On February 24, 2022, when Russian forces invaded Ukraine, they quickly targeted several key cities. One of those was the industrial hub of Mariupol. For three months, Ukrainian forces defending the city held out, until they were told to surrender on May 20. While thousands were taken into captivity, many whom are still being held as prisoners of wars, at least one civilian fighter, a man named Gennadiy, survived and remained in the city. In this episode of MWI’s Urban Warfare Project Podcast , ...
Sep 15, 2023•28 min
How does Ukraine’s military balance the need to train its forces and fight in a major land war at the same time? In short, any way it can. That includes training led by a number of organizations created and staffed by foreigners in Ukraine, among whom are a number of military veterans from the United States. In this episode, John Spencer speaks to one of those them. Retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Erik Kramer is the cofounder and director of the Ukraine Defense Support Group. He describes his...
Sep 01, 2023•41 min
In this episode, John Spencer is joined by Stuart Lyle. The urban operations lead for the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, he describes a series of research studies and events that led to the creation of a new type of unit called Phalanx. Optimized for the unique challenges of urban warfare, the British Army is currently experimenting with the new unit. He also explains the historical trends that influenced the form Phalanx would take and details the specific changes made to company...
Aug 18, 2023•1 hr
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, a series of battles have taken place for control of cities—Kherson, Mariupol, Kharkiv, and many more. Each of those fights have shared a common characteristic—the presence of civilians—that also represents one of the greatest challenges in urban warfare. Specifically, how can a military force protect noncombatants while it seeks to accomplish its objectives in a city? To explore this question, John Spencer is joined on this episode by Sahr Muhammedal...
Aug 04, 2023•44 min
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, one of its first targets was the city of Mariupol. Despite being outnumbered by—and less well equipped than—their adversaries, Ukrainian defenders held out for three months. As the Russian siege of the city intensified, Ukrainian forces defended a shrinking perimeter with a command post in the Azovstal steel plant. One of those Ukrainian defenders was Sergeant Arseniy Fedosiuk. He joins John Spencer on this episode, relaying his experience in Mariupo...
Jul 21, 2023•1 hr 5 min
In this episode, the second in a two-part series, John Spencer continues his conversation with retired Brig. Gen. Yom Tov Tamir. In the previous episode, he reflected on his long career as an armor officer in the Israel Defense Forces, in which he held positions from tank commander to division commander. Part two picks up with a description of his experiences during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, including the last battle of the war, the Battle of Suez, which ended disastrously. Based on his experienc...
Jul 07, 2023•27 min
In this episode, the first in a two-part series, John Spencer is joined by retired Maj. Gen. Yom Tov Tamir. He served a long career in the Israel Defense Forces as an armor officer holding positions from tank commander to division commander. In 1973, he was an armor battalion commander during the Yom Kippur War. In part one of the conversation, he reflects on his career as an armor officer—from a secret trip to Germany in 1964 to learn about American tanks, through his service in the 1967 Six-Da...
Jun 23, 2023•44 min
In this episode, John Spencer is joined by Rob Taylor, company director of 4GD, a UK-based organization that specializes in developing unique close-combat training facilities—what the company calls "SmartFacilities." He describes those training facilities, how the physical aspects of training can be integrated into synthetic, "integrated reality" environments, and more.
Jun 09, 2023•43 min
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using artillery in urban warfare? What are the tactics, techniques, and procedures that work best when using indirect fires during operations in cities? How has artillery been used by both Russia and Ukraine over the last fifteen months of war? John Spencer explores these questions and more with Captain CJ Drew, an artillery officer in the 82nd Airborne Division. Captain Drew explains the basic artillery and other types of fires available to the US mi...
May 26, 2023•56 min
This month, the 40th Infantry Division, California Army National Guard, is convening a course for division and brigade staff officers and noncommissioned officers aimed at developing the skills needed to plan successful large-scale combat operations in major urban areas. The only course of its kind in the world, this is the third time it will be held. In this episode, John Spencer is joined by Brig. Gen. Robert Wooldridge, the deputy commanding general for operations of the 40th Infantry Divisio...
