Urban Ops: Learning from the Past and Anticipating the Future

Urban Operations starts off with the astute observation that “The Battles of the Past Shape the Wars of Tomorrow” by Jayson Geroux and John Spencer.  That is certainly true as we prepare for the complexities of urban conflict today and tomorrow. Expanding on past experiences, Louise Tumchewics examines civil affairs in Antwerp (1944-1945)m Russell W. Glenn, assesses the 1945 Battle for Manila in the context of urban disaster; James M. Duggan, John Petrozzelli, and Jay Slattery discuss lessons learned for the Boston Marathon Bombing, while Nadav Morag looks at recent Israeli urban operations experience (before the 7 October Gaza situation and its bloody aftermath). Dinesh Napal looks at the Colonial era antecedents of contemporary surveillance, while David J.H. Burden looks at wargaming as a means of understanding the Battle of Hue. Urban Littoral Operations (ULO) is another emerging urban threat covered through a NATO lens by Alex Case and Gordon Pendleton in their chapter, “NATO’s path to addressing Urban and Urban Littoral Operations.” Future considerations are explored in Anthony King’s “Artificial Intelligence and Urban Operations,” and David Kilcullen sums up the book by looking at “Future Operations In Context.”