Clausewitz's Center of Gravity: It's Not What We Thought

Echevarria, Antulio J., II, Naval War College Review

Over the last two decades, the U.S. military has struggled to understand the center of gravity concept as developed by Carl von Clausewitz and to find practical ways to apply it. In the process, however, each of the services-shaped as they are by different roles, histories, and traditions-has brought individual perspectives to Clausewitz's expression and redefined it in its respective image.

Thus, the U.S. Marine Corps, a relatively small force designed more for winning battles than fighting campaigns or wars, prefers to strike at enemy weaknesses. Accordingly, it initially equated enemy centers of gravity (CoGs) with key vulnerabilities. Recently, however, Marine Corps doctrine …

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Publication information: Article title: Clausewitz's Center of Gravity: It's Not What We Thought. Contributors: Echevarria, Antulio J., II - Author. Journal title: Naval War College Review. Volume: 56. Issue: 1 Publication date: Winter 2003. Page number: 108+. © Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Naval War College Winter 2009. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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