization relief operations were going to self-collaborate?

One must ask "what kinds of organizations AND groups of organizations can operate effectively in hypercomplex environments." No one can "lead" this by themselves. How does one resolve patient needs, security of the highest order, saving of trapped people, and distribution of badly needly supplies at exactly the same time in exactly the same location? The answer must be unconventional.

Throughout the year, the intent is to leverage all four PWH vehicles:

1. The main website "E-zine" quarterly editions


2. The FORUM/blog


3. The specifically focused INTERSECTION posts


4. The social network element of DaVinci's Horse on Facebook.

As always your comments, suggestions and offer of articles is most desired. Best way to communicate (note anti-SPAM spelling) – projectwhitehorsatroadrunnerdotcom.

Thanks for your readership and past comments!

Ed@PWH

Culture:  The sum of attitudes, customs, and beliefs that distinguishes one group of people from another. Culture is transmitted, through language, material objects, ritual, institutions, and art, from one generation to the next.

This post is intended to set the stage for a new group of FORUM articles/discussions expanding on the recently introduced Culture of Preparedness thread.

Since first publication in Fall 2006, Project White Horse 084640 has focused on providing multiple and varied perspectives on severe crisis environments and the decision making processes required.  With the introduction of the "resilient community" concept as a major theme, we began usage of this FORUM to bring multiple discussions and articles between editions with intent to move beyond "perspective" to exploration of workable approaches for "survival on our own terms." (Boyd)

The latest edition offers that a culture of preparedness is the necessary link between the threat generated environment (whether by accident, acts of nature, or purfoseful acts of man) and the threatened community. We have offered multiple perspectives to assist in understanding the problem, but one must ask, what actually defines a resilient community, what are the quantifiable ingredients, what is the make up of this culture, we state that we need?

Consider the following, borrowed from Department of Defense definitions:

Essential Elements of Information:  The critical items of information regarding the enemy and the environment needed by the commander by a particular time to relate with other available information and intelligence in order to assist in reaching a logical decision – required to plan and execute an operation.

These next FORUM offerings will expand the original PWH theme-defining triangle of worst case events, time criticality , and leader team response by offering multiple "elements of essential information" that seem inherent yet not necessarily obvious – in the makeup of a Culture of Preparedness.

As always your thoughts and inputs on the elements and future inclusions will be most welcome at projectwhitehorseatroadrunnerdotcom.

I'm very pleased to announce that Project White Horse 084640 Edition #8 – A Culture of Preparedness and Intersectional Ideas  – is now on line.

The last two editions have provided perspective on "resilient communities" and leadership required. In Edition #8 we shift from providing "perspective" to creating actionable understanding and answers. The first part of the Edition #8 focus (and) title borrows from General Russ Honore's stated goal – developing a culture of preparedness. As Russ's words have been featured on the site, having "a culture…" seems to highlight the very essence of developing and nurturing a resilient community. As such, "culture of preparedness" can be seen to complete a "strong triangle" with the additional sides of "resilient communities," and Team of leaders. Faced with severe crisis, that model demands creative approaches. We must look beyond the norm to multiple fields and experience bases and find ideas and answers at the intersections.

Intersectional ideas are those resulting from combining concepts from multiple fields – areas of specialization gained through education and experience – as compared to those created traditionally by combing concepts within a field – noted as directional ideas. Success in intersectional idea generation is dependent upon breaking down barriers of association that would more than likely indicate a "non relationship" or at best limited context between or among fields.

To date, the site has consisted of the electronic magazine website and a Forum for posting of articles between editions. Based on the above, INTERSECTIONS now becomes a third element of PWH. This intersection will be created by providing the thinking of a group with multiple and diverse backgrounds, including medicine, first response, intelligence, academia, and military with experience from Great Britain, Israel, service in both Iraq and Afghanistan and on mean street USA. The content will be operational threads selected for potential to increase actionable understanding. The following two topics have been under discussion and the dialogue provided:

1. Actionable Intelligence and Resilient Communities
2. Training Decision Makers to the "Ace' Level

Please see the Editors Note and the article introductions for more detail and to put this edition in the context of actionable tools – useable by emergency responders, private sector organizations and citizens in the process of building a culture of preparedness. Most assuredly you will find perspectives and intersections. You will find understanding that can be acted upon. You will find answers.

A final note: Given the obvious, finding a picture of a leader on a white horse will surprise no one, but in this case there is more, there is purpose. While there are many representations of those who have been America's leaders throughout our history, including scores of George Washington as commander of the Continental Army and as our first President, the depiction of Washington with his troops, having crossed the Delaware and moving toward the attack at Trenton is, to me, iconic reflection of leadership in severe crisis, His adaptability and audacity after three major defeats saved not only the spirit of the Continental Army, it provided the underpinning that would remain through the victory at Yorktown. In so doing as General Nathanael Greene would say "he will be the deliverer of his own country." A century later, in a classic study of the Revolution, Sir George Otto Trevelyan stated "It may be doubted whether so small a number of men ever deployed so short a space of time with greater and more lasting effects upon the history of the world."

It was he who held the army together and gave it spirit through the most desperate of times… not a brilliant strategist or tactician, not a gifted orator, not an intellectual… (but) above all, Washington never forgot what was at stake and he never gave up … again and again in letters to Congress and his officers calling for unremitting courage and perseverance. 1776 by David McCullough

Noted as one of the world's 100 most decisive battles, the Battle of Trenton was most certainly testimony to General Washington's perseverance. He would not quit on the fragile American dream. In the sense of William Shakespeare's Henry V, I submit it is America's Agincourt moment – we few we band of brothers.

As stated in the previous edition, our forefathers by their actions in 1776 placed this country forever at the "dawn of victory." That victory demands perseverance in the face of great crisis and turmoil. It will be found in "a culture of preparedness."

Please join us at Project White Horse 084640

Ed @ PWH
29 April. 2009