The Great Equalizer: Irregular Warfare in the City

Subscribe to the IWI monthly newsletter by going to www.irregularwarfare.org! This episode explores the interplay between urban spaces and irregular warfare. Our guests are John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, and Sergeant Major Charles Ritter, deputy commondant of the Noncommissioned Officer Academy at the US Army's JFK Special Warfare Center and School. They begin by examining how demographic and economic shifts are increasing the importance of urban centers around the globe. They then explore the realities of urban combat and discuss the ways that densely populated areas and local politics can complicate irregular warfare activities, including the question of whether urban spaces favor the insurgent or the government. They end by discussing how the United States can address shortcomings in its force structure and training to optimize its approach to urban conflict in the twenty-first century. Intro music: "Unsilenced" by Ketsa Outro music: "Launch" by Ketsa CC BY-NC-ND 4.0