The acute difficulties of urban operations epitomised by the struggle in Stalingrad recurred in Mosul, Raqqa and Marawi, exhibiting that the fundamental requirement for slow, systematic and deliberate clearing building-by-building is no easier 70 years later. In fact, the shift is in the other direction—things are now more difficult.  The enduring complications imposed by physical structures are now compounded by the presence of populations and informational factors, rendering the modern urban fight truly …

Cities can be as vulnerable to the effects of conflict as the communities that live within them. After critical infrastructure serving the residents of Aden city in Yemen was damaged by fighting in August 2019, nearly 200,000 people were left without clean drinking water. It took only 72 hours of fighting with heavy weapons to disrupt this critical service that had endured since the start of the Yemeni conflict in 2015. And Aden is only one example within Yemen. Between January and September 2019, the …

Tactical Observations on the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine This Spotlight Brief examines Russia’s combined-arms approach during its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. To provide context, it discusses the primary Russian tactical unit of action, the Battalion Tactical Group. It subsequently explores a range of observations on the application of combined-arms at the tactical level during the initial phases of the invasion. It concludes by offering a number of deductions pertinent to the Australian Army’s own …

An Operational Overview of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine February Abstract This Spotlight Brief describes the events of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, part of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. This analysis is in three parts: first, it examines the broad composition of the Russian and Ukrainian Armed Forces; second, it discusses the first phase of the invasion from February-April outlining the major operational level actions; and third, it discusses the invasion’s second phase covering the …

This Spotlight Brief  provides an introduction and context to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. It discusses Ukraine’s strategic circumstances and provides an overview of the chain of events which led to it. The Brief aims to provide a wide audience with a basis of knowledge to better understand the relationship between Russia and Ukraine and why the conflict occurred.  … Spotlight Brief …

In Part 1 of this series , Dan Kealy drew attention to one of the great themes of urban warfare literature - that city fighting is uniquely, excessively bloody. This article charts the development of this theme from World War II to the present and argues that it manifests a core challenge to the achievement of successful urban operations – specifically, force protection. The dilemma of ‘prophylactic high explosive’ A recurring observation throughout urban warfare literature is that lessons have to be …

The following interactive scenario is part of an ongoing series written by Dr Charles Knight on the topic of urban warfare. Readers are invited to use this Land Power Forum to propose a concept for an Australian clearance operation on dense urban terrain against determined opposition similar to that encountered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines during the Battle of Marawi .  You might suggest ways of employing existing capabilities, or the introduction of different systems—with the proviso that any …

This blog is part of an ongoing series written by Dr Charles Knight on the topic of urban warfare. Our people must be leaders and integrators who contribute to multi-disciplinary teams, enabling us to thrive in uncertainty, adapt to change and generate solutions. We must leverage emerging technology as a potential source of advantage, integrating new technologies within the joint force…. We must pull the future towards us rather than wait for it; Army must respond proactively by rethinking our contribution …