In this episode, John Spencer speaks to retired Colonel Leonard DeFrancisci. In 2004, he was a civil affairs detachment commander for the Marine Corps' Regimental Combat Team 1 during the Second Battle of Fallujah, Iraq. He describes the role of civil affairs in the lead-up to that battle and the activities undertaken by civil affairs forces during the fighting. His story highlights the special capabilities civil affairs soldiers and Marines can bring to even a high-intensity urban battle.
In this episode of the Urban Warfare Project Podcast, from the Modern War Institute at West Point, John Spencer is joined by Col. Rich...
When Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February, one of their first targets was the city of Mariupol. The battle that followed is an epic...
In 2003, one of the most consequential urban operations in modern military history took place as US forces approached Baghdad from the south—the battle...