Blood and Concrete: 21st Century Conflict in Urban Centers and Megacities—

by Small Wars Journal

Blood and Concrete: 21st Century Conflict in Urban Centers and Megacities provides a foundation for understanding urban operations and sustaining urban warfare research. This Small Wars Journal (SWJ) Anthology documents over a decade of writings on urban conflict. In addition to essays originally published at SWJ it adds new content including an introduction by the editors, a preface on “Blood and Concrete” by David Kilcullen, a foreword "Urban Warfare Studies" by John Spencer, a postscript “Cities in the Crossfire: The Rise of Urban Violence” by Margarita Konaev, and an afterword “Urban Operations: Meeting Challenges, Seizing Opportunities, Improving the Approach” by Russell W. Glenn. These essays frame the discussion found in the collection’s remaining 49 chapters. Blood and Concrete continues the legacy of Small Was Journal's coverage of urban operations, conflict and combat.

768 pages, Paperback

Published January 14, 2019

Reviews

[Tom Bettison · Rating 5 out of 5]

America is an irradiated wasteland. Within it lies a city. Outside the boundary walls a desert. A cursed earth. Inside the walls a cursed city, stretching from Boston to Washington, D.C. An unbroken concrete landscape. 800 million people living in the ruin of the old world and the mega structures of the new one. Mega blocks. Mega highways. Mega City One. Convulsing. Choking. Breaking under its own weight.

- Dredd 2012.

Urban conflict is now. This collection of essays provides incredible insight into the current and future state of combat across the globe. A must read.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent compilation of some of the Small Wars Journal's most interesting contributions. Essays are submitted from a variety of stakeholders and subject matter experts. The nature of this book as a collection of articles and essays predictably leads to some feelings of repetition (particularly in the introductions of some pieces), but the final product is an excellent reference guide to recent thought on this subject.