Feral Jundi

Monday, April 12, 2010

Building Snowmobiles: Secretary Of Defense Gates Gives The ‘To Be, Or To Do’ Lecture At The AF Academy

     It strikes me that the significance of Mitchell, Arnold, Schreiver, and Boyd and their travails was not that they were always right. What strikes me is that they had the vision and insight to see that the world and technology had changed.  They understood the implications of that change, and they pressed ahead in the face of incredibly fierce institutional resistance. 

    One of the reasons they were successful at championing their ideas is that they were always willing to speak truth to power…. -Secretary Gates

*****

   This is great and totally worthy of a ‘building snowmobiles’ post.  Secretary of Defense Gates pays homage to Col. John Boyd in a big way with this lecture, and I was certainly motivated by the words.  It is a lecture that completely supports the concept of ‘to be, or to do’.  How incredibly refreshing it is to hear such words from someone at that top.

   I will shut up now, and let the reader check out this ‘truck load of awesome’. –Matt

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John Boyd

Col. John Boyd.

United States Air Force Academy Lecture

Remarks as Delivered by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates,

Colorado Springs, CO

Friday, April 02, 2010

*****

Thank you for that introduction.

It’s a pleasure to be back at the Air Force Academy for my first visit since 2007, when I spoke at commencement. And I’m particularly happy to be in Colorado Springs, but then I am happy to be anywhere other than Washington, D.C.

I should begin by congratulating the Class of 2013 for making it through “Recognition” and earning your props and wings. It’s a great achievement and one you should be proud of. I hope you’ve had a chance to get some well-earned freedom.

I certainly did not go through anything nearly as rigorous when I was commissioned as an Air Force officer 43 years ago. I have to admit now, though, four decades plus removed from Officer Training School at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, I’m a little surprised that they even let me out.

Now, in a normal speech, I would thank you all for coming, but I know full well that this event is not exactly optional – so, my apologies — and I’ll be content with thanking you for just staying awake after lunch, or at least trying to, with the schedule that you all have here.

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Thursday, December 31, 2009

Building Snowmobiles: The Bounty Hunter Mobile Application

Dog Chapman

   This is a basic one, but I think extremely intriguing.  The idea behind this post, is that I am hoping that some programmer or entrepreneur will take this idea and run with it. Meanwhile, my ultimate goal of wanting to see an increase of criminals and terrorists being captured would be the best outcome of all, along with people making money off of the concept.

    You can thank me later, if someone does take the ball and runs with it. Or maybe some whiz kid has already produced something like this? Nothing has come up on my PMC 2.0 radar that would indicate this, but if you do know of a similar concept, I would like to hear about it.

   So lets get this started.  This concept is really pretty simple.  Everyone owns or will own a smart phone with GPS capability.  That is an inevitability in my opinion, and the trends in mobile phone technology and availability points to this. They will actually be free with service plans, and you are already seeing this with some of the older smart phones.

   If everyone owned a smart phone with this GPS capability, then you could very well introduce a type of bounty hunter mobile application, which would connect folks who are looking for something or someone with the folks that are currently signed on with the BH application as hunters.  And what would really make it a ‘bounty’ hunter tool, is if those individuals looking for whatever, offered a reward.

   The way I see this working, is that you download the program onto your phone for free or for a small fee, and have the option to participate in the program or not, based on your personal preference . Just turn on the button that puts you into hunt mode.  You can either participate as a bounty hunter, or you could be the guy or gal offering the reward.   It could be individuals, police departments, organizations, schools, telecom companies, computer companies, countries, it doesn’t matter.  The application is open to the world, and they can sign up and play, all with intent of connecting folks for a common goal and creating an industry out of it.

