Understanding Urban Warfare

by Liam Collins, John Spencer

No environment is more challenging for militaries than a city. No form of combat is more inherently destructive than urban warfare. And yet too often, militaries are both unprepared for the challenges of cities and unable to avoid being pulled into brutal urban fights.

In Understanding Urban Warfare, readers will gain more than just an appreciation of the unique challenges of urban warfare-from the limiting effects of three-dimensional terrain on many weapon systems and the multiplicity of enemy firing points on a city street to the overarching need to minimize civilian casualties and protect critical infrastructure and cultural property.

The book presents new ways to understand the distinctive characteristics of a variety of cities-megacities, global cities, feral cities, and even smart cities-and how those characteristics impact military operations in urban terrain. Readers will also be introduced to some of the most relevant urban battles in modern history-the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, the 2004 Second Battle of Fallujah in Iraq, plus the 2020 Battle of Shusha in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, and more-to illuminate trends and lessons to better understand urban warfare.

In an increasingly urban world, the future character of conflict will also be increasingly urban. This book sets out to understand that future.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, War

392 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2022

Reviews

[Duncan Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came upon this book after hearing the author on a podcast, and the general topic of urban warfare intrigued me as someone in the Army. The topic of urban warfare had also been of specific interest to me growing up outside of New York City. A city like NYC is of vital cultural, economic, and political influence to the country; just as London, Tokyo, and Istanbul are to name some other examples. If I am an opposing force, how to I tackle the problem of subduing a city?

I appreciate the structure of the book, being split into two sections, which serve to educate the reader with the urban environment before contextualizing urban warfare with specific examples. In the first section, we hear from urban experts on the topics of megacities, subterranean construction, and the influence of data on city governance and structure. It provides a good foundation on the function and importance of cities and the systems that support them.

In the second section, we see the historical examples of urban warfare, which demonstrate the different strategies that have been used throughout history. I particularly enjoyed the chapters that covered Fallujah, Ramadi, and Sadr City; these chapters all covered the war in Iraq, but demonstrated the differing tactics that could be used to achieve victory. In one battle, the Americans used a COP method, setting up COPs throughout the city to be able to distribute forces and respond to insurgent actions across a wide area. In another, the Americans opted for a larger maneuver, conducting a penetrating attack to force the insurgents into a compromised position that forced them to attrit themselves on the attack.

For future research I would like to see the authors look into subterranean warfare on a larger scale, like in Gaza and provide more information on the concept of urban defense.

[Medusa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable and accessible study of urban warfare, including analysis of cities as complex systems, and a study of recurring themes in urban operations from WW2 through the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.