Knowing the Center of Gravity is Not Enough: Critical Factors Analysis in the Operational Environment
2008
Doyle, Matthew E.
With the U.S. military tasked to conduct multiple concurrent global operations and enemies who eschew traditional warfare, it has become vitally important to protect critical U.S. vulnerabilities and ensure the safety of the U.S. center of gravity. Likewise, with the U.S. military shifting towards capabilities-based planning and application of the military aspect of national power with limited resources, an accurate determination of an adversary's critical vulnerabilities will enable friendly forces to select a course of action that best attacks the enemy's center of gravity via indirect means. A methodical deconstruction and analysis of the center of gravity enables a precise identification of the critical vulnerabilities to attack or defend. Although numerous methods have been developed for critical factors analysis, they are individually inadequate to accurately and consistently provide the information vital to operational success. The methodology presented in this paper offers a logical, pragmatic synthesis of established best practices that will better allow operational commanders to apply all aspects of national power to destroy the enemy's center of gravity and also protect the U.S. center of gravity.
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