In Order to Win, Learn How to Fight: The US Army in Urban Operations
Abstract
The urgent requirement for U.S. Army preparedness in conducting urban operations (UO) is very real. As global urbanization continues to increase, the contemporary threat environment makes operations in cities impossible to avoid. The past decade has demonstrated through the American experiences in Mogadishu and Russian experiences in Grozny, less capable forces will attempt to use urban terrain asymmetrically to even the balance of power against technologically superior military forces. While we have always had a serious requirement to conduct urban operations, the very nature of the cold war, which was successful by its deterrence, prevented us from ever having to face the reality of fighting such urban engagements. In the post-cold war era, the U.S. Army is forced to face the realities of fighting in the urban environment. It is not enough to speak of preparing for 'future urban operations'; the future is here today and the Army must be prepared to engage in urban operations even as it moves towards the objective force. Being prepared means having solid doctrine, realistic training programs and facilities, and appropriate equipment to ensure success on the urban battlefield when the time comes to fight there. This paper asks the question, 'Is the U.S. Army adequately preparing for contemporary and future urban operations?' To determine the answer to this question, the monograph: (1) examines the urban threat, (2) analyzes the Army's current and evolving urban operations doctrine, (3) analyzes its urban training and training infrastructure, and (4) determines how effectively equipped the force is for operations in the urban environment. This monograph determines that while there has been a significant improvement in the Army's urban operations doctrine, the Army still remains under-prepared for urban operations, because it is still not training UO as a joint and combined arms team across the full spectrum of operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 23, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA403156
Entities
People
- Christopher S. Forbes
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College