The Center of Gravity Still Relevant After All These Years? Col. Dale C. Eikmeier, U.S. Army, Retired I s the center of gravity (COG) concept still relevant in today's operational environments (OEs)? All military professionals should answer this question in the affirmative, but, sadly, this is not the case.
For example, the enemy's government may collapse leaving a vacuum rather than that government performing the desired action. This may happen anyway but if the action taken is limited by the desired ... Concepts, such as center of gravity, exist in military theory and doctrine to assist commanders and planners in their quest for victory.
History is replete with examples of this idea. Napoleon's 1812 campaign is a good case study in highlighting the benefits of a systems approach in contrast to that of a COG-centric approach. ... Perspectives on the Center of Gravity in US Military Doctrine, ed. Celestino Perez, Jr. (Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2012 ...
forces, the identification of the center of gravity of the force is of utmost concern to the commander. In the operational art, we are concerned with focusing on the enemy's center of gravity, that point at which our operations will have the greatest effect if successful. Selection by the commander of the center of gravity, that point against
Definition of Center of Gravity Throughout history, military strategists have focused their efforts on planning for war. One of their principle concerns is the center of gravity. Noted strategist Carl Von Clausewitz defined the center of gravity as "...the hub of all power and movement, on which everything depends."2 COG is
Indeed all the examples of centers of gravity above are strengths – panzer divisions, the Franco-British maneuver armies, the Egyptian 3 rd Army, the U-boat fleet, and all of the …
The Concept of Center of Gravity: Does It Have Utility in Joint Doctrine and Campaign Planning? A Monograph by Lieutenant Colonel John B. Saxman USAF DTIC S' •1 ... THE US ARMY'S CONCEPT OF CENTER OF GRAVITY ..... 13 THE US AIR FORCE'S CONCEPT OF CENTER OF GRAVITY . ..... 15 THE US MARINE CORPS' CONCEPT …
center of gravity. Once the adversary or enemy center of gravity is identified, the next logical step is determining how to solve the problem. JP 5-0's figure III-4 would have the commander identify the enemy center of gravity prior to determining the adversary or enemy system causing the problem facing the joint force. This makes no sense and is
one strikes at the enemy's exact center of gravity. Of significance is that he clearly distinguishes between what he views as the center of gravity—i.e. the army itself—and those things which FM 100-5 erroneously cites as being examples of centers of gravity. Thus, for instance, he notes that the 48 Parameters
center of gravity involve advantages and disadvantages. The first approach, which identifies the center of gravity as the great est point of concentration of enemy forces, has the advantage of clarity and simplicity. The center of gravity becomes tangible with . MILITARY REVIEW • April 1988 25
How does the U.S. military understand and apply the center of gravity concept in the contexts of theory, doctrine, and planning for the conduct of operations? In particular, …
centre of gravity. For example, when Clausewitz writes in Book Six Chapter 7: ^A centre of gravity is always found where the mass is concentrated most densely. It presents the most effective target for a blow; furthermore, the heaviest blow is that struck by the centre of gravity. _8 2 lausewitz, . ZOn War [, ed./trs. Howard, M. and Paret, P ...
gic level, centers of gravity might in-clude a military force, an alliance, a set of critical capabilities or functions, or national strategy itself." According to this definition a military force cannot be a center of gravity, yet it is cited as an example. It also presents a choice among characteristic, capability, or lo-
centre of gravity thinking among US Army officers, doctrine and praxis. Vego is a natural selectee due to his critical academic work on the topic and influence on US Navy officers ... for example Rueschoff and Dunne's (2011) contribution to methodology for an "inside- out" identification and analysis, as well as Butler's (2014 ...
examples of how it could be used in the future make clear that center of gravity can be best ... Since Clausewitz was the first to use the term center of gravity in a military sense5 and is the source of this concept in our doctrine, it …
strategic center of gravity is its cause. Military thinkers and planners often identify the people as the cog in an insurgency because the people represent a tangible …
The first approach, which identifies the center of gravity as the greatest point of concentration of enemy forces, has the advantage of clarity and simplicity. The center of gravity becomes...
