Corralling the Trojan Horse; A Proposal for Improving U.S. Urban Operations, Preparedness in the Period 2000-2025

Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2001. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Trade paperback. Very good. xiii, [1], 29, [1] pages. Illustrations. Glossary. This is a documented briefing. It presents alternatives to continuing 'business as usual'. It is a product of ongoing work by RAND Arroyo Urban Operations Team to find ways to accomplish missions in urban areas at reduced loss of friendly force and noncombatant life and with less damage to city infrastructures. This new approach is an alternative to today's 'close combat' urban operations paradigm that requires commitment of large numbers of soldiers to urban actions. This study presents an alternative to continued reliance on close combat urban operations paradigms that require a commitment of large numbers of soldiers to urban actions. It has six mutually reinforcing, largely simultaneous components: intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance enhancements; denial of access; nodal operations; noncombatant control; selective dominance; and post-conflict sustainment. Although the analysis largely focuses on combat operations, these elements are also applicable to serving objectives inherent during stability and support missions, whether these are part of a larger combat contingency or themselves dominate actions in the theater of operations. The period considered is 2000-2025. There is continuity inherent in the analysis. It is recognized that reaching the desired end state of a much improved way of conducting urban operations demands somewhat consistent fiscal policies, technological development, and leader support over that span of years.