Operational Isolation of the Enemy in Offensive Urban Operations
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to argue that isolating the enemy at the operational level is the most important aspect of successful urban operations; in fact, an attack on an urbanized area should not be executed before the enemy is isolated. The Joint Task Force (JTF) must take five key actions to operationally isolate the enemy: First, the enemy's logistics must be cut off. Next, enemy command, control, communication, and information capabilities must be degraded. Third, friendly forces must control key components of the urban infrastructure. Additionally, friendly forces should isolate the enemy physically and psychologically from non-combatants by fostering a sense of friendly force legitimacy with the local population. Fifth, friendly forces must control all dimensions of the battlespace in an urban environment to complete the isolation of the enemy. The JTF effectively isolates the enemy by coordinating these five actions, which shape the area of operations to create the necessary conditions for tactical success to achieve operational and strategic objectives.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 08, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA378659
Entities
People
- Paul J. Wille
Organizations
- Naval War College