Employment Of Mechanised Forces
Employment Of Mechanised Forces In An Urban Environment For Both Conventional And Asymmetric Warfare
General
Since World War II, conflicts in Korean and Vietnam wars, Bosnia, Somalia and Lebanon have spilled over into towns and cities. It seems that future conflicts will increasingly feature urban operations as part of the battlefield. There has been rapid and extensive urbanisation at the global level. Forty eight percent of the world's population lived in urban areas in 2003, fifty percent in 2007 and this percentage is expected to rise to sixty one percent by 2030. Urban warfare provides the best chance of neutralising the advantages of mobility, command and control, intelligence and standoff weapons. It also capitalises on the constraint on conventional forces to limit non-combatant casualties and damage to infrastructure. There has been an increasing focus on using military for humanitarian missions. Overpopulated and impoverished Third World cities often require military intervention and the number of United Nations sponsored peace-keeping and peace-enforcing operations has remained substantial. In the realm of conventional operations, operations in urban areas may be required to be undertaken required since they involve the control of strategic locations which are co-located in urban centres and cities as the social, political and economic hubs. The capture of important assets, facilities or even personnel may involve urban combat.
Limitations and Vulnerabilities of Mechanised Forces in Urban Combat
Tanks are designed for fast-moving battle in open terrain, where their mobility, firepower, and survivability make them ideal weapons platforms for high intensity combat. Operations in Urban areas reduce these attributes. Improper employment of armoured vehicles in urban operations, can result in the annihilation of its crew. Tanks and other armoured vehicles are vulnerable to attacks from close range by man-portable anti-tank weapons such as
General
Since World War II, conflicts in Korean and Vietnam wars, Bosnia, Somalia and Lebanon have spilled over into towns and cities. It seems that future conflicts will increasingly feature urban operations as part of the battlefield. There has been rapid and extensive urbanisation at the global level. Forty eight percent of the world's population lived in urban areas in 2003, fifty percent in 2007 and this percentage is expected to rise to sixty one percent by 2030. Urban warfare provides the best chance of neutralising the advantages of mobility, command and control, intelligence and standoff weapons. It also capitalises on the constraint on conventional forces to limit non-combatant casualties and damage to infrastructure. There has been an increasing focus on using military for humanitarian missions. Overpopulated and impoverished Third World cities often require military intervention and the number of United Nations sponsored peace-keeping and peace-enforcing operations has remained substantial. In the realm of conventional operations, operations in urban areas may be required to be undertaken required since they involve the control of strategic locations which are co-located in urban centres and cities as the social, political and economic hubs. The capture of important assets, facilities or even personnel may involve urban combat.
Limitations and Vulnerabilities of Mechanised Forces in Urban Combat
Tanks are designed for fast-moving battle in open terrain, where their mobility, firepower, and survivability make them ideal weapons platforms for high intensity combat. Operations in Urban areas reduce these attributes. Improper employment of armoured vehicles in urban operations, can result in the annihilation of its crew. Tanks and other armoured vehicles are vulnerable to attacks from close range by man-portable anti-tank weapons such as