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Joint
Urban Operations
During
the coming decades the U.S. will almost certainly be called
upon to conduct military operations in areas characterized
by multiple structures, many noncombatants and complex infrastructure,
i.e., urban areas. Such areas are political, cultural, and
economic centers, as well as hubs for transportation, information
and manufacturing. Also, most scenarios at the lower levels
of conflict, including counter-terrorism, focus on civilians,
and therefore on urban areas. However, the urban environment
constrains many of the advantages that U.S. forces currently
enjoy in open environments, and operations there involve risks
of high casualties to friendly forces and noncombatants, and
extensive collateral damage. In many scenarios such unintended
consequences may complicate or defeat the goals of U.S. involvement.
Department
of Defense officials believe that forces must now begin to
train for this type of environment. It has tapped U.S. Joint
Forces Command (JFCOM) to assist in conditioning American
forces for urban warfare.
Each of
the military services, including the U.S. Marine Corps and
the U.S. Army, have worked to develop tactics for urban operations
and urban warfare through projects such as the Marine Corps’
Urban Warrior and Project Metropolis programs and the Army’s
Combined Arms MOUT (Military Operations on Urban Terrain)
Task Force. Together, the Army and Marine Corps with the Office
of the Secretary of Defense are working on the MOUT Advanced
Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD).
Although
these services have served as the accepted experts, studies
have revealed that this is traditionally an area of warfare
where American forces overall are lacking, and the JFCOM goal
is to study the subject and make recommendations for establishing
a format that forces will follow in the urban environment.
One of
the particular tools the center seeks to create is a command,
control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance,
and reconnaissance (C4ISR) suite that will allow the joint
force commander to have clear situational awareness within
the urban environment. Along with creating C4ISR equipment,
the center also seeks to improve communications between the
joint force commander and service commanders, Department of
Defense agencies, and the federal agencies that may be involved
with an operation. As the “hub” for joint urban
operations, the center will attempt to establish methods of
improved communications to create a truly joint operational
environment.
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