Stanley McChrystal: The military case for sharing knowledge

譯者: Adrienne Lin 審譯者: Kuan-Yi Li

When I was a young officer, they told me

當我還是個年輕軍官時， 他們告訴我

to follow my instincts,

要跟著直覺走、

to go with my gut,

照本能行事，

and what I've learned

而我學到的是

is that often our instincts are wrong.

我們的直覺通常都是錯的。

In the summer of 2010,

2010 年夏天，

there was a massive leak of classified documents

有許多機密文件

that came out of the Pentagon.

從國防部流出。

It shocked the world,

這震驚了世界

it shook up the American government,

也撼動了美國政府，

and it made people ask a lot of questions,

並引起民眾的許多質疑，

because the sheer amount of information

因為這些外洩的大量資訊

that was let out, and the potential impacts,

和潛在的影響

were significant.

極為驚人。

And one of the first questions we asked ourselves

很多人首先會問

was why would a young soldier have access

為什麼一位年輕的士兵有權限

to that much information?

獲得這麼多的資訊？

Why would we let sensitive things

為什麼我們讓敏感資訊

be with a relatively young person?

被一位年輕人知道？

In the summer of 2003, I was assigned to command

2003 年的夏天，我被派任指揮

a special operations task force,

一個特別行動部隊，

and that task force was spread across the Mideast

這是分佈在中東的部隊，

to fight al Qaeda.

為打擊蓋達組織。

Our main effort was inside Iraq,

我們主要精力放在伊拉克，

and our specified mission

而我們的具體任務

was to defeat al Qaeda in Iraq.

是要擊敗伊拉克的蓋達組織，

For almost five years I stayed there,

我在那待了將近五年時間。

and we focused on fighting a war

我們專心打一場戰爭，

that was unconventional and it was difficult

這是非常規且困難的戰爭，

and it was bloody

非常血腥

and it often claimed its highest price

且付出最慘痛代價的

among innocent people.

往往都是那些無辜的人。

We did everything we could

我們盡全力

to stop al Qaeda

阻止蓋達組織，

and the foreign fighters that came in as suicide bombers

阻止外國自殺炸彈客，

and as accelerants to the violence.

因為他們加劇了這場暴力。

We honed our combat skills,

我們精進作戰技巧、

we developed new equipment,

發展新裝備、

we parachuted, we helicoptered,

我們跳傘、搭直升機、

we took small boats, we drove, and we walked

乘小船、開車、步行，

to objectives night after night to stop

日以繼夜的活動都為了

the killing that this network was putting forward.

阻止這組織所帶來的殺戮。

We bled,

我們流血、

we died,

有人死亡、

and we killed to stop that organization

我們殺戮，

都為阻止這組織

from the violence that they were putting

加諸在伊拉克人民的暴力行為。

largely against the Iraqi people.

Now, we did what we knew,

我們執行所知的、

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

一直以來所學的， 這其中一件事就是

that was in our DNA, was secrecy.

在我們組織的 DNA 中存在著保密性。

It was security. It was protecting information.

這是保護資訊關乎安全、 資訊是命脈的想法，

It was the idea that information was the lifeblood

and it was what would protect and keep people safe.

認為這可以保護人民。

And we had a sense that,

我們也感受到

as we operated within our organizations,

自己組織運作時，

it was important to keep information

很重要的是，將資訊

in the silos within the organizations,

儲存在這組織的地窖中，

particularly only give information

特別是只將資訊

to people had a demonstrated need to know.

提供給需要知道的人。

But the question often came, who needed to know?

但這經常引起一個問題：誰需要知道？

Who needed, who had to have the information

誰需要知道這資訊

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

以達成所需的重要任務？

And in a tightly coupled world,

在這個緊密相連的世界中，

that's very hard to predict.

這是很難預測的。

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

很難知道誰需要這些資訊

and who doesn't.

而誰不需要。

I used to deal with intelligence agencies,

我以前跟情報機關合作過，

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

也會抱怨他們不分享足夠的情報。

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

他們通常都一臉正經的告訴我：

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

「有什麼你不知道的嗎？」（笑聲）

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

我說，「要是我知道答案， 我們就不會有這問題了。」

But what we found is we had to change.

不過我發現我們需要改變。

We had to change our culture about information.

