John Boyd came up with OODA. Everyone uses OODA and I think almost nobody seems to fully understand it (not that I do). But as a layman I do know that the second O, Orient, was the one that Boyd thought the most important part of the whole loop - the focal point of it all - and the most difficult to model or mechanize because it includes a lot of things like values and education and experience and instinct. And those things are constantly changing over time. So it's hard to model and just sort of skipped. Indeed, the trendy current term used by analysts seems to be F2T2EA (Find - Fix - Track - Target - Engage - Assess) which has all the elements OODA except the Orient part.
I think with AI / Machine Learning tackling that "Orient" part of OODA can perhaps finally begin. But that would ultimately remove the most "man" part of the man in the loop. Wise? Regardless, it's coming...
OODA is so simple but so easily misunderstood or forgotten.
I’ve been out of the military for a while now, so I am not up to speed on a lot of the new terms.
I think Orient is very similar to the old German Fingerspitzengefuhlen.
It’s something you can do or you can’t do.
I saw a lot of military people who were completely lost when they needed that skill.
I’m not sure it can even be taught.