Army Urban Warfare Training

In the future, more combat will take place in heavily populated urban environments.

Urban warfare is a reality for today's Army. Throughout out its history, the U.S. Army has engaged enemy forces in urban environments, and relatively recent battles in Somalia and Iraq have emphasized the need for training in urban warfare. With more of the world's population living in cities, and with the cities themselves growing, it is likely that training for urban combat will be increasingly necessary.

Training Environments

Urban warfare training grounds are supposed to be as challenging as actual urban combat would be. One such training ground is Fort Polk, Louisiana. Fort Polk is a location where soldiers and marines train for combat in urban environments. Fort Polk is made up of farm and swamp land that has been made into a realistic urban warfare environment. The buildings on such training grounds might be multi-leveled with stairs and basements. Houses might be occupied by "enemies" or "civilians." Actors or other soldiers will have been at the location battleground before the soldiers acting as the American force arrive. This allows them to better understand the terrain and to set traps that might be found in an urban battleground.

Training Features

Soldiers might try to take over buildings, houses, or other territories from "insurgents" or "guerrillas." Other tasks might include gathering intelligence from "civilian" sources, evacuating civilians or important people, and of course distinguishing between enemies and civilians during mock firefights and fast-paced situations.

Analysis

One way the Army can track the success or failure of an urban warfare training exercise is through recording devices placed on soldiers. When soldiers are "shot" or otherwise immobilized during training, these devices record them as casualties. Additionally, urban warfare training grounds have many cameras that record the movements made by soldiers participating in the exercises.

Training Motivations

The reasons for increasing urban warfare training are many. First, American soldiers have always occupied and fought in urban environments. Secondly, with the majority of the population of the world either living in or moving to urban areas, it is likely that more combat in the future will take place in urban settings. With the Soviet Union out of the picture, warfare is likely to be fought in less direct, and less conventional ways. In the new urban environment the American soldier, although well equipped, might not be able to use certain long-range weapons or rely on helicopter or air support in urban environments, and insurgents or guerrillas may perceive this as an advantage. Training American troops for such situations can reduce or eliminate any advantages that insurgents or guerrillas might have.

Controversy

Some urban warfare training has been controversial. Communities can be caught by surprise when soldiers dressed for combat and carrying guns show up in large numbers. If the community is not informed ahead of time, or disapproves of current U.S. combat operations, citizens may not welcome military training in their neighborhoods or cities. For example, on Feb. 9, 2008 the mayor of Toledo refused access to Marines who wanted to train in the city, citing concerns over Marines frightening citizens.

References

• U.S. Training and Doctrine Command Office of the Chief of Public Affairs: Infantrymen train for urban warfare
• Christian Science Monitor: US Tests New Tactics in Urban Warfare
• Global Security.Org: Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT)
• Toledo on the Move.com: Mayor Kicks Marines out of Toledo
• Army Times: city says spec ops training to move