{"id":1105,"date":"2019-09-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/reports\/the-ooda-loop-evaluation-debriefing-in-the-us-air-force\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T05:12:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T05:12:29","slug":"the-ooda-loop-evaluation-debriefing-in-the-us-air-force","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/the-ooda-loop-evaluation-debriefing-in-the-us-air-force\/","title":{"rendered":"The OODA Loop: Evaluation & Debriefing in the US Air Force"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\n Sep 05, 2019 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>Articles<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

The OODA Loop: Evaluation & Debriefing in the US Air Force<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Category<\/div>\n Coaching & Development<\/a> <\/div>\n
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https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/the-ooda-loop-evaluation-debriefing-in-the-us-air-force\/<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n
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Brigadier General Robert Novotny walks us through the US Air Force\u2019s famous debriefing model.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By John Portch<\/h6>\n

Brigadier General Robert Novotny starts his presentation by debunking the myths perpetuated by the 1986 Hollywood blockbuster Top Gun<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo other movie in the history of all film has done more to help single fighter pilots get dates,\u201d he declares, provoking general mirth in the audience at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

Novotny has made the short journey from the Nellis Air Force Base to speak at the 2019 Leaders Sport Performance Summit at the City of Lights and, emboldened by the response to his opening remark, challenges the film that launched Tom Cruise\u2019s career into the stratosphere.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve all seen the movie,\u201d he continues, describing the fighter pilots as, \u201chighly independent, arrogant, not interested in teamwork, taking risks, and pushing back against the rules.\u201d Far from seeking a match with such characters, the United States Air Force is already looking elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Novotny scans the room as he tells the audience: \u201cI want to spend a little time with you here today dispelling those myths and to tell you about the professional and deliberate nature that goes into creating a fighter pilot that can survive in an incredibly complex and dynamic physical and mental environment \u2013 and not die.\u201d<\/p>\n

In reference to Top Gun<\/em>\u2019s most infamous scene, he adds: \u201cIt\u2019s not playing shirtless volleyball with dog tags out and cowboy boots on \u2013 it\u2019s putting in 15 and sometimes 17-hour days because of their dedication to the mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe real work begins when we land and measure our effectiveness against our desired mission objectives. That\u2019s what we expected to do today; we had a gameplan when we hit the ice, this is what we wanted to do,\u201d he says. \u201cBut we made contact with the enemy, we weren\u2019t prepared for this and our actual performance reflects that. We then compare expected performance to our actual performance and then really start digging into what we consider to be the contributing factors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, the film\u2019s stodgy script fails to mention the \u2018OODA loop\u2019, which is central to Novotny\u2019s presentation and a staple of Nellis\u2019 famous debriefs \u2013 a process that can last anywhere between four and seven hours in delving into those contributing factors.<\/p>\n

What is the OODA loop?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Devised by Colonel John Boyd in the 1950s, OODA stands for: observe, orient, decide and act. Novotny elects to explain OODA through the medium of golf. \u201cI\u2019m on the first hole, I walk up to the first tee box and I observe the conditions, I understand what I want to do; my goal is to hit the ball 300 yards in the fairway, and I want to land on the left-hand side of the fairway \u2013 not the right because there\u2019s bunkers over there \u2013 I\u2019m compensating for the wind, I\u2019m also compensating for what I think the grass conditions are like, I want to get a certain roll on the ball; and that will set me up for my second and third shot so I can burn it all. That\u2019s my observation; do I understand the environment I\u2019m approach in order to get what my desired objectives are?\u201d<\/p>\n

Next is orientation: \u201cAm I oriented to be able to go out and achieve that objective? Have I been hitting the driver well off the tee box? Maybe not; maybe my last ten tee shots with the driver were all shanked, so I\u2019m going to club down and go with the three wood; that would be a smart orientation based on my skillset and what I believe I need to go out and accomplish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then comes the decision. \u201cThe decision is really an analysis based on the observation in my orientation,\u201d says Novotny. \u201cDid I make a good decision based on that data?<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then ultimately I\u2019ve got to swing the golf club \u2013 that\u2019s the act. Did I shank it? Did I drop my shoulders? Did I get my hips through? Did I actually technically execute the act I intended to do?<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we go through that OODA loop process, we find that sometimes that the fault lies, the root cause analysis, lies with any one of those four or a combination of all four. That allows us to deconstruct the issues that we have as problem on the overall sortie execution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peer debriefing through trust and vulnerability<\/strong><\/p>\n

Novotny says that the OODA loop model works in the fighter pilot community for two reasons. First is the peer debrief, second is the US Air Force\u2019s environment of trust and responsibility. \u201cIn many cases we say we take our rank off in the debrief,\u201d he explains. \u201cI go as a one-star general and fly with captains all the time and they lead me around; I\u2019ve got far more hours than they do. I\u2019ve got 2,700 hours, 500 in combat; I\u2019ve led squadrons, groups and wings twice. I am the most experienced person on the flight but the captain is going to hold me accountable through the OODA loop process.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think peer debriefing is one of our most important strengths. If you\u2019ve got the most high-time hockey player and you\u2019ve got the rookie, allowing ourselves to debrief each other I think draws the opportunity to really gather some really good learning points and it creates an environment of trust, which in turns produces an environment of vulnerability.<\/p>\n

\u201cI find that when we\u2019re vulnerable to each other because we trust each other \u2013 I have to trust the other fighter pilots because my life is on the line; and when I trust you I become more vulnerable, which means I\u2019m more open to communication and I\u2019m providing you with the data I have and I\u2019m receptive to the data you have too and it makes our performance mutually better as we move forward. we work on the peer debriefing model with the OODA Loop to drive to drive those conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

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