Stanley McChrystal: The military case for sharing knowledge

翻译人员: Tian Ye 校对人员: xu chao

When I was a young officer, they told me

当我还是个年轻军官的时候，

to follow my instincts,

他们告诉我要按本能行事，

to go with my gut,

就是相信我的直觉。

and what I've learned

而我学到的则是，

is that often our instincts are wrong.

我们的本能往往是错的。

In the summer of 2010,

在2010年夏天，

there was a massive leak of classified documents

发生了一起大规模泄密事件，

that came out of the Pentagon.

从五角大楼泄露出了大量机密文件，

It shocked the world,

震惊了全世界，

it shook up the American government,

也震动了美国政府。

and it made people ask a lot of questions,

人们因此而提出许多问题，

because the sheer amount of information

因为信息泄露的规模，

that was let out, and the potential impacts,

以及它的潜在影响，

were significant.

是非常惊人的。

And one of the first questions we asked ourselves

我们对此自我检讨，当务之急的第一个问题，

was why would a young soldier have access

就是为什么一个年轻士兵

to that much information?

会有权限可以接触到这么多的信息？

Why would we let sensitive things

为什么我们会让这些敏感信息

be with a relatively young person?

透露给一个相对来说，比较年轻的人？

In the summer of 2003, I was assigned to command

在2003年夏天，我被任命为负责指挥

a special operations task force,

一个特种作战部队，

and that task force was spread across the Mideast

该部队当时正在整个中东地区

to fight al Qaeda.

打击基地组织。

Our main effort was inside Iraq,

我们的主要任务集中在伊拉克境内，

and our specified mission

而具体的任务目标就是

was to defeat al Qaeda in Iraq.

打垮伊拉克境内的基地组织。

For almost five years I stayed there,

我在那里呆了将近五年，

and we focused on fighting a war

我们全心全力地投入了一场战争，

that was unconventional and it was difficult

非常规，很艰难，

and it was bloody

而且无比血腥。

and it often claimed its highest price

它常常让无辜者

among innocent people.

付出最高的代价。

We did everything we could

我们尽了一切所能

to stop al Qaeda

去阻止基地组织和来自境外的武装分子，

and the foreign fighters that came in as suicide bombers

他们使用自杀式炸弹，

and as accelerants to the violence.

导致暴力进一步升级。

We honed our combat skills,

我们磨炼了战斗技能，

we developed new equipment,

开发了新的装备，

we parachuted, we helicoptered,

我们伞降、机降，

we took small boats, we drove, and we walked

我们乘小艇、开车甚至步行，

to objectives night after night to stop

夜复一夜地追踪目标，

the killing that this network was putting forward.

是为了阻止这个恐怖网络带来的杀戮。

We bled,

我们流血，

we died,

我们牺牲，

and we killed to stop that organization

我们杀人，

from the violence that they were putting

是为了阻止这个组织带来的暴力，

largely against the Iraqi people.

而它在很大程度上是针对伊拉克人民的。

Now, we did what we knew,

现在，我们做了我们一直熟知的事，

how we had grown up, and one of the things that we knew,

有了它我们才得以成长，其中之一就是，

that was in our DNA, was secrecy.

它在我们的DNA里，就是机密，

It was security. It was protecting information.

就是安全，就是保护信息。

It was the idea that information was the lifeblood

就是这样一种看法，信息就是生命线，

and it was what would protect and keep people safe.

它能保护人们的安全。

And we had a sense that,

并且我们觉得，

as we operated within our organizations,

既然我们是在我们的组织之内运作，

it was important to keep information

把信息放在组织之内的保险柜里

in the silos within the organizations,

就极为重要，

particularly only give information

特别是，信息只能给那些

to people had a demonstrated need to know.

已经证明了需要知道的人，

But the question often came, who needed to know?

但问题常常随之而来，谁需要知道？

Who needed, who had to have the information

谁需要，谁应当知道这些信息？

so that they could do the important parts of the job that you needed?

这样你所需要的工作的重要部分 才能交给他们来完成？

And in a tightly coupled world,

在这样一个人与人紧密相连的世界，

that's very hard to predict.

这太难以预计了。

It's very hard to know who needs to have information

谁需要拥有信息谁不需要，

and who doesn't.

实在是难以知晓。

I used to deal with intelligence agencies,

我过去跟情报机构打交道，

and I'd complain that they weren't sharing enough intelligence,

我常抱怨他们情报共享做得不够，

and with a straight face, they'd look at me and they'd say,

然后他们就面无表情地看着我说，

"What aren't you getting?" (Laughter)

“有什么你不知道的吗？”（笑声）

I said, "If I knew that, we wouldn't have a problem."

我说，“如果我知道了，我们就没问题了。”

But what we found is we had to change.

但我们发现必须有所改变，

We had to change our culture about information.

我们必须改变我们在信息上一直以来的做法，

We had to knock down walls. We had to share.

我们必须打破围墙，我们必须共享。

We had to change from who needs to know

我们必须面对现实，从谁需要知道，

to the fact that who doesn't know,

改变为：谁还不知道，

and we need to tell, and tell them as quickly as we can.