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Thursday, November 19, 2009

Building Snowmobiles: Using Social Media To Win the Fight

   It’s been awhile since I posted a good Building Snowmobiles article, and I think I might have stumbled upon something with some meat.  Or at least I hope. So with that said, here it is.  Instead of chastising ‘citizen journalists’, we should instead encourage what good citizen journalism should be, and better yet, encourage the kind of reporting that would help us to win the fight in whatever battle we are fighting at the time.  That battle could be a flood, a fire, a terrorist attack, or even some crazy Black Swan type event. To not take advantage of the human nodes that are closest to those events, is like not taking advantage of the high ground in a battle.

   I will even take this a step further.  The Department of Homeland Security should actually have Incident Command Teams established to work with and manage the information coming in from these nodes.  Citizens with smart phones, who are savvy with Twitter and Facebook, or a personal blog, should be tapped into and we should work with them, as opposed to ignoring or fearing what they have to say.  And if we were proactive, DHS could promote what good reportage is and what they are trying to do in these emergencies. It would take commercials and online marketing to get the word out, but once the online community in the US knows the protocols, I think the impact for future incidents would be amazing.

   This Incident Command Team could be collecting real time information in a sort of social media fusion center, and that team would be sorting through the information using data mining, cloud computing and any other various methods.  The emphasis would be on information engagement, not information control.  Especially if the Incident Command Team had a online presence on Twitter and Facebook, or a Team or Incident website. I have seen websites that IC Teams have put up before for fires, so this is not new.

     There is so much information coming in from these incidents, and with a little help and guidance to all of these citizen journalists walking around on the scene of the incident, we could be getting some life saving information to the first responders. And with the advent of everyone carrying smart phones, with cameras and microphones built into them, along with access to the internet, then the possibilities are endless.  In essence, these citizen journalists should be looked at as walking human sensors or social media warriors, feeding the war room with the kind of information needed to gain the advantage in a quickly evolving fight.  A fight that is taking place in the physical, with wounded and dead, and a fight taking place online where the impact of that carnage is being used to fuel a propaganda campaign.

   The IC Team could be feeding information to law enforcement agencies that are responding.  The medical personnel responding could get a better idea of how many wounded and the kind of injuries, based on these reports.  The local community leaders could have better information to respond to their constituents and media with. Military response could get a better picture of the battlefield. The Team media relations officer could have a more complete info packet to give to the media, and also work with the media to help in the fight. Etc., etc. etc.

    A team like this could also track inappropriate information that only works against the fight, and engage with that individual and communicate what the team needs them to do.  Mrs. Moore (in the article below) could have been given guidance while she was out there.  All she wants to do is help, and a Incident Command Team could have been able to reach her and give her guidance before she did any more damage. Better yet, they could work with her and actually get some usable information out of what she is experiencing.

   This team can also be used to identify social media enemies on the scene.  No doubt, the enemy is reading this stuff and thinking about the possibilities (kind of entering 5th Gen warfare realm now).  They could easily assemble a team to work against this Incident Command team and fuel the fire of dis-information, and a real time information war can take place.  It is a fight over information, and we must be organized and technologically savvy to deal with this real time information assault.  They could have guys running around with camera phones, and posting pictures of the dead and wounded all over the place.  They could film the scene, and post it on youtube with the typical jihadi music and banners.

     The mobile smart phone is something that we must deal with, when it comes to these incidents, and if we are smart, we can create super empowered individuals with similar smart phones to counter these enemies.  Just imagine if Mrs. Moore was working for the other side during this incident?  Just imagine the kind of information she could instantly send out that would help the propaganda campaigns of the enemy? Or if the enemy was fueling a unknowing Mrs. Moore as to the kinds of things she should post.  They could be egging her on, to only help their cause, and she might not even know that she is helping.  That is why we must be prepared and we must be organized to deal with this.

