Urban Warfare

In future, US forces may engage in urban warfare with not only irregular forces but also some regular and well-organized forces. In such a case, US and NATO forces might have to engage in urban warfare against Russians to preclude a fait accompli and cost-effective success. In 2006, the term Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT) was replaced by Urban Operations (UO). Complexity of modern cities/metropolises have been identified as a major concern in recent engagements. According to US Army Field Manual, insurgents will pose asymmetrical threat in urban warfare – a threat that uses dissimilar weapons or force to offset US superior military force and technological advantage. In urban warfare, militaries face various challenges like problematic communications, poor command and control, and difficult target acquisition. The changing nature of threat calls for understanding urban warfare even better. Modern adversary will stage urban warfare in alliance with enemies within to discredit American role in international politics.