11 See Antulio J. Echevarria's works Clausewitz's Center of Gravity: Changing Our Warfighting Doctrine – Again! (Carlisle Barracks: US Army War College Press 2002); 'Clausewitz's Center of Gravity: It's Not What We Thought', Naval College Review 56/1 (2003), 108–23; and '"Reining in" the Center of Gravity Concept', Air & …
Warden's theory on the centre of gravity. Colonel John A. Warden published in 1988 the book The Air Campaign that was the philosophical and theoretical basis he brought with him when tasked to plan the air campaign for the 1990–91 Gulf War to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation (Warden Citation 2000, ix).In his 1995 article …
Ask the Chatbot a Question Ask the Chatbot a Question centre of gravity, in physics, an imaginary point in a body of matter where, for convenience in certain calculations, the total weight of the body may be thought to be concentrated. The concept is sometimes useful in designing static structures (e.g., buildings and bridges) or in …
More simply, design's problem identi-fication defines for commanders and planners the system in which to look for an enemy center of gravity. Once the adversary or enemy …
OF "CENTER OF GRAVITY" 7. Antulio J. Echevarria, Clausewitz's Center of Gravity Changing Our Warfighting Doctrine - Again! (Carlisle, PA: Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute Press, 2002), 12. 8. Research in this section looks at a number of contemporary writings of military
Center of Gravity. Nearly 200 years ago, the Prussian General and military theorist Carl von Clausewitz, utilized, as an analogy, the concept of a center of gravity in his magnum opus On War. His utilization of this concept, in the main, was to impart that all fighting forces in warfare contain a "hub of all power and movement, on which ...
Since its inception as a core planning tenet, the process for determining COGs has been a point of contention and debate. Currently, the definition of center of gravity and the process for determining it are outlined in joint doctrine, specifically in Joint Publication (JP) 1, Doctrine for the Armed Forces of the United States, JP 3-0, Joint Operations, and …
The risks and inefficacies of AI systems in military targeting support by Humanitarian Law & Policy (ICRC Blog) ; The problem of algorithmic bias in AI-based military decision support systems by Humanitarian Law & Policy (ICRC Blog) ; The Challenges of Next-Gen Insurgency by Parameters ; Marine Corps infantry's secret …
Clausewitz's concept of a Center of Gravity (COG) was taken from the physics of his day and became one of his most unsatisfactory contributions to strategic thought. In physics, the COG …
iii SUMMARY OF CHANGES REVISION OF JOINT PUBLICATION 5-0 DATED 26 DECEMBER 2006 • Reorders and reorients chapters to provide a more logical flow and better reflect planning practice today. • Adds additional appendices to provide ready reference for best practices and process specificity. • Includes the new planning …
doctrinal term "center of gravity." Throughout the "best year of our lives" as students, we wrestled with how to apply or integrate center of gravity with the Military Decision Making Process. We read Clausewitz' On War. I marked every reference he made to center of gravity. We consumed Army Field Manual 100-5 AirLand Battle.
Official military doctrine was hardly more consistent; each of the services developed different interpretations, ranging from key vulnerabilities to sources of strength. 11 As a result, some military writers complained, and with justification, that service definitions had collectively stretched the meaning of center of gravity beyond the point of practical …
The center of gravity has become one of today's most popular military concepts despite the fact that its origins extend back to the early industrial-age. Clausewitz's military center of gravity (CoG) and the CoG of the mechanical sciences share many of the same properties: neither is a strength or a source of strength, per se, but rather a ...
enemy Center of Gravity (COG). COG is defined as, "The source of power that provides moral or physical strength, freedom of action, or will to act."8 A COG is facilitated by its Critical Capabilities (CC). These critical capabilities are essential to the COG in accomplishing its mission. For example, 7 Ibid. 8 Ibid.
the past decade there has been a proliferation of litera-ture on effective methodologies to identify and neutralize, weaken, or destroy a center of gravity (cOg).1 this trend …
The center of gravity has become one of today's most popular military concepts despite the fact that its origins extend back to the early industrial-age. Clausewitz's military center of gravity (CoG) and the CoG of the mechanical sciences share many of the same properties: neither is a strength or a source of strength, per se, but
Article published on:May 11, 2017 Download the PDF Is the center of gravity (COG) concept still relevant in today's operational environments (OEs)? All military professionals …
The term Centre of Gravity entered Australian Army doctrine in 1992 and ADF joint doctrine in 1998 [5]. The definition of Centre of Gravity that featured in the 1998 interim edition of the Joint Military Appreciation Process remained essentially unchanged between then and 2016, and was remarkably similar to the US quoted above: ...
