Urban Warfare Project

The 2008 Mumbai Attacks

On November 26, 2008, ten Pakistan-based members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group infiltrated Mumbai and launched nearly simultaneous attacks on five sites across the city. They paralyzed a metropolis of nearly eighteen million people for more than sixty hours. By the end of the siege, the attackers had killed 174 people and wounded hundreds more. In this episode, John Spencer is joined by retired Colonel Liam Collins to discuss their extensive research into the attacks. Drawing on a firsthand battlefield assessment conducted in Mumbai, including visits to every attack location, they examine how a small terrorist force exploited the density, complexity, and flows of a megacity to overwhelm local security forces and force a national-level response.

The Tunnels of Gaza

Since the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, John Spencer has conducted research during seven trips to the country, and has had the opportunity to visit Gaza City. His firsthand experience gives him a deep and nuanced understanding of the vast tunnel network that runs underneath Gaza. In this episode, he shares his observations from this research. He also describes the ways Hamas has employed subterranean spaces to move personnel and materiel, produce and store weapons, hold hostages, and protect leadership. And he explains why he believes the tunnel network has mattered more than the fight above ground over two years of war.

Mossad's Raid in Tehran, 2018

In January 2018, Mossad operatives infiltrated a secret warehouse in Tehran, Iran, broke into dozens of massive safes, and in just under seven hours extracted more than one hundred thousand documents and over half a ton of material detailing Iran’s covert nuclear weapons program. The raid, code-named Operation Stealing the Reality, was the result of two years of planning. In this episode, John Spencer speaks with Yossi Cohen, the former director of Mossad who led the organization through this extraordinary urban operation. Their conversation reveals the extraordinary detail, preparation, and risk behind a raid that changed history.

The 2005 Battle of Tal Afar, with Retired Lieutenant General H. R. McMaster

In 2005, then Colonel H. R. McMaster commanded the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment during the Battle of Tal Afar. At the time, the city was a key stronghold for al-Qaeda in Iraq and a staging ground for fighters and suicide bombers crossing into northwestern Iraq from Syria. Operation Restoring Rights was launched to clear insurgents, restore order, and protect the civilian population from the sectarian violence ravaging the city. It is often referenced as a model example of the clear, hold, build approach to counterinsurgency. McMaster joins this episode to share his uniquely insightful perspective on the battle—how the fight was shaped by lessons from Fallujah, how his team integrated Iraqi security forces and tribal leaders, and how planning focused not just on clearing the city but holding it and restoring life afterward.

The Future of Autonomous Policing

In this episode, John Spencer is joined by Captain Ryan Danowitz of the El Segundo Police Department. Drawing on his eighteen years of policing experience and research conducted through California’s Law Enforcement Command College, Captain Danowitz explores how artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles could reshape urban policing. He discusses how these vehicles might enhance deterrence, increase patrol coverage, assist with detainee transport, and serve as force multipliers for overburdened departments. He also describes the very real ethical and operational challenges of integrating AI into law enforcement—from public trust and transparency to cost, training, and deployment in real-world urban environments.