For more than a year now, the world has watched as Ukrainian cities have become unrecognizable, transformed by the destruction of the ongoing war triggered by Russia's invasion. Bucha, Mariupol, Kherson, Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, Bakhmut—these are just a few among many cities that, when the fighting ends, will face the monumental task of rebuilding. To better understand what that task involves, John Spencer is joined on this episode by retired Colonel Leonard DeFrancisci. A Marine Corps officer, he led a civil affairs detachment during the Second Battle of Fallujah and participated in the massive coalition effort to rebuild the city after the intense fighting and major destruction of the urban battle. He describes that effort in a conversation rich with lessons that will be important when the challenge of rebuilding Ukrainian cities comes.
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 this episode, John Spencer is joined by Rob Taylor, company director of 4GD, a UK-based organization that specializes in developing unique close-combat training...
In this episode, John Spencer is joined by Stuart Lyle. The urban operations lead for the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, he describes...