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Comparative analysis of situation awareness and OODA loop

Miro Čolić

The OODA loop, developed by the United States Air Force Colonel John Boyd, and
the concept of situation awareness (SA), proposed by Dr. Mica Endsley, a former
Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force, were analysed and compared in this
paper to show the contributions of these concepts to the contemporary planning
and implementation of military operations. Specific characteristics of these concepts
and their application in the planning, preparation and implementation of military
operations have been elaborated. In the paper, the NATO Comprehensive Operations
Planning Directive (COPD), endorsed by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers
Europe (SHAPE, 2013) was used to compare the OODA loop with SA. It explains
the fact that the OODA loop and SA have in an original and quality way improved
the system of military decision-making and operation planning, and are among the
most important concepts in NATO, the EU and their member states that were used in
the planning of military operations at the beginning of the twenty first century. The
application of the concept of SA and the OODA loop also facilitated the introduction
of disruptive technology into the military decision-making process, which accelerated
and increased the quality of the decision-making process. In addition to military
application, SA and OODA loop are increasingly applied in planning processes for
civilian use.
Keywords
situation awareness, OODA loop, military decision-making process, COPD