Army May Have to Rely on Simulators to Train for Future Urban Combat
Army May Have to Rely on Simulators to Train for Future Urban Combat by Matthew Cox – Military.com
The head of Army Training and Doctrine Command said recently that the service will have to depend on high-tech simulations to prepare soldiers and leaders for the challenges they will face in complex, megacity warfare.
Army leaders are certain that future conflicts will occur in large urban areas, known as megacities -- a reality that is forcing senior leaders to rethink how the service will prepare for this new type of warfare.
"Our military doctrine used to tell commanders to avoid cities altogether -- bypass cities if you can do it," TRADOC Commander Gen. Stephen Townsend told an audience Tuesday at the Association of the United States Army LANPAC Symposium and Exposition in Hawaii.
"That's been impossible for a number of years; the enemy will dig into cities and force you to root him out," he said.
Over the years, Army units have built small-scale urban training centers, but it is impossible to design anything recreating the unique obstacles combat units will face in cities with populations of 10 million people or more, Townsend said…