Army Video: The Complexities of Maintaining Military Control in the Cities of the Future
The megacities of the future (population >10M) will be more densely populated and socially and politically complex than anything we know today. People will be stacked up—people living in high-rise apartments, at street level, and below the streets—with distinct political and social systems at each level. (H/T The Intercept)
Comments
I've sat in on a few megacities seminars over the past few years since the CSA's Strategic Studies Group began looking at this "problem set". What consistently struck me is how the obvious, and unavoidable capacity gobbling gergraphy (depth, breadth, vertical, subterranean) seems to get tabled early on for the sake of discussion and problem framing. There are practical reasons why urban areas have been avoided, or simply destroyed throughout history.
I don't know if I agree with the demographic data used to produce this video, but I doubt anyone in the Army will care. Cities will be bypassed unless they are the capital of the government, or they produce key components of the enemy's military or economic infrastructure. They are not necessary to win campaigns. As for "rapidly turning the cities back to the people"... hey, that State's problem. The Army has washed it's hands of such matters long ago. The last time we really gave a crap about control after the bullets stopped flying was WWII. Since then we have systematically reduced our interest in wars to strictly fighting the enemy's military. Securing the ultimate politically victory is not our problem. We have turned that over the the JIIM players, led by the great, mythic, Civilian Surge.
The Army is falling further and further out of touch with the modern purpose of war. It wins campaigns, not wars.