M3D2: Military Operations and Megacities

38583M3D2: Military Operations and Megacities

Felix and Wong make clear in their article that megacities, which will become more common in the 21st century-present complex new problems for military planning. In this activity, we discuss the challenges armed forces would confront when deployed inside a megacity.

When you have completed this activity, you will be able to:

Explain the unique challenges of urban terrain for military operations and the attraction of cities for enemy strategists (CO#2);
Analyze the challenges of global urbanization for American security policy (CO#5).

Please respond to the following:

The U.S. military now has extensive experience engaging hostile forces inside large cities and conducting stability and support operations, yet megacities offer even greater complexity than a city like Baghdad, and the United States may find itself involved in a range of operations inside a giant metropolis-Istanbul, for example has a population of over 14 million; in the last century, the North Anatolian Fault produced a devastating series of earthquakes, which in sequence are moving closer to Istanbul. Seismologists now forecast strong probability of a very powerful earthquake close to the city by 2034. Turkey is a NATO partner. Post your answers to this question: What challenges would the United States, and specifically the military confront in delivering humanitarian aid to Istanbul in the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake? Explain your answer using proper citations and other references.

Week 3 Reading:

Module Notes: Urbanization, Warfare and U.S. Power
Adamson, W.G. (2015) Megacities and the U.S. ArmyPreview the document [PDF, File Size 241 KB] Parameters (Spring 2015)
Khanna, P. (2010). Beyond city limits: The age of nations is over (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Foreign Policy, (181). 120.
Norton, R. J. (2003). FERAL CITIES (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Naval War College Review, 56(4), 97