The Center of Gravity and Dr. Bruce Gudmundsson
From the Editors
Years ago, while suffering surviving thriving in MAT Platoon before IOC, I was incredibly fortunate to hear Dr. Bruce Gudmundsson speak on Center of Gravity (CG) analysis. We had invited him over to speak to the platoon to break up the monotony of country briefs and classes on how to program a PRC-152. Dr. Gudmundsson at the time was working for Marine Corps University, developing cases for the wider institution. A logistics officer and former SPC at TBS, he was (and is) a leading expert on German tactical innovation, infantry tactics, and professional military education.
After becoming wildly confused about the Strange Method for CG analysis, we asked that he help us simplify the mystery a bit. Why we were exposed to the Strange method in the first place is beyond me, but that was MAT platoon in 2013 for you. What resulted was a concise lecture, possibly only five minutes, that I will never forget.
When you’re tired, hungry, taking casualties, and have very little energy left, just ask yourself: what scares you the most? What scares him the most? Here, you will find the answers you seek.
I have shared this lesson countless times while teaching junior officers and NCOs, and I believe with consistent success. And I have found myself as a commander, exhausted, cognitively saturated, and under threat of attack, asking myself this very question in a far off land.
We are fortunate to have him retell this lesson with the CxFile in this post. Without further ado, Dr. Gudmundsson…
-Maj Geoff Ball
A Young Marine’s Guide to the Center of Gravity by Dr. Bruce Gudmundsson
Imagine, if you will, the Officers’ Basic Course. Now move it from its present location, some 32 miles southwest of Washington, DC, to a somewhat less wooded locale, some 32 miles southwest of London. While doing so, replace half (more or less) of the military officers who teach there with civilian professors, throw in lots of people who speak like characters from one of the Hobbit films, and you have the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.
During the “naughty aughties,” as British people like to say, I was one of the aforementioned civilian professors. Thus, I found myself teaching seminars about Clausewitz and such to students who had spent the previous night “on exercise.”
I quickly learned that it wouldn’t do to try to spark discussions about the influence of the transcendental dialects of Immanuel Kant on the aforementioned Philosopher of War. It’s not that the cadets at Sandhurst lacked the background to benefit from such conversations. On the contrary, they were, on the whole, a clever lot. It’s just that sleep deprivation tends to diminish enthusiasm for sustained reflection on the subject of abstractions.
“How do you feel this morning?” I would ask. “Knackered, Sir,” was the usual answer.
“Good, that’s how Clausewitz felt for much of the eight years or so he spent on active service, beginning with the campaign he fought well before he began to shave. … So, how many things can you think of right now? One, two, three …”
“One, Sir … at most.”
“So, if you can only think of one thing, what thing should that be?”
“The most important thing, Sir!”
“That’s right. And what did Clausewitz call that?”
“The center of gravity, Sir!”
“Excellent. That’s it. Class dismissed.”
Dr. Gudmundsson writes The Tactical Notebook, a Substack about “the armies that are, the armies that were, and the armies that might have been.”
The CxFile Team frequently relies upon Dr. Gudmundsson’s work and we highly recommend you follow his Substack, The Tactical Notebook. Specifically, check out his November line up, which is focused on the Marine Corps during our Birthday (month). Featured articles include:
The Marine Rifle Company, Battalion, and Regiment of 1941
And many others…
He is also the author of several notable and definitive works, to include the classics, On Infantry and Stormtroop Tactics. If you haven’t read these - you’re wrong.
Finally, for more about decision games, podcasts, and innovation in military education, please see his Military Learning Gateway.
From the Staff: We are highly interested in publishing lessons learned on SUAS employment at the Squad and Platoon Level. Please consider sharing with us if you have tried, failed and/or succeeded! CUAS AARs are welcome too.
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This Substack and both of Dr. Gudmundsson’s Substack’s are just the very best of short pithy writing on strategic, tactical and other matters topical to a very old Marine Infantry Officer. Having been in TBS class Fox Company 6/78, 36 of us went on to the early IOC, and then on to the FMF. If one is reading and paying attention to the various articles here and both of Dr. Gunmundsson Substack reads, the education continues. It is brilliant stuff, and simply makes one feel that if push came to shove and the CMC called one out of “retirement” and said here is a rifle company now take your post, armed with the constant education found here etc, while daunting, the level of professional confidence would extremely high. Besides what are they going to do? Shave our heads and send us to Southeast Asia? When tortured by professionals, one quickly learns that tired and cold, hot and tired, always hungry are just another feeling. Here one can find the center of gravity with regularity. Can’t thank you enough for making this reading material available. Words well put do matter.