Speed vs Thought�
Martin Schüler & Erik Bjurström
Decision speed (time to act) sems to be the desired quality of most military C2 systems.
From a philosophical standpoint action and thinking are contradicting.
Hanna Arendt states that one cannot ”do” and “think”, “do” is influenced by will, thus making thinking impossible.
To complicate the situation even further words (frozen word) have the ability to direct the mind.
Developing time effective C2 systems could in fact lead to the creation of military stupidity. Authority, organizational and administrative procedures may lead to normalization of risk, morally questionable attitudes and actions, routinized humiliation and behavior that ultimately break down sensemaking and the sense of “self” in degraded environments.
The thought collective
One could argue that we are all contributors in a thought collective
“a community of people, who exchange ideas and thoughts and are in mental interaction with each other, we have thus defined the bearer of a historical development of thought, of a certain amount of knowledge and a certain culture, i.e., of a particular style of thought” (Ludwik Fleck).
We often see the C2 system as:
The definition is a contradiction to Arendt’s arguments about what should be stimulating human thought.
Human will is always connected to action “do” and is a contradiction to thought.
Learning is often talked about within the C2 system as an effect of the C2 system. But as shown by researchers in work integrated learning (WIL), learning is not conditioned by the C2 system, it occurs in the workplace regardless of the C2 system.
There is a need for redefining C2, enabling human thought and accepting humans as learning individuals.
Redefining C2
Command should be recognized as the formalization of the individual and collective process of human thought.
Control is the facilitation of the learning opportunities addressed towards specific military tasks and activities.
We propose that the military C2 community should adopt the essences of WIL and reshape WIL to a military adaptation, namely Combat Integrated Learning
Definition
Combat integrated learning is defined as military practices, combat activities and interactions aimed at increasing our own learning opportunities and/or limiting our opponents’ learning opportunities.
Activity theory
Vygotsky – Mediating artefact
Leontʹev – Cultural historical activity theory (individual perspective)
Engeström – Activity theory (collective perspective, gen 2)
The proposed activity system
Tools
Rules
Community
Subject
Object
Division
of labor
Outcome
Brigade level
Company level
Battalion level
Platoon level
Thank you for listening ��Questions!
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