Urban Warfare at the Operational Level: Identifying Centers of Gravity and Key Nodes

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Abstract : The unprecedented rate of growth of the world population, combined with the migration to cities in the developing world, portend an increase in military operations in the urban environment. The intent of this paper is to focus the reader on the operational level of urban warfare. A key task for the Joint Force Commander and his staff will be to identify the targets against which he will employ his component forces. One method of doing this is by using John Warden's Five Ring Analysis as an aid in identifying key centers of gravity (COGs), then to perform a nodal analysis on those COGs in order to determine the specific components to be attacked. In order to demonstrate this technique in urban operations, three typical mission types will be examined: noncombatant evacuation operations (NEOs), apprehension of individuals, and attacking nuclear weapons production capabilities. Why these three? First, they all have significant impact on national interests. NEOs, which occur more often than any other urban operation, involve the protection of US civilians from death or injury. Apprehension missions, especially if the individual is a terrorist leader, directly target those who initiate attacks on US citizens or in other ways threaten national interests. Finally, nuclear proliferation presents the gravest danger to the US. The best way to defend against nuclear attack by a rogue state is to eliminate the production capability before the weapons exist. The second reason for selecting these three mission types is variety. Each presents a different operational environment. Examining these three introduces the reader to the methods involved in target development at the operational level in the urban environment. The individual nodes and sample missions are not the important product. The purpose of the paper is to show the process, and to move military planners from tactical level analysis of urban operations to the operational level.