The Urban Warrior: What are the Dismounted Infantry Skills Necessary to Survive in Today's Urban Fighting

The topic of this thesis is Military Operations on Urbanized Terrain MOUT. Specifically, certain essential skills for the dismounted infantry soldier are lacking in todays training, doctrine, and skills. This is a study of MOUT training in the U.S. Army. It reviews the recent history of urban operations in the world. It will compare performance in actual operations with training initiatives to substantiate the necessity for improved MOUT training. The examination of current MOUT training will include the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and the British Army training facility at Cope Hill Downs near the town of Warminster, England. The study shows how the U.S. Army is struggling to train the soldiers in the urban environment. It will include possible solutions to overcome the gap in readiness. In a downsized Army, scarce resources mandate effective training resource management. Cost effective, yet demanding, training must be identified, resourced, and executed to prepare the soldier for tomorrows battlefield conditions.