Is a full scale MOUT operation possible?

[Type Username Here]

How is Khe Sanh a mout? Khe Sanh is a military base, not a big city... I Think you mean Huey... and if you're going to destroy the whole city like Fallujah, of course its probable.

You are absolutely correct. Hue City was what I was thinking about.

Thank you for the correction.

Also, I have been in Fallujah the city proper. It is minuscule compared to the scenario I'm presenting here.

 

[Broke Wave]

You are absolutely correct. Hue City was what I was thinking about.

Thank you for the correction.

Also, I have been in Fallujah the city proper. It is minuscule compared to the scenario I'm presenting here.

Cities are actually really bad military objectives. They are too costly to capture and cause hatred from the native population. The armies of the defending country are usually vanquished before a city is attacked or captured.

The Americans were actually DEFENDING in Hue, which is interesting.

Basically what I'm saying is in a hypothetical invasion of the US, the waters and airspace around NYC are more valuable than capturing the actual city.

In Somalia, the AMISOM troops, trained by US special forces, have been successfully drawing the Al Shabaab fighters into the field, rather than attempting to go into the city and meet them, where they have IED's and are in trenched. Supply lines and ports have forced the Shabaab into the field and into troop movements, and that's how they got crushed.

 

[Type Username Here]

Cities are actually really bad military objectives. They are too costly to capture and cause hatred from the native population. The armies of the defending country are usually vanquished before a city is attacked or captured.

The Americans were actually DEFENDING in Hue, which is interesting.

Basically what I'm saying is in a hypothetical invasion of the US, the waters and airspace around NYC are more valuable than capturing the actual city.

In Somalia, the AMISOM troops, trained by US special forces, have been successfully drawing the Al Shabaab fighters into the field, rather than attempting to go into the city and meet them, where they have IED's and are in trenched. Supply lines and ports have forced the Shabaab into the field and into troop movements, and that's how they got crushed.

I agree. I have been in urban warfare, and it was our platoon versus maybe a squad. They strictly had the advantage. It is very difficult to move when you are the offensive force and the enemy can blend in to the populace when they feel they have had their position compromised. I'm not disputing anything you are saying, I'm just throwing a hypothetical question/scenario out there.

We all saw what happened in Mogadishu as well. It isn't easy.

 

[Broke Wave]

I agree. I have been in urban warfare, and it was our platoon versus maybe a squad. They strictly had the advantage. It is very difficult to move when you are the offensive force and the enemy can blend in to the populace when they feel they have had their position compromised. I'm not disputing anything you are saying, I'm just throwing a hypothetical question/scenario out there.

We all saw what happened in Mogadishu as well. It isn't easy.

Yeah I agree totally. That's why the new conflict in Somalia and the success of the AMISOM troops is so interesting because the US spec ops, armed with the knowledge of battles like Fallujah, played a very smart game against the terrorists.

The enemy, entrenched and encircled, is not allowed to support their allies. It has them unable to properly communicate, and they start getting desperate.