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=Theory of the center of gravity and the decisive point= | |||
Modern military thinking recognizes operational warfare as "the employment of military forces to attain strategic goals", and uses this throughout the design of any campaign. To the Fleet Commander (FC) this means they are responsible for the linkage of tactical actions, or engagements, to the ends desired at the strategic level. In order to be sucessful the FC must be capable of designing and executing campaign plans, and this in turn requires a thorough understanding of two important theoretical propositions. | |||
==The Center of Gravity== | |||
The first proposition concerns the concept of the center of gravity and its relationship to the overall strategic planning of the war campaign. The center of gravity is typically to be the sources of strength or balance that project the force. In New Eden this is manifested in the location of the mass of their force, and the fleet doctrine within that force. Furthermore, it is described as that characteristic, capaboility, or locality from which the force derives its freedom of action, physical strength, or will to fight. | |||
Clausewitz offers some thoughts on identifying the center of gravity, which paraphrased states the commander must keep in mind the dominant charactersitics of both belligerents, and out of those characteristics a certain center of gravity develops, the hub of all power and movements, on which everthing depends. | |||
==The Decisive Point== | |||
The second concept evolves around the decisive point and its relationship to the center of gravity. The decisive point is the 'gateway' to the enemy's center of gravity. It is a location in both time and space, the possession of which will greatly aid one side in achieving victory over the other. In the case of the "battle of aldrat" in which the Ivy League fended of a large fleet of RvB who were intent on destroying our POS, this point was the Eygfe gate in Aldrat. | |||
As is the case with the center of gravity, the characteristics of the decisive point can be very abstract, but in eve tends to be largly based on locations (entire systems or structures like POSs or station camping) and choke points - in Eve, usually gates between the locations. But it can also be a movable target, such as destroying a reinforcement fleet in detail prior to it giving aid to the enemy. According to Jomini, every point that must be controlled enroute to the objective, that is the center of gravity, is a decisive point. | |||
This is a work in progress - more to follow! | |||