👋 Welcome

The Boyd Institute is a virtual policy institute founded in March 2023. We’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so please consider supporting our work.

Our mission is to build public understanding of strategic issues affecting American dynamism — while advancing bold, creative, asymmetric solutions.

A Think Tank for “LFG Americans”

Our core audience is what we call “LFG Americans” — smart, driven people (and friends from abroad) who are eager to solve big problems and help build a better future.

We offer them a space to engage with real policy challenges above the noise of partisan politics. A space for weird ideas. Bold ideas. Asymmetric ideas. A place to channel that LFG energy into something meaningful.

We also engage with decision-makers and experts in the topic areas of our quarterly policy sprints.

How We Work: Quarterly Policy Sprints

Each quarter we rally a diverse community—policy wonks, technologists, investors, and builders—to tackle one strategic challenge shaping America’s future. Drawing inspiration from IDEO’s design labs and DARPA’s rapid-fire projects, we run fast, focused “policy sprints” that blend think-tank rigor, book-club curiosity, and startup-style experimentation.

In each sprint, we:

  • Explore a critical challenge

  • Curate the best thinking and ground truths on the issue

  • Host conversations, events, and book discussions

  • Apply design thinking and play to surface fresh solutions

  • Propose concrete solutions at the intersection of policy, technology, and commerce

Recent Sprints

🤖 Drones & autonomy: Addressing the supply chain challenges, policies, and systems shaping autonomous tech across land, sea, air, and space.

🌍 Rethinking U.S.-Africa strategy: Exploring new approaches to diplomacy, investment, and infrastructure aligned with African priorities and American interests.

Modernizing maritime: Bringing innovation to the maritime sector and pushing it into the future.

🚀 Unleashing space exploration: Creating frameworks for space mining, debris mitigation, and governance to unlock humanity’s future in space.

🌳 Leveling up natural resources intelligence: Developing better ways to map, track, and manage resources for smarter decisions and stronger environmental stewardship.

🌊 Strengthening AUKUS: Advancing Pillar II capabilities to ensure peace and resilience in the Indo-Pacific region.

🖥️ Improving technology statecraft: Finding new ways to align emerging technologies with national strategy to sharpen geopolitical competitiveness.

Values

Our name honors the legacy of John Boyd, the maverick fighter pilot best known for developing and championing the OODA loop. We aim to channel his spirit — speed, adaptability, maverick thinking — into tackling the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Our core values include:

  • Speed – Operating with urgency and momentum

  • Openness – Staying curious and adaptable

  • Action – Favoring execution over talk; doing over being

  • Moral Purpose – Working to advance a free, prosperous, and resilient world

  • Maverick Thinking – Embracing creativity, truth-telling, play, and breaking through silos

  • VRHI – Variety, Rapidity, Harmony, Initiative

Follow Our Work

Sign up below to stay in the loop and join our next sprint. We typically send about one email every week — no spam, just signal.

Sign up here:

Core Offerings

Here’s how we bring our work to life:

  • 📬 Substack Series — Regular newsletter updates and in-depth quarterly sprint content

  • 🎙️ Podcast — Conversations with builders, thinkers, and decision-makers shaping the future

  • 🎥 Video Explainers — Clear, compelling content that makes complex issues accessible

  • 🍽️ Periodic Dinners — Relationship-building gatherings with allies and collaborators

What Makes Us Different

We’re not a traditional think tank, and that’s intentional.

  • One Issue per Quarter — Concentrated depth, with a time-boxed focus

  • Design Thinking for Big Problems — Creative methods for strategic challenges

  • Substantively ‘America First’ — Serious about U.S. competitiveness, without partisan baggage

  • Playful & Risk-Taking — Unafraid to explore weird ideas or look a little dumb doing it

  • Cross-Pollination Zone — Working the seams between policy, technology, and commerce

Board

The Boyd Institute was founded by Jeff Giesea, an entrepreneur and strategist passionate about applying creative thinking to policy and global challenges.

Our board includes:

  • Brigadier General John Wilkinson (Ret. U.S. Air Force)

  • Terry Dunmire, international attorney and investment banker with deep expertise in Africa.

Donate

The Boyd Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All donations are tax-deductible and help us continue producing high-quality, independent work. To support us, email [email protected]

Contact

To stay informed, sign up for our newsletter below. Questions or ideas? Email us at [email protected]

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A think tank for “LFG Americans.” One big issue per quarter. Bold, asymmetric solutions for a post-boomer world.

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A think tank for “LFG Americans.” One big issue per quarter. Bold, asymmetric solutions for a post-boomer world.
I write The Global Guerrillas Report -- predictive frameworks for making sense of the world at the intersection of war, technology, and politics -- available on Substack and Patreon. https://johnrobb.substack.com/ Twitter @johnrobb
Dad. Entrepreneur. Founder, Boyd Institute. Join me in decoding a world in flux — politics, culture, tech, and life. 🇺🇸
Husband | American | Post-Post-Pre-Modernist. Notes are for yapping. Essays are for thinking.