Analyst evaluates US army tactics to seize cities in Iraq

Massive use of artillery and decentralization of control

Local armed conflicts of recent times often took place in urban areas, which required the leading armies to develop new tactics. This conclusion was reached by the authors of a new collection of military articles “Among the Walls”, which was prepared by the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST).

Military experts analyzed the experience of fighting in urban conditions and the features of military operations during the siege and capture of settlements. In particular, the experience of storming cities by the US military during the war in Iraq has been studied in detail. During the capture of Ramadi and Fallujah, the US military surrounded the settlement, cutting it off from the outside world, after which they gradually narrowed the blockade ring, moving towards the enemy from different directions.

According to analysts, the offensive in the city is a “blind” advance of troops until the first fire contact with the enemy is established, which makes it possible to understand the location and strength of the enemy. Only after that it becomes possible to conduct additional reconnaissance and hit enemy positions with artillery fire.

It must be remembered that during the siege of the city, the consumption of ammunition by the attacking side increases several times. According to the CAST, in urban conditions it can be four times higher than the norms established for combat operations on flat terrain. Therefore, before the start of the operation in the city, it is necessary to accumulate increased ammunition.

Experts listed the ways in which Iraqi forces countered classic American tactics of storming and clearing buildings: the defenders used the urban population as human shields, lined the premises in the captured objects with sandbags and planted mines in doorways. The Americans did not go ahead and decided to consistently destroy these buildings using artillery, tanks and aircraft.

Since it is extremely difficult to maneuver during an offensive in urban areas, and it is completely impossible to conduct a surprise attack on a prepared enemy, American specialists opted for “swarm” tactics, that is, decentralization of the command and control system.

Numerous and self-sufficient units of the US Army did not wait for orders from a higher headquarters, but independently asked for help from other units, as well as reconnaissance and artillery units.

Through the use of horizontal rather than vertical links, American soldiers were able to quickly and effectively respond to enemy actions. According to CAST, this was one of the factors in the victory of the United States in the war in Iraq.