我們必須改變我們對資訊的文化。

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

必須打破壁壘、必須分享。

We had to change from who needs to know

必須從「誰必須知道」的想法

to the fact that who doesn't know,

轉變為「誰不知道，

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

我們需要盡快告訴他們」。

It was a significant culture shift for an organization

這是很重大的組織文化轉變，

that had secrecy in its DNA.

尤其對一個 DNA 中 存在著保密性的組織來說更是如此。

We started by doing things, by building,

我們開始建立

not working in offices,

－－不是在辦公室中－－

knocking down walls, working in things we called

而是打破壁壘，

situation awareness rooms,

在我們所謂的狀況警覺室中工作。

and in the summer of 2007,

在 2007 年夏天，

something happened which demonstrated this.

有件事成為知識分享的佳例。

We captured the personnel records

我們找到一些人員資料，

for the people who were bringing foreign fighters

是那些將外國武裝份子

into Iraq.

帶進伊拉克的人員資料。

And when we got the personnel records, typically,

通常我們拿到這些人員資料時

we would have hidden these,

會把它們藏起來，

shared them with a few intelligence agencies,

只分享給極少數情報組織，

and then try to operate with them.

再與其合作。

But as I was talking to my intelligence officer,

但當我與情報官討論時，

I said, "What do we do?"

我問：「我們要怎麼做？」

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

他說：「你找到這些資料的。」 我們有權處理。

"You can just declassify them."

「你可以撤銷機密等級。」

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

我說：「我們能撤銷機密等級嗎？

What if the enemy finds out?"

如果被敵軍發現呢？」

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

他說：「這本就是他們的人員名單啊。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So we did,

所以我們就這麼做了，

and a lot of people got upset about that,

引起許多人不滿，

but as we passed that information around,

但當我們將資訊分享出去時，

suddenly you find that information is only of value

你會突然發現，

資訊唯有在交給 能做出行動的人時才有價值

if you give it to people who have the ability

to do something with it.

The fact that I know something has zero value

我空握有知識是沒有價值的

if I'm not the person who can actually

除非我是那個

make something better because of it.

可以將之加以運用的人。

So as a consequence, what we did was

因此我們將

we changed the idea of information,

資訊的想法改變了。

instead of knowledge is power,

與其將知識視為力量，

to one where sharing is power.

不如想成分享是力量。

It was the fundamental shift,

這是很徹底的想法轉變，

not new tactics, not new weapons,

不是新的作戰策略、新武器，

not new anything else.

這想法一點也不新穎。

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

只是將我們視為一個團隊

in which information became the essential link

而知識是我們之間的必要連結

between us, not a block between us.

而不是彼此間的阻礙。

And I want everybody to take a deep breath

現在請大家深吸一口氣，

and let it out,

吐出來。

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

因為你的一生中，一定會有些資訊

that leaks out you're not going to like.

被洩漏出來，而你不喜歡的。

Somebody's going to get my college grades out,

有人會把我大學成績抖出來，

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

一定會很慘。（笑聲）

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

但這一點也沒關係，告訴你們

I am more scared of the bureaucrat

比起這個，我更怕官僚制度

that holds information in a desk drawer

將資訊鎖在抽屜中

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

或是保險箱裡，而不是怕有人洩密。

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

因為追根究柢， 相互分享會達到更好的結果。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

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

海倫．華特：我們不知道 你今早在不在現場。

if you were able to catch Rick Ledgett,

不過如果你遇到瑞克．雷傑特

the deputy director of the NSA

——美國國家安全局副局長——

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

他回應了幾天前 愛德華．史諾頓的演講。

I just wonder, do you think the American government

我想問，你認為美國政府

should give Edward Snowden amnesty?

應該給愛德華豁免權嗎？

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

史丹利．麥克力斯托： 我想瑞克提到一點很重要。

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

大多數的人都不知道全情。

I think there are two parts of this.

我想這件事有一體兩面。

Edward Snowden shined a light on an important need

愛德華．史諾頓揭露了

世人須了解的重要之事。

that people had to understand.

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

但他也拿了許多

他並不知道其重要性的文件。

the knowledge to know the importance of,

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

所以我想我們需要了解更多實情

before we make snap judgments

才能對愛德華．史諾頓一案做出評判。

about Edward Snowden.

HW: Thank you so much. Thank you.

海倫．華特：非常謝謝你。

(Applause)

（掌聲）