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Dr Charles Knight
@ChasAHKnight
Researching capabilities for urban ops & asymmetric war. PhD in repressive COIN. Schooled in then-defensive 🇬🇧 army, 🇴🇲 & Cold War. Critiques to refine.
Australian Capital Territory
Joined October 2018
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    How do militaries avoid future urban war repeating the strategic disaster of 1st Fallujah? Pleased our monograph analysing media reporting of 6 battles, with recommendations, published by EuroISME today. Research at Macquarie & Charles Sturt Universities. euroisme.eu/images/Documen…
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    Improvisation can be fraught!
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    Replying to @WarintheFuture
    As you say, nothing new. The Soviets had two battalions of tele-tanks in the Winter War of 1939, which helped breach the Mannerheim line. They even had rudimentary 'TV' by 1941. Stalin's execution of Vladimir Bekauri & his engineers ended the capability.
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    Troops seem relaxed about safety angles! Difficult to draw tactical observations from context free clips, but this does reinforce the observation that urban training areas, with a couple of honourable exceptions, don't replicate the combat environment.
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    Replying to @DrewPavlou
    Please, Drew, consider that your assertion might be counterproductive hyperbole that distracts those who might otherwise sympathise, but know the definition of a traitor. We choose to assist Ukraine, but that soldier is not serving the crown to which you owe allegiance.
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    Replying to @Mr_Andrew_Fox
    Huge agree, Andrew. This is compounded by the fact that , absent personal contacts, there are virtually no reliable unclassified sources of truth (& UK reliance on US product may occasionally threaten even that). We have to triangulate from the InfoOps product of both sides.
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    Urbanistas take note. Thermobaric munition launchers are key to urban TTP in both 🇷🇺 & 🇨🇳. Both have dedicated unit for employing them in close combat, but far easier to train a soldier to be competent in one than competent in CQB.
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    Replying to @JaysonGeroux and @INTELonIRAN
    Depending on who you consider the attackers, the early stages of the 1937 Battle of Shanghai saw wide directed counter-attacks as did Dachang. Similarly early (Oct) Khorramshahr 1980 saw the Pasandran check the Iraqis who were pushed back by probably spontaneous Iraninan actions.
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    Replying to @LtCatra
    Gurkha gate guard at the 🇴🇲 Zeek Special Forces Camp to Sultan Qaboos. "Yes, your majesty, I know exactly who you are but my orders are not to let anybody inside without an ID card - so you may not pass" .....duty officer let HM in - who promptly promoted the soldier.
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    Replying to @Ed12989 @JaysonGeroux and @INTELonIRAN
    Urban stay behind is an old tactic, used against an incautious enemy - but it is high risk, so more common in martydom cultures. Small groups may be trapped & rapidly eliminated, while larger ones are more likely to be discovered in hiding & are then massed & very vulnerable.
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    It is astounding to see how far Singapore is ahead of most militaries in urban training infrastructure - noting also the massive (Bn Level) live fire complex they have built at Shoalwater Bay in Australia. Why are they able to decide and act at scale and others don't?
    Bit late, but here’s a panorama of what Singapore’s soon-to-open SAFTI City urban training facility looks like. Even has a MRT (subway) train
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    Replying to @FromKulak
    Wow. I relish your contesting, but this is going off the reservation. I've been to Bergen-Belsen. A partners mother was in Auschwitz. I've talked to unrepentant Nazis who lamented not finishing the job. It's about as 'proven' as it can be.
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    Replying to @mlcombatives and @malsaafin
    That's not an argument for genocide (it might be one against what some definitions call genocide), rather it seems to be an argument against creating another generation even readier to embrace martyrdom to destroy Israel.
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    An underappreciated capability for urban warfare. Esp. with UAV & guided munitions the Tyulpan gives 🇷🇺 commanders an assured capability to stand off, swiftly & systemically collapse buildings & destroy strong points, without Western-like dependence on air superiority & weather.
    Replying to @RALee85
    Video of 2S4 Tyulpan 240mm heavy mortars from the Western Military District's 45th High-Power Artillery Brigade conducting a live-fire exercise in Tambov with Orlan-10 UAVs. 5/ youtube.com/watch?v=L5NwmP…
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