我们需要告诉他们，越早越好。

It was a significant culture shift for an organization

对于一个从骨子里视机密为生命的组织来说，

that had secrecy in its DNA.

这是一个重大的观念转变。

We started by doing things, by building,

我们开始做些事情，开始建设，

not working in offices,

并不是蹲在办公室里，

knocking down walls, working in things we called

而是打破围墙，

situation awareness rooms,

我们工作的地方称为“状况知觉室”。

and in the summer of 2007,

在2007年夏天，

something happened which demonstrated this.

发生了一件事，证明了这一点。

We captured the personnel records

我们捕捉到了一些人员名单，

for the people who were bringing foreign fighters

这些人正是把外国武装分子

into Iraq.

带进伊拉克的人。

And when we got the personnel records, typically,

当我们拿到名单的时候，

we would have hidden these,

通常情况下，我们会藏起来，

shared them with a few intelligence agencies,

仅在少数情报机构内分享，

and then try to operate with them.

然后设法与他们一起行动。

But as I was talking to my intelligence officer,

但我那时正跟我的情报官员谈话，

I said, "What do we do?"

我说，“我们要怎么做？”

And he said, "Well, you found them." Our command.

他说，“嗯，你已经找到了。”我们做主。

"You can just declassify them."

“你只要解除保密就行了。”

And I said, "Well, can we declassify them?

我说，“那，我们可以解除保密吗？

What if the enemy finds out?"

如果敌人知道了呢？”

And he says, "They're their personnel records."

然后他说，“那是他们的人员名单啊。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So we did,

于是我们就这么做了，

and a lot of people got upset about that,

许多人对此感到不满，

but as we passed that information around,

不过，随着我们把信息传播开来，

suddenly you find that information is only of value

突然间，你就发现信息的唯一价值在于

if you give it to people who have the ability

你把它给了能用它来做些事情的人。

to do something with it.

你把它给了能用它来做些事情的人。

The fact that I know something has zero value

有的人掌握了某些信息就可以把事情做得更好，

if I'm not the person who can actually

如果我不是这样的人，

make something better because of it.

那我知道这些事也没有价值。

So as a consequence, what we did was

所以接下来我们做的事情就是，

we changed the idea of information,

我们改变了对信息的观念，

instead of knowledge is power,

不再是知识就是力量，

to one where sharing is power.

而是共享才是力量。

It was the fundamental shift,

这是根本转变，

not new tactics, not new weapons,

并非新的战术，不是新的武器，

not new anything else.

也不是别的什么东西。

It was the idea that we were now part of a team

它是一种观念，就是如今我们都是团队的一份子，

in which information became the essential link

在这之中， 信息成为了将我们联接起来的根本要素，

between us, not a block between us.

而不是彼此之间的阻碍。

And I want everybody to take a deep breath

我想每个人都深吸一口气，

and let it out,

然后呼出来，

because in your life, there's going to be information

因为在你的生活中，

that leaks out you're not going to like.

将会有信息泄露出来， 而你并不喜欢这样。

Somebody's going to get my college grades out,

有人会把我的大学成绩单翻出来，

a that's going to be a disaster. (Laughter)

那将会是场灾难。（笑声）

But it's going to be okay, and I will tell you that

但这终究不会有事，我要告诉你，

I am more scared of the bureaucrat

我更害怕的是

that holds information in a desk drawer

把信息放进抽屉或是保险箱的官僚，

or in a safe than I am of someone who leaks,

而不是泄露出来的某个人，

because ultimately, we'll be better off if we share.

因为最终来说，如果我们共享它，我们才会更好。

Thank you.

谢谢大家。

(Applause)

（掌声）

Helen Walters: So I don't know if you were here this morning,

海伦·沃尔特斯：假如说，你今天早上在这里，

if you were able to catch Rick Ledgett,

假如你刚好遇到了理查德·莱吉特，

the deputy director of the NSA

国家安全局的代理局长，

who was responding to Edward Snowden's talk earlier this week.

对于爱德华·斯诺登本周早些时候的演讲， 他做出了回应，

I just wonder, do you think the American government

我想知道，你是否认为

should give Edward Snowden amnesty?

美国政府应当赦免爱德华·斯诺登？

Stanley McChrystal: I think that Rick said something very important.

斯坦利·迈克克里斯托：我认为 理查德说了很重要的事情。

We, most people, don't know all the facts.

我们，大多数人，并不知道事情的方方面面，

I think there are two parts of this.

我认为这件事有两方面，

Edward Snowden shined a light on an important need

爱德华·斯诺登让世界意识到了一项重要需求，

that people had to understand.

人们对此必须有所认识。

He also took a lot of documents that he didn't have

他也取得了许多文件，

the knowledge to know the importance of,

而他并不具备足够的知识， 来了解这些文件的重要性，

so I think we need to learn the facts about this case

所以我认为，

before we make snap judgments

在我们很快对爱德华·斯诺登一事做出判断之前，

about Edward Snowden.

有必要先了解这一事件的两个事实。

HW: Thank you so much. Thank you.

海伦·沃尔特斯：非常感谢，谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）