Washington's War

When one thinks of great American military strategists and applicators of operational art, names other than George Washington usually float to the top of our minds because of his allegedly mediocre tactical results. Washington's body of work is typically studied through the lens of organization, inspiration, and resilience. Many military scholars often criticize his work as a military strategist, while other military intellectuals, including cadre at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, label Washington as a great insurgent leader, insinuating his aversion to a decisive battle and lack of large offensive campaigns make him an insurgent leader. However, from 1775 to 1781, George Washington designed a legitimate plan to defeat the greatest military power on earth, and his success was not by accident or by avoiding engagements. George Washington capitalized on British mistakes and incorporated a coherent design approach that ultimately resulted in the desired military endstate for the young American nation by successfully utilizing objectives, military endstate, centers of gravity, critical vulnerabilities, direct and indirect approaches, area of influence, and operational reach.