May 12, 2023•49 min
For a decade, John Spencer has been closely studying urban warfare—including its unique challenges and what is required to prepare for those challenges. He has had the opportunity to visit a wide range of training sites in the United States and all over the world, surveying existing infrastructure and identifying what additional resources are needed. In this episode, he presents a list of ten things that arise in discussions about preparing for military operations in cities, describing which of ...
Apr 28, 2023•36 min
When Russian forces launched their invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, it quickly became apparent that one of their primary objectives was the capital of Kyiv. Over the next five weeks, they attempted to penetrate the city to overthrow the government. By April 2, the outcome of the Battle of Kyiv was clear: Russia had failed. Defying widespread expectations that Russia’s military advantages would weigh in its favor, Ukrainian forces and Kyiv’s civilian population successfully defended the ...
Apr 13, 2023•51 min
For more than a year now, the world has watched as Ukrainian cities have become unrecognizable, transformed by the destruction of the ongoing war triggered by Russia's invasion. Bucha, Mariupol, Kherson, Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, Bakhmut—these are just a few among many cities that, when the fighting ends, will face the monumental task of rebuilding. To better understand what that task involves, John Spencer is joined on this episode by retired Colonel Leonard DeFrancisci. A Marine Corps officer...
Mar 31, 2023•41 min
In this episode, John Spencer is joined again by Michael Kofman, director of the Russia Studies Program at CNA. He researches Russia and the former Soviet Union, specializing in Russian armed forces, military thought, capabilities, and strategy. In the conversation, Kofman describes his recent trip to Bakhmut, Ukraine—the scene of intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces over the past several months. He analyzes the situation for both sides in the battle, including their approaches ...
Mar 17, 2023•36 min
In this episode, John Spencer is joined by Dr. Anthony King, a professor of war studies at the University of Warwick and the author of the book Urban Warfare in the Twenty-First Century . He talks about his book, including an important conclusion: because of discernible trends in urbanization, weapons development, and the size of modern military forces, Western militaries will be unable to avoid fighting in cities in the future....
Mar 03, 2023•37 min
In this episode, John Spencer is joined by Samuel Bendett. An analyst with the Center for Naval Analyses, he specializes in Russian unmanned military systems and artificial intelligence. In the conversation, he discusses his work tracking Russian technological advancements. He also describes various unmanned aerial and ground vehicles Russia is experimenting with for urban combat and explains how lessons learned from Russia's recent experiences fighting in Syria is impacting Russian force develo...
Feb 17, 2023•37 min
In this episode, Canadian Army Major Jayson Geroux joins to discuss the 1943 Battle of Ortona. Sometimes called the “Italian Stalingrad,” the battle took place in the town of Ortona, on Italy's Adriatic coast, during World War II. Maj. Geroux walks listeners through the battle, which pitted a Canadian infantry brigade against German paratroopers, and highlights lessons from the fighting that should inform the way we think about urban warfare and the potential for peer conflict in dense urban ter...
Jan 21, 2023•45 min
On the morning of March 7, 1988, three members of the Palestine Liberation Organization hijacked a bus full of Israeli women traveling to work near the town of Dimona, Israel, in what has become known as the “Mothers’ Bus attack.” Maj. Gen. Avshalom Peled was at the time a platoon commander in the Yamam, an elite Israeli counterterrorist organization that specializes in close-quarters battle, and took part in the rescue operation. He joins this episode and describes his role in the now famous ho...
Jan 06, 2023•29 min
When Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February, one of their first targets was the city of Mariupol. The battle that followed is an epic story of resistance in which a very small number of Ukrainian fighters defended the city for over eighty days against a Russian force five to eight times their size, preventing the Russians from diverting to other parts of Ukraine. In this episode, John Spencer is joined by Aiden Aslin, a British citizen who took part in that battle and was captured by Russian...
Nov 25, 2022•55 min
The Battle of Jenin took place in April 2002 and was a key battle in the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) Operation Defensive Shield. In this episode of the Urban Warfare Project Podcast , John Spencer is joined by Dr. Ohad Leslau, a historian in the IDF's history department and one of the world’s leading experts on the 2002 Battle of Jenin.
