FM 3-06.1 Aviation Urban Operations.pdf

This is the latest edition of an important U.S. Army field manual (FM) covering the planning and conduct of air attacks in urban settings. Some highlights of the contents: "Urban areas generally function as centers of social, economic, industrial, and political power. These areas facilitate formal and informal civilian and military interaction, and can offer ready access to important resources, such as labor, water, technology, and information. Historically, United States (US) Forces have operated within, or in close proximity to urban areas. Demographic and population trends indicate that, in the future, a majority of the world's population will reside in urban areas. Trends toward increased urbanization increase the potential for US forces to operate in urban areas. US Army and US Marine Corps (USMC) doctrine recommends isolating and bypassing urban areas when possible due to the costs involved. Former Soviet Union doctrine also recommended avoiding large cities in favor of speed and maneuver. However, avoiding urban areas does not prevent an adversary from exploiting its defensive advantages. US Air Force (USAF) doctrine maintains that air-power's versatility and responsiveness allows the simultaneous application of mass and air maneuver, almost anywhere, from almost any direction. The speed, range, precision weapons, communications, command and control (C2), information gathering, and transportation capabilities of US military aircraft enable airpower to play a major, if not decisive, role in urban operations when proper tactics are employed. This is possible whether aviation operations are conducted independently, or in conjunction with the operations of friendly ground forces. Operations in Panama City, Baghdad, Mogadishu, Port Au Prince, Sarajevo, and Pristina, are a few examples where air-power has been influential in urban operations in the past. Aviation urban operations can be planned and conducted across the range of military operations. The two dominant characteristics affecting aviation urban operations are the existence of man-made construction and the presence of noncombatants. These operations may be conducted on or against objectives on a complex urban topology and its adjacent natural terrain. The compressed battle-space in the urban environment creates unique considerations for planning and conducting aviation operations. These include: (1) operations in urban canyons, (2) deconfliction in confined airspace, (3) restrictive rules of engagement (ROE), (4) difficulty in threat analysis, (5) an overload of visual cues, (6) the presence of noncombatants, (7) the potential for collateral damage, and (8) the increased risk of fratricide." This manual is produced by Headquarters, US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). It is fully illustrated with numerous line drawings.