   Finally, to really emphasize how important this is.  Disasters are a natural part of life, and tornados or fires do not Twitter or use Facebook.  But the enemy (criminals, states, terrorists, insane super empowered individuals, etc.) can use Twitter and Facebook, and all other types of social media technologies.  So if the enemy has the same access to these technologies as we do, then how do we get an edge in the fight?  We must be more organized and prepared, and we must apply OODA to the fight. We must also be better learning organizations and apply Kaizen to all aspects of that organization, so that we can continue to stay one step ahead of the enemy(s).  That is the only way in my view, and if we do not, we will definitely lose on the social media battlefield when confronted by a social media empowered enemy, or a citizen journalist that does not know what damage they are inflicting. –Matt

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Die Hard

Twitter-@John_McClane, ‘I just shot one of them in the face, ten more to go. I need a cigarette.’

Ft. Hood Soldier Causes Stir on Twitter

During Fort Hood Shooting, Soldier Uses Twitter, Shares Pictures in Real-Time

By KI MAE HEUSSNER

Nov. 11, 2009—

Amid the tragedy last week at Fort Hood, as officials worked to secure the Texas military base, treat the wounded and account for the dead, one soldier turned to Twitter, sending a stream of up-to-the-minute reports from inside a hospital where the injured were being taken for treatment.

Some messages were simple observations, others expletive-laced commentary.

But in the shooting’s aftermath, the soldier, Tearah Moore, 30, has found herself at the center of a sharp debate about the real-time sharing and whether the military should police the use of new media.

As news started to break about the deadly shooting that killed 12 soldiers and wounded 30 others, some users of the micro-blogging site Twitter started to notice the messages from one user in particular.

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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Building Snowmobiles: Israeli Niv Calderon, Social Media Warriors, and Cyber Tribes

    As you guys know, I am always looking into the future of warfare, and the possible uses of today’s technologies.  No rock is left unturned here, and I love coming back to this stuff.  The theme of this post is that in order to apply these new Web 2.0 tools to warfare and business, we must study how others did it and build a snowmobile out of it.

   Now on to the meat of what I am getting at.  If you are a PMC, or even trying to start a grass roots cyber tribe revolution, then you need to study what Niv Calderon and his gang did during the last Israeli war in Gaza.  They were on the cutting edge of mixing Web 2.0 and their war effort, and the outcomes of that effort should be studied by all who are interested.  I know I am, and articles in the past on FJ, in regards to Web 2.0 and warfare, have been influence by these types of uses.

   Last week I made a comment on Steven Pressfield’s blog about the concept of starting a cyber tribe, to support the various tribes in the war that he thought would be helpful in winning the war in Afghanistan.  I discussed the concept of starting a social networking site that had the similar framework as President Obama’s social networking site, or even American Sniper’s website. The idea is to have sites that tap into the legions of supporters, possible supporters, and diaspora throughout the world, all with the goal of cheering on and supplying a tribe on the ground with what it needs to defeat a shared enemy.

   I would say that this ‘cyber tribe’ concept, is a way for chieftains to expand their immediate tribes, and really call on all of the supporters throughout the world for help and for supplies. It is a way to get the middle man out of the way (aid groups and government), and connect the supporters with the tribe directly.  The cyber tribes would have little donation buttons on the site, give calls of action, allow for personal pages, foster a community, set up encrypted email, and post Youtube videos of ambushing and killing the Taliban, all with the idea of bringing the cyber tribe together with the local tribe on the ground.

   Most of all, if the cyber tribe was able to make some money for the cause (google adsense, ad sales, e-books, donations), then the real tribe could conceivably ask for volunteers and pay them at cost for their services– and all through a cyber tribe system.  Call it a Cyber Tribe Co-op.  lol

    Hell, make it a non-profit so people can donate to the cause and benefit in their taxes (in the US at least). Or not, and this would be the choice of the tribe to decide upon.  I say non-profit, because if NGO’s can call themselves a non-profit, a cyber tribe can call themselves a non-profit too, just as long as the aid given by the cyber tribes is not a profit game, but purely a supply and demand game. (Jake had an awesome post about the non-profit PSC, for further exploration)

   With a Cyber Tribe Co-op, the chieftain could put out to the two tribes (cyber and local) what would be a good use of the money earned on the site? (Just an idea)  With a well structured social networking site and a truly democratic bunch of supporters, the crowd will decide how much they want to give to something like that, or how much they want to throw down for a contracted specialist.

