Strategist, Writer, and Partner at AGLX

Cognitive Warfare

Mark McGrath is a strategist, writer, and partner at AGLX. He works directly with leaders and operators to reduce internal friction, build trust that endures under pressure, and weaponize orientation as strategic advantage.

A United States Marine and veteran of the asset management industry, Mark combines tactical discipline with institutional insight to train leaders for the cognitive arena. He centers his work on two essential pillars of Col. John Boyd: Destruction and Creation and the OODA “loop” sketch, treating orientation not merely as a process, but as the decisive battlespace where perception determines outcome.

Mark’s philosophy draws from media theory, evolutionary thought, and systems economics, fusing Boyd’s intent with insights from Marshall McLuhan, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and F.A. Hayek to craft orientation systems that disrupt, reframe, and outmaneuver reactive frameworks.

He is the creator of The Whirl of ReOrientation: Escape the Script. Win the War., a Substack driven by the idea that “everything depends on orientation. Rebuild yours now, or be weaponized by someone else’s” . His work urges decision-makers to dismantle stale mental models, strengthen narrative agency, and navigate complexity with clarity under fire. He also co-hosts No Way Out, a podcast exploring real-world applications of Boyd’s work in warfighting, business, and beyond.

Mark holds a B.A. in History from Marquette University, where he attended on a full NROTC scholarship, and a Master’s in Economics from the University of Detroit Mercy.