Building a Better Trojan Horse

Joint urban operations have grown in importance since the early 1990's, with doctrine on the verge of production. This paper captures the joint urban warfare phenomenon of the past decade, its emergence in the field of military art, and the directions that it will likely take. Developing alongside joint urban warfare doctrine is the transformation of the U.S. Army. The transformation will provide the Joint Force Commander new roles and missions for Army forces in the joint team. The study recommends strategic descent as one such role. The descent describes a single powerful blow-a coup de main-delivered at the outset of a campaign or operation. The descent can provide an early decision in the conflict or seize the initiative for the joint force before it completely arrives into theater. The objective forces of the Army will be capable of non-littoral descents in particular, given their new strategically responsive capabilities. For urban operations, the joint commander can avoid the long buildup of forces by deploying the objective Army forces rapidly to establish U.S. presence in theater. The unique capabilities being developed for the objective force will enrich the joint commander's menu of military options for future joint urban operations.