National Security essays

National Security essays Clausewitz defines a center of gravity as the hub of all power and movement, on which everything depends... What are the U.S. centers of Gravity for Homeland Defense and Homeland Security? According to Colonel John Osgood, the Army Field Manual 100-5 quotes Clausewitzs definition of center of gravity as the hub of all power and movement upon which everything depends in a war(Osgood, 1998). Clausewitzs discussion of the issue suggests that at the operational level the center of gravity is always found where the mass is concentrated most densely (Osgood, 1998). Clausewitz believed that at the operational level a commander must understand the dynamics of space, mass, and time. Space was the theater of operations, mass was the army and time was the campaign (Osgood, 1998). But the concept of the Department of Homeland Defense and Homeland Security would seen to thwart Clausewitzs concept of the center of gravity, as its theater of operations is the entire United States, the mass rather than the army are all individuals involved in policing the borders, which means all law enforcement agencies on every level of government, and even ordinary civilians who are counseled to keep their eyes open for possible terror threats are included in the mass. The time of the campaign never ends, as even if the leaders of terrorist organizations that spawned the demand for the department were apprehended, terrorism as a threat to United States citizens within the borders of the U.S. would not come to an end. Even in the words of the president, quoted on the departments homepage, the center of gravity is diffuse. This vital department is actively engaged in the war on terror. We are still a nation at risk. Part of our strategy, of course, is to stay on the offense agai nst terrorists who would do us harm. In other words, it is important to defeat them overseas so we never have to face th...