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06Principle · Group 1

Center of Gravity

Center of gravity in strategy

“Find the one point on which the other side’s strength and cohesion depend, and direct your forces there instead of spreading them everywhere.”

Every whole has a point on which its strength depends: an army, an organization, a conviction, even a deadlocked problem.

Group 1: Purpose and ObjectiveT1 Classical Theory of War
Go to the in-depth section ↓
A large structure of teal dots, joined by fine lines, is nudged at every point by mist-blue dots and barely wobbles. A circle of light scans the structure and makes a small node glow golden, the one on which all the lines hang; the dots converge on it, the node comes loose, the structure falls apart, and in the final image a frame settles protectively around your own golden node.
In short

Find the one point on which the other side’s strength and cohesion depend, and direct your forces there instead of spreading them everywhere.

What it’s about: Every whole has a point on which its strength depends: an army, an organization, a conviction, even a deadlocked problem. The term comes from mechanics. You can support a body at its center of gravity or tip it over. If you hit that point, you can make the whole thing waver, even without superior numbers. If you miss it, you spend a lot of strength and move very little.

In depth

The principle in detail

Three steps through the principle: grasp it, place it, put it to work. Open each topic on its own.

The core messageCore statement and 3 clarifications
In essence

Not every part of a force is equally important. If you find the point on which cohesion, will or supply depend, you don’t need superior numbers.

It does not say
That the center of gravity is the strongest or most visible part. Sometimes it is a person, a connection, a belief or a secret.
It does not say
That every opponent has exactly one center of gravity. Networks without a head may have several or none at all.
It also says
You have a center of gravity yourself. If you don’t know it, you can’t protect it.
The explanationThe center of gravity is rarely what looks strongest.

The center of gravity is rarely what looks strongest.

The principle has two sides.

  • It calls on you to look for the other side’s center of gravity, and it warns you to know and protect your own.
  • Many superior organizations have failed at a point they themselves had not kept in view.
The question

What does the whole thing hinge on, and what do you hinge on?

The signs3 signs when you heed it · 3 when you overlook it
When you heed it
  • Before every major undertaking, you ask what the problem actually hinges on.
  • You pull only a few levers and take the time to understand the other side.
  • You know which person, which knowledge or which relationship holds your own team together.
When you overlook it
  • You launch many measures at once, and none of them takes hold.
  • You wear yourself out on the most visible opponent while the pattern behind it stays in place.
  • A failure nobody saw coming paralyzes your area.
The backgroundFrom Carl von Clausewitz’s “On War” (1832–1834). · T1 Classical Theory of War
  1. 1832–1834
    OriginCarl von Clausewitz

    On War

  2. 1996
    SupplementedJoseph L. Strange

    An analytical framework for practice

  3. 2002
    SupplementedAntulio J. Echevarria II

    A critique of U.S. doctrine

  4. Tradition T1
    TraditionClassical Theory of War

    Carl von Clausewitz, Antoine-Henri Jomini, Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Frederick William Lanchester

    See the tradition on the Origin page
Read more: the full background

From Carl von Clausewitz’s “On War” (1832–1834). Supplemented by Joseph L. Strange’s analysis (1996) and Antulio J. Echevarria II’s interpretation (2002).

The research3 sources: 2 theories, 1 classic · 1832–2002 · with limitations of the research
3 sources1832–2002 period2 theories1 classic
Strength of evidence
  1. weak
  2. moderate
  3. strong

An influential theory with case examples whose meaning is disputed even in the specialist literature and which has not been measured.

  1. 1832
    Classic
    Carl von Clausewitz

    “On War” (in German), Book VIII, Chapter 4: the center of gravity is a hub of power and movement on which the whole depends; the concentrated blow is directed there. Book VI, Chapter 27, derives the concept from mechanics.

  2. 1996
    Theory
    Joseph L. Strange

    An analytical framework for practice: centers of gravity, critical capabilities, critical requirements and critical vulnerabilities.

  3. 2002
    Theory
    Antulio J. Echevarria II

    A critique of U.S. doctrine: the center of gravity is not a source of strength but a focal point that holds the whole together. Without a close connection between the parts, there is none.

Where the research reaches its limits
  • Not every opponent has a single center of gravity.
  • Decentralized networks, leaderless movements or broadly diversified companies may have several or none; the search for the one point then leads to false simplifications.
  • Whether a center of gravity may be attacked at all – especially when it lies with people who are not fighting – is something the principle does not say.
  • Applying it to organizations, families and churches is an analogy.
Read more: what research shows

The principle is a classic theory of military thought, not a measured law. In Book VIII of “On War,” Carl von Clausewitz describes the center of gravity as a hub of power and movement on which the whole depends. The concentrated blow of all forces should be directed against this point. Depending on the situation, he locates it in the army, in the capital, with a powerful ally, in the unity of an alliance or in leaders and public opinion. Joseph L. Strange turned this into an analytical framework of critical capabilities, requirements and vulnerabilities. Antulio J. Echevarria II counters that Carl von Clausewitz meant a point that holds a system together, not a strength. Such a point exists only where the parts are connected closely enough. The interpretation remains disputed to this day.

