On 9 December 2020, the Marshall Center’s Professor James K. Wither conducted the first lecture in a series entitled Special Topic Presentations for Alumni, hosted by the Marshall Center’s Alumni Programs Office. The goal of these presentations is to provide alumni with an update on a current and relevant security topic of common interest. Professor Wither’s presentation focused on the topic of Modern Urban Warfare. It addressed the scope and recent trends of modern urban warfare, key factors and characteristics of the urban battleground, the urban combat environment, political and legal challenges, the use of proxy forces, and preparation of military forces for urban operations.

The event occurred on the Zoom for Government virtual platform and included a moderated discussion period and brief Marshall Center Alumni Programs update.  It was attended by 30 Marshall Center alumni representing 22 countries, spanning the globe from Guatemala to Mongolia, and representing seven different Marshall Center resident courses, including PASS, PTSS, CTOC, SRS, SES, ESS, and SCWMD/T. Participants were able to share personal experiences and contributed with examples of current urban combat situations. The event was neatly summarized by the following participant comment: “thank you for the excellent presentation and the very interesting questions and comments from the participants. It was more than useful for all of us! Looking forward to future events!”

Videos & Files: 

Click HERE to view the presentation (length: 44 minutes including an embedded video (8 minutes)). NOTE: Login required!

Also, click on this link to access a copy of the presentation in PDF format:  Modern Urban Warfare Presentation (pdf version). NOTE: Login required!