PREFACE
This monograph is a case study analysis of three recent urban operations. The objective of this research was to update lessons learned
about military urban operations and determine the significance of
recent changes. The three cases examined—Panama in 1989, Somalia in 1992–1993, and Chechnya in 1994–1996—captured the range of
political constraints that military forces must operate under in urban
environments.
This research was conducted for the project “Military Operations on
Urbanized Terrain,” directed by Russell Glenn and Randy Steeb. The
project was sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary
of the Army for Research and Technology and conducted in the
Force Development and Technology Program of RAND’s Arroyo
Center, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the United States Army. This research should be of interest
to anyone concerned about recent trends in the conduct of urban
operations.
iii