The related principles04 Kernel of Good Strategy · 07 Concentration of Force · 11 Bottleneck Focus · 31 Indirect Approach
Kernel of Good StrategyIndirect Approach

To go deeper, see 04 Kernel of Good Strategy (a good diagnosis often finds the center of gravity) and 31 Indirect Approach (the way there rarely runs head-on)

Concentration of Force

07 Concentration of Force says what happens once you know the center of gravity

Bottleneck Focus

11 Bottleneck Focus carries the idea over to organizations

Read more: the full text

To go deeper, see 04 Kernel of Good Strategy (a good diagnosis often finds the center of gravity) and 31 Indirect Approach (the way there rarely runs head-on); 07 Concentration of Force says what happens once you know the center of gravity, and 11 Bottleneck Focus carries the idea over to organizations.

The action steps5 things you can actually do
  1. For a deadlocked problem, write down which habit, person, rule or relationship holds it together. For each item, ask yourself: What would happen if exactly this were gone?
  2. Distrust the first candidate that comes to mind. What is most visible is often not what carries the weight.
  3. Gather knowledge of the other side before you act: conversations, figures, observations. Only then choose the point.

  4. Direct your strength at this point and cut measures that only work at the margins.

  5. Examine your own center of gravity: Where are you vulnerable if a single person, customer or system fails? Secure this point, and before every intervention, think about what should take its place afterward.
The reflection questions3 questions: What does the problem that is costing you the most strength right now hinge on?
  1. What does the problem that is costing you the most strength right now hinge on?
  2. Which measure do you pursue mainly because it is visible, not because it hits the core?
  3. Which failure would paralyze your area, and who is protecting that point?

Take your time with one question. Write down your answer – or talk it over with someone you trust.

To finish
The picture to rememberThe animation once more, with an explanation
  1. A large structure of teal dots, joined by fine lines, is nudged at every point by mist-blue dots and barely wobbles
  2. A circle of light scans the structure and makes a small node glow golden, the one on which all the lines hang
  3. The dots converge on it, the node comes loose, the structure falls apart, and in the final image a frame settles protectively around your own golden node
Strategy Check

What does the whole thing hinge on?

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In context

Group 1: Purpose and Objective

Guiding question: What are you fighting for, and what should be left standing at the end?

Stage 1 of 5: Clarify

Where the 92 principles come from: eight traditions of strategy, from classical war theory to dealing with uncertainty.

More about the origin

Background: WEGVISOR’s own selection from the strategy literature · More about the origin

Examples

The principle in practice

From the different spheres of society.

Faith

Boniface, Donar’s Oak and the Center of Gravity

Around 723, the missionary Boniface fells a mighty oak dedicated to the god Donar at Geismar in northern Hesse. Instead of engaging in many small debates, he strikes at the point on which belief in the old gods depends.

Center of Gravity
MediaFaith

The Boston Globe’s Spotlight Team and the Center of Gravity

In 2001 and 2002, the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team investigates sexual abuse by priests. It focuses its efforts not on individual perpetrators but on the question of who in the archdiocese’s leadership knew about it. In doing so, it hits the point on which the whole system of silence hinged.

Center of Gravity
Government

William T. Sherman, the March to the Sea and the Center of Gravity

In the fall of 1864, Union general William Tecumseh Sherman lets the opposing army go and instead marches straight across Georgia to the sea. His targets are the railroads, the supplies and the South’s will to fight, in other words, what the Confederacy’s strength depended on.

Center of Gravity
Government

Movie: Star Wars

Against a battle station that can destroy entire planets, a small rebel fleet has no chance if it pits strength against strength. “Star Wars” (1977) shows how the rebels instead direct everything at a single vulnerable point.

Center of Gravity
FAQ

Questions about the Center of Gravity

What does the Center of Gravity say?

Every opposing force has a point on which its cohesion depends. Instead of spreading your forces, you look for this point and direct everything at it.

Where does the Center of Gravity come from?

From Carl von Clausewitz, who describes it in “On War” (1832–1834). After the Vietnam War, the U.S. armed forces made it part of their doctrine.

What are some examples?

Well-known examples are Boniface and Donar’s Oak, the Boston Globe’s investigation of the abuse scandal and William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea.

How well is the Center of Gravity supported by research?

Evidence: weak – an influential theory with case examples whose meaning is disputed even in the specialist literature and which has not been measured.

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