Maneuver Warfare Collection - Marine Corps Association

The Next Agenda: Military Reform

Part II

The growth of bureaucracy is, from the military reform standpoint, the Marine Corps' single most serious problem. However, it is not the only problem in the Corps' institutional culture. Anti-intellectualism is a cultural problem. So is the increasing number of "Yummies"-Yuppie Marine officers-in

Operational Handbook 6-1, Ground Combat Operations

Book Review

Though the book purports to champion modern concepts of decentralized command and individual initiative, top-down centralized control and insistence on blind obedience are not so easily expunged.

The Next Agenda: Military Reform

Part I

As the pages of the Gazette and the experiences of most Marines attest, there are gaps in many different areas between the Corps' capabilities and practices and what is needed for winning in combat. Such gaps are evident in training, in weapons, in unit cohesion, and in officer education. Perhaps

Fundamentals of Maneuver Warfare

Extracts from OH 6-1

Act more quickly than the enemy can react. Maneuver warfare is as much a mental approach to warfare as it is a physical one. The essence of maneuver warfare is to make and implement operational and tactical decisions more quickly than the enemy. However, this does not mean making rash decisions and

The Operational Art

Military Theory

The second objection is more serious. By saying that the operational art involves striking the enemy's operational center of gravity, FM 100-5 misses its essence. Rather, the goal should be to hit the enemy's strategic center of gravity. The focus is not winning the campaign, but winning the war.

The Asymmetrical Ace

Thinking About War" focuses our attention on the "modes" of warfare-on the kinds of forces involved in engagements. It reminds us how vulnerable a unit can be before it is fully deployed or when it comes under attack by a combat element it was never designed to engage. Thus an amphibious landing

Maneuvers & Sanctuaries

Letters to the Editor

by Gen Raymond G. Davis I read with great personal interest the piece by William S. Lind and note with pleasure that his judgment on Marines and maneuver warfare has

Maneuvers & Sanctuaries

Letters to the Editor

by Gen Raymond G. Davis I read with great personal interest the piece by William S. Lind and note with pleasure that his judgment on Marines and maneuver warfare has

Maneuver Warfare: Where Are We Now?

Based on a survey conducted in 1986, the author examines the status of maneuver warfare in the Marine Corps and reviews the basic tenets of this important concept.

Obviously, there is some confusion among Marines concerning maneuver warfare. This uncertainty could be the result of the intense debate that has surrounded the subject Any Marine who has followed this debate in the professional literature knows there are a wide variety of views concerning maneuver

Misconceptions of Maneuver Warfare

Maneuver Warfare

Advocates of maneuver warfare ignore the chaos and confusion of combat; they think battle is neat and orderly. Quite the contrary.

Generals Speak Up-Or Do They?

It is this small number, 16, categorized as "speaking out" articles that causes concern. In the past 10 years, our general officers have written only 16 articles that attempt to deal with the many issues that the Corps has faced and will continue to face. It is important to note that 11 of these