CAAT in Deliberate Urban Attacks
Abstract
General Krulak's "Three Block War" speech marked a cusp in the Marine Corps' emphasis on Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT) and deliberate attacks in urban terrain. Since the speech was made, the Marine Corps has conducted many exercises to test and refine their techniques and procedures for conducting deliberate attacks in urban terrain, and recent operations have found Marines doing just that. These attacks are challenging because of an urban area's concentrated population, availability of cover and concealment, and avenues of approach. These characteristics give defenders of urban terrain a higher advantage than normal in defensive operations. The man-made construction of the urban environment creates three-dimensional environment. The first dimension encompasses subterranean structures, including underground transit or maintenance corridors, sewers, subways, and other underground passages. The second dimension is the surface or ground level, and the third dimension is everything above ground. Buildings, overpasses, and other vertical man-made structures offer the defender numerous elevated positions. As such, defenders are able to utilize the three-dimensional environment to add extreme flexibility to their defense. With buildings, fences, curbs, cars, and the addition of battlefield debris, the urban area has a plethora of positions that offer cover and concealment. To be successful, attacks in urban terrain must occur in four phases: reconnaissance, isolation, gaining a foothold, and clearing in zone. Combined anti-armor teams (CAATs) are well suited for deliberate attacks in urban terrain, particularly for the reconnaissance and isolation phases. Using CAATs for these phases capitalizes on their strengths and mitigates their weaknesses, lessening some of the challenges of executing a deliberate urban attack.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 08, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA520074
Entities
People
- T. B. Swisher
Organizations
- Marine Corps War College