People Make the City, Executive Summary: Joint Urban Operations Observations and Insights from Afghanistan and Iraq

摘要

Ongoing operations in the villages, towns, and cities of Afghanistan and Iraq offer the first real test of the United States' joint urban operations doctrine, which was published in 2002. The objective of this study was to reveal tools that will better enable military and civilian alike to meet national policy objectives best through more effective conduct of urban combat and restoration. To do so, the study drew heavily on written material and interviews pertaining to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Written information used includes thousands of pages of hard- copy and electronic material, much of it from military personnel still serving in theater at the time of its writing. The 102 interviews included those with members of the U.S., UK, and Australian armed forces and civilians working to reconstruct Iraq. The military personnel represent the four service arms and both regular and special operations organizations. The time frame for the study corresponds to two collection phases. Phase I was conducted from October 2003 to April 2004; Phase II was conducted from July 2004 to September 2004. The results of a third phase of the study will be published under separate cover. Drawing from both the written sources and the interviews, the authors present three overarching observations that are particularly relevant in demonstrating the character or influence of joint urban undertakings: (1) The 'Three-Block War' Is the Reality During Modern Urban Operations, (2) The Importance of Orchestrating Urban Military and Civil Activities in Support of Strategic Objectives Is Fundamental to National and Coalition Success, and (3) Urban Operations Increasingly Characterize the General Character of U.S. and Coalition Undertakings. The authors also provide 25 other observations and highlights organized using the joint urban doctrine operational construct of understand, shape, engage, consolidate, and transition (USECT).