John W. Spencer is a retired United States Army officer, researcher of urban warfare, and author. He currently serves as the chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute, codirector of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project Podcast at West Point.[1] He is a founding member of the International Working Group on Subterranean Warfare.[2]
John Spencer | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Army California State Guard |
| Rank | Major (USA) Colonel (CSG) |
| Commands | Urban Warfare Training, 40th Infantry Division |
| Battles / wars | Iraq War |
| Alma mater | Georgetown University |
He has commented on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. His comments on the Israeli invasion of Gaza Strip have been controversial.[3][4]
Military career
Spencer enlisted in the United States Army as a private, immediately after graduating from high school at the age of 17,[5] eventually reaching the rank of Sergeant first class, until receiving commission; he retired from active service with the rank of major.[6]
During his military career, he was infantry platoon leader and company commander, including two combat tours during the Iraq War. In Iraq, he served during the initial invasion in 2003 and later in 2008 during the Iraq War troop surge and the Battle of Sadr City.[7][8] He was also assigned to Ranger School, Joint Chiefs of Staff, etc. Later he became a fellow with the chief of staff of the Strategic Studies Group, until he moved to Modern War Institute (MWI).[9]
Work
Spencer is currently a chair of urban warfare studies at the MWI and a colonel in the California State Guard, where he is assigned as the director of urban warfare training with the 40th Infantry Division.[10]
During the summer of 2022, while Russian invasion of Ukraine was still in progress, he visited Ukraine, "to study the battle of Kyiv."[11]
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he started giving advice on "how to resist the Russian invasions" through Twitter.[12][13][14][15][16] This culminated in him releasing "The Mini-Manual for the Urban Defender: A Guide to the Strategies and Tactics of Defending a City", which was translated in more than 10 languages.[17][18][19]
He is also a contributing editor at War on the Rocks.[20]
Opinions on Israeli invasion of Gaza
In their criticism, Israel's opponents are erasing a remarkable, historic new standard Israel has set. In my long career studying and advising on urban warfare for the U.S. military, I've never known an army to take such measures to attend to the enemy's civilian population, especially while simultaneously combating the enemy in the very same buildings. In fact, by my analysis, Israel has implemented more precautions to prevent civilian harm than any military in history—above and beyond what international law requires and more than the U.S. did in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.[21]
John Spencer has praised the Israeli military's performance during its invasion of Gaza Strip, