What the hell is data literacy anyways?
Last fall, War on the Rocks published an article I wrote calling for commanders to be data literate. Since then, it’s been cited by the commanders of Army Futures Command and TRADOC, Generals Rainey and Brito. It’s also part of the course reading list at The School for Advanced Military Studies at Ft. Leavenworth and the Sergeant Majors Academy at Ft. Bliss.
Data doesn’t just matter to me. The Secretary of the Army has set out the ability to ‘…rapidly and reliably communicate and share data…’ as one of the six imperatives for the Army of 2030. LTG Beagle, the commander of U.S. Army Combined Arms Center on Fort Leavenworth, cited the need for data centric headquarters to survive on today’s battlefield.
Since the article published, soldiers have been reaching out asking me some variation of the question, ‘What does data literary mean?’. To help, I sat down and started combing over my career for a few vignettes that help illustrate how being data fluent has been a decisive advantage to me in my Army career. Every time I sat down to write one of them, I unearthed three more.
Downrange Data is a compilation of over thirty tales that span more twenty years of an army career which used data to cheat ahead and gain advantage. I’ll cover how to:
Digitize information into data structures. Turn analog material into structured information that computers can use.
Build processes that leverage data. Create better user experiences (Ux) that enable you to get, analyze, and share data faster.
Critically assess data to make decisions - Put data into context so you can determine what matters, what doesn’t, and what you don’t know.
Some anecdotes are are from deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Korea. Others are are from how we used data in garrison to free up time. They will tell you how to find the critical matters rather than just chasing red boxes on PowerPoint.12
Why subscribe?
I’ll be publishing 30(ish) vignettes between mid-June and 18 October 2024, the one-year anniversary of the original WoTR article (always helps to have a deadline). The posts, which will drop every four days, are in chronological order. The first half are from my time as a young Special Forces Captain through my junior years as a Major. The back half will show how I’ve used data to transform processes and conclude with where I used data as a commander for decisive advantage.3
You’ll also get access to the publication archives. By subscribing you’ll never miss an update—every new post is sent directly to your email inbox, or enjoy a spam-free, ad-free experience, with the Substack app.
You’ll be joining a community of data driven soldiers and can share your own experiences in the comments section.
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The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect those of the US Army nor the Department of Defense.
In accordance with policy, I’ve left off last names. Occasionally first names will also be changed to prevent association of serving members with SOF units, or to protect the individual referenced. Whenever this is done it will be noted.
You’ll find a Glossary ‘live post’ here where I’ll keep a running list of terms used throughout to help those who aren’t familiar with Army or data lingo.
