Block by Block: The Challenges of Urban Operations

There is a need for the U.S. military to explore new ways of
conceptualizing urban operations. But that exploration must be
grounded, in part, in the empirical data contained in the historical
record. Our judgments about the future must be informed by our
experiences of the past. And that is what the variety of historical case
studies in this book offer: a solid factual and analytical basis on which
to conceptualize future urban operations. These studies should not wed
today’s analysts to traditional ideas and concepts but should serve
rather as a “reality check” when those analysts discuss new approaches
to the age-old problem of conducting operations on urban terrain and
attempt to answer such questions as: How might we expect to have to
fight future battles, if any, in cities? Against whom and under what
conditions might we expect to fight? What capabilities are resident in
the forces and equipment of the threat(s) we might expect to encounter?
What does technology offer in terms of countering a threat or providing
a margin of capability over an anticipated threat?
Having answered all those interrogatives crisply and with precision,
some additional thoughts might be: What capabilities are required in
terms of combat equipment—weapons, vehicles, aircraft, and functional
systems? What force structures and organizations might be best
suited to the operational environment we anticipate? How should soldiers,
marines, sailors, and airmen be trained to fight in city environments?
What tactics, techniques, and procedures are essential
knowledge at tactical and operational levels of war?Howare units to be
trained for the new environment? How are noncommissioned officers
to be educated and trained to perform their essential duties at small-unit
levels? How do we educate and train officers who are to lead the forces
to plan and train for operations at tactical, operational, and strategic levels
of war?
With these questions in mind, the following collection of works will
assist military professionals and thoughtful scholars alike in better
understanding the complexities of urban combat, an area whose
importance grows more urgent for study with each passing day.