Martin,
Just had hallway conversation with LTC Stan Davis, who is chief of our
Concepts Division--the group that publishes the papers that drives the
future. To some extent, they are the organizers and publishers of new
ideas rather than the source of them. Anyway, Information Operations
is the current hot item and Stan has sent a stream of action officers to
seek my wise and wondrous counsel. Anyway, as we were discussing various
loose threads, Stan remarked that he really appreciated the I4BC paper
because it helped him understand the role of information and provided him
a basis for briefing the various general officers as he peddles his wares.
I don't think we could ask for a better result. Sure, some highly placed
official might think a paper is great and demand his minions read it. But
it is far more effective to assist a pivotally placed individual who must
explain the value of conceptual approaches to many high rollers. We might
not recognize what comes out the other end of the spaghetti factory, but
we've had an influence. The fact that Stan keeps sending his action officers
by for a sanity check is a very good sign.
···
SUBJECT: pleasant feedback
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I needed that sort of cheering up today. The bureaucratic atmosphere is
currently overwhelming. Our 4* was to retire at the end of August. That
has been put off for an indetermined time (several months, anyway) because
his replacement is Deputy CINC of the major command running the business
in Haiti. That command is oriented toward naval operations, and Haiti is
a ground operation--so I can understand the CINC's reluctance to let his
2IC go. Anyway, the point about the 4* retirement is that the contentious
issues that need resolution are mostly philosophic in nature. So, they
are being reworked for the umpteenth time whilst waiting for the new
chief philosopher.
Hope you realize I was kidding by calling you Rick.
Bill C.
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