Nov 11, 2022•43 min
In this episode, John Spencer is joined by Michael Kofman, research program director in the Russia Studies Program at the Center for Naval Analyses and fellow at the Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The discussion explores the general composition and force design of the Russian military, before turning to the subject of Russia's military performance in Ukraine. Based on this foundation, Michael then offers his insights on some of the major urban battles fought ...
Aug 19, 2022•49 min
In this episode, John Spencer welcomes back Brig. Gen. Robert Wooldridge, the deputy commanding general for operations of the 40th Infantry Division, California Army National Guard. In July, the division held the second iteration of the world’s only course specifically for division and brigade staff officers and noncommissioned officers, aimed at developing the skills needed to plan successful large-scale combat operations in the major urban areas. Brig. Gen. Wooldridge joins to describe the cou...
Aug 05, 2022•49 min
In this episode, John Spencer is joined by retired Colonel Liam Collins. The former director of the Modern War Institute, he also served as a defense advisor to Ukraine from 2016 to 2018. Last month, John and Liam traveled independently to Ukraine to study the Battle of Kyiv. In this first part of a two-episode conversation, John and Liam share some of their preliminary observations on how Ukraine successfully defeated a Russian assault on the capital—ultimately forcing the attackers to retreat ...
Jul 07, 2022•43 min
Urban warfare is the hardest type of warfare any nation can ask their military to conduct. It is more difficult, more complex than any other form, fought on terrain that is not neutral. Militaries can get better at it, but they most first understand why it’s so challenging. In this episode, John Spencer highlights the particular challenges presented by dense urban terrain, sharing insights based on years of research and historical analysis, along with firsthand experience with both urban warfare...
Jun 10, 2022•44 min
In January 2022, John Spencer traveled to the UK to observe a British Army Warfighting Experiment. The experiment was one of many that allows the British Army to partner with the innovation community and industry to explore technological possibilities to address the specific challenges of urban warfighting. In this episode, John speaks to Rob Taylor, CEO of a UK-based organization that specializes in developing immersive close-combat training facilities and opportunities. Rob describes the Janua...
May 27, 2022•26 min
In this episode, John Spencer is joined Brigadier General Meir Finkel. An armor brigade commander in the Second Lebanon War, he is the current head of research and former director of the Dado Center for Interdisciplinary Military Studies / IDF J3. He explains the evolution of the Israel military approach to fighting in dense urban areas and describes several of the unique organizations, tools, and tactics the Israeli military has developed specifically to meet the many challenges of urban warfar...
May 13, 2022•35 min
Social media has played a sizeable role during the war in Ukraine. Not only are various platforms being used for information campaigns by both sides, social media tools like Twitter are the way many people around the world are watching the war unfold. Almost immediately after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Walter Lekh, a Ukrainian doctor living in the United States, organized a Twitter Space—an audio livestream where any Twitter user can listen in—featuring news and expert commentary about the wa...
Apr 29, 2022•26 min
In this episode, guest host Jayson Geroux is joined by retired Lieutenant Colonel Louis DiMarco, a professor of military history at the United States Army Command and Staff College. Dr. Di Marco is the author of the influential 2012 book Concrete Hell: Urban Warfare from Stalingrad to Iraq . In the conversation, he discusses how he became interested in urban warfare and describes the urban warfare history course he developed and continues to teach at the Command and Staff College. He also highli...
Apr 15, 2022•37 min
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it has been apparent that Moscow's strategic goal is to remove the current government and replace it with a Russian-friendly regime. Because cities are the economic and political centers of power for nations, it is no surprise that the capital city of Kyiv has been the decisive objective from the very start. The fight for Kyiv is the only battle that matters in this war. In this special episode, John Spencer discusses what the battle will look like. He breaks ...
Mar 14, 2022•43 min
From October 30 to November 8, 2020, a large-scale battle took place as both sides in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War fought for control of the city of Shusha. A year later, John Spencer traveled to Nagorno-Karabakh to study the war and the details of the battle—from the unique qualities of the urban and surrounding terrain to the tactics of both the defenders and attackers. In this episode, he shares a short lecture he delivered based on his research during that visit.
Feb 18, 2022•37 min