    They could even put it out there for true volunteers.  You know, guys that actually want to go up in the hills and fight with their tribal brothers for free, all because they believe in the cause of their tribe.  I know Soldier of Fortune is filled with stories of guys going out to volunteer their time in war zones, all for the sake of assisting underfunded and undertrained groups.  That and to do a story about it afterwards, so they have material for the magazine.  I even remember SoF sending guys out to assist the Mujahideen during the Soviet Occupation of Afghanistan, and there were tons of these types of stories. Cyber tribe reporters could be doing the same thing as SoF did, but for adding content to the cyber tribe’s website, thus increasing the SEO of the site, and then getting more traffic because of it!

   So that is all I have on this one, and I look forward to any replies on this.  I also suggest starting a cyber tribe if you think you can do it, and put some action to an idea out there.  There is no rule that you can only have one cyber tribe per local tribe.  You could have thousands of cyber tribes supporting one tribe.  Or maybe Steven will put something together, because I know he is really stoked on anything to do with tribes.  –Matt

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Social media warriors at work in the war room for pro-Israel “Stand With Us”

How Social Media War Was Waged in Gaza-Israel Conflict

by Jaron Gilinsky

February 13, 2009

Both sides deployed dangerous new media weapons during this latest round of fighting in Gaza. Armed with Facebook profiles, Twitter accounts, and Lavazza espresso, warriors fearlessly and tirelessly scoured the cyber battlefield searching for enemy (blog) outposts. Outfitted with high-tech ammunition like HD videocameras, firewire 800s, and white phosphorescent keyboards, they attacked one-sided videos, slanted essays, and enemy propaganda with propaganda of their own. Instead of grad rockets, they launched grad school wits. Instead of anti-tank missiles, they battled with anti-spamming technology. In 22 days of combat in Gaza, these were the young fighters tasked with winning the merciless war of public opinion for their side.

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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Building Snowmobiles: The Scouting Movement

On my honor, I will do my best

To do my duty To God and my country

And to obey the Scout Law;

To help other people at all times;

To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. –Scout Oath

*****

Col. John Boyd On Grand Strategy

Evolve and exploit insight/initiative/adaptability/harmony together with a unifying vision, via a grand ideal or an overarching theme or a noble philosophy, as basis to:

         *Shape or influence events so that we not only amplify our spirit and strength but also influence the uncommitted or potential adversaries so that they are drawn toward our philosophy and are empathetic toward our success,

yet be able to

          *Operate inside adversary’s observation-orientation-decision-action loops or get inside his mind-time-space as basis to:

          *Penetrate adversary’s moral-mental-physical being in order to isolate him from his allies, pull him apart, and collapse his will to resist. 

*****

    I am always fascinated by the power of ideas.  Here at FJ, I am always trying to find those ideas, and study how they came about and what makes them so powerful.  One of those ideas I want to talk about today, is the Boy Scouts and the Scouting Movement that was behind the development of the Boy Scouts.

   First off, I am an Eagle Scout and I am very proud of my Scouting background.  If you talk with some guys in the industry and military, you will find that there are quite a few of us Boy Scouts floating around out there. It is interesting to me that the military/police/firefighters/medical/security contracting industries all attract Scouts.  It is equally interesting to find out how Scouting has impacted all these folks in their careers. From the camping and hiking, to the navigation, knots and fieldcraft skills, the Boy Scouts is pretty cool. Not to mention the social connections you make with others, the love and dedication of your country and the respect you garner as a productive member of a community.

   But it goes beyond just being ‘cool’, because during my time at the Scouts, I was also introduced to leadership skills.  Leadership, as you know, is something that I am totally concerned with in this industry, and that is what makes the Scouts relevant to this blog. Not to mention all the land navigation stuff or first aid stuff we did, and I look back on my time with the Boy Scouts as not just cool, but essential life skills for all of my career choices.

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