The COVID-19 Phenomenon.  COVID-19 demonstrates the essence of modern no-rules unrestricted competition.   Direct and indirect consequences reflect advantage that has sent US Government, American Business, and allies reeling.  Americans, however, have unconventional revolutionary roots to draw upon, if they will only do so. 

The impacts can be measured diversely in deaths, economic disruption, massive unemployment, population control, information manipulation, information denial, and economic advantage favoring the CCP.  Irregular warfare, irregular competition and indirect approaches, thus, demonstrate primacy in terms of delivering wide-reaching strategic advantage.

Irregular approaches defy traditional problem solving and remedies.  Fortunately, COVID-19 as a competitive tool, may help reveal some of the Chinese communists’ principles for extraordinary advantage.  It would be ashamed to endure COVID-19” without fully exploring all that it has to offer.  Most of the impacts and lessons are negative.  Some are not.  It would be a mistake to miss either.

Implications:   

  • In the end, COVID-19 is not a bug.  It is, most importantly, a reflection of the advantages of irregular warfare, irregular competition and indirect approaches. 
  • This has the potential to endanger hallowed institutions, doctrine, parochial interests and fortunes.
  • While US Government and US DOD have had top experts on China and Irregular Approaches at their fingertips, this has not resulted in wisdom in strategy, decision, action and results.  There are several impacts because of this:
    • Strategic Savvy.  The top levels of American public and private sector leadership have limited expertise on the Chinese Communist Party as arguably their top adversary.
    • Institutional Atrophy.  Government and Defense professional development institutions have not valued and weighted expertise development on Chinese communism.
    • Expert Competencies.  Government and Defense professional development institutions have they valued and weighted professional development of strategists, planners, commanders and technical experts on irregular warfare and irregular competition which has been raging in the 21st Century.
    • Outside The Wire. Some of the best experts in the above fields are not being used by US Government and US DOD, because they do not fit DC Beltway norms.    They cannot buck the system of super-empowered defense contractor primes.
    • Say it ain’t so.   Some of those experts empowered and rewarded inside and outside the Beltway are the very ones who helped get us into the fix we are in today.
    • Three Questions.
      • Where is the quality control and quality assurance oversight on this?  
      • Who is it that has the experiential credentials for such essential oversight?
      • Who what and where is US Government expertise in overwatch of this?
  • A running 360-degree analysis of “COVID-19”, if done cross-entity (meaning interagency and private sector-civil society) will reveal a super-abundance of irregular approaches by China, as well as others. 
  • This is a sure way to fast-track American leaders, strategists, planners and experts to help overcome decades of neglect and atrophy in the professionalization of America’s leadership culture on “irregular approaches”.  Nothing less will suffice in this open era of irregular / non-traditional / no rules competition and manipulation.    This can invigorate our own innovation to be pro-active, instead of continually reactive. This is because the US Super Power has spawned a flood of “irregular approachers” with new-found power and the daring to use it.
  • At some point USA needs to catch up to this open-ended reality.  The COVID-19 Phenomenon affords the opportunity to readily make this shift now.  This is best done less as a knee-jerk crisis response, and more as a fundamental course correction long over-due.  Desperation helps, though.