Understanding Urban Warfare - by Liam Collins & John Spencer (Paperback)

About the Book

In an increasingly urban world, the future character of conflict will also be increasingly urban. This

book sets out to understand that future.

Book Synopsis

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

Review Quotes

"Understanding Urban Warfare's ambitious title reflects the authors' challenging objective to make combat's most complicated form understandable - and Liam Collins and John Spencer have succeeded brilliantly. Leveraging the experiences of recent operations, they provide insights and lessons essential for soldiers and policymakers alike. A riveting read." - General Stanley McChrystal (US Army, Ret.) former Commander of U.S. and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Afghanistan and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), New York Times best-selling author of My Share of the Task and Team of Teams

"A timely, important, and exceptional examination of the extraordinary challenges of urban warfare by two soldier-scholars with considerable experience and expertise in urban combat. Understanding Urban Warfare is the consummate study that demonstrates how critical it is that policy makers and military leaders understand the dynamics of urban ecosystems and how to deal with them." - General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, U.S. Central Command, and NATO and US Forces in Afghanistan, and former Director of the CIA.

"Our next war will most likely be fought in cities. Here Col Collins and Col. Spencer have compiled more than a dozen case studies, each featuring a different expert participant. The reader can grasp the challenge: It seems urban warfare, like all other branches of combat, is so sui generis that no cookie-cutter model of doctrine applies. So one has to read widely and adapt, adapt, adapt." - Bing West, bestselling author of No True Glory: A Front-line Account of the Battle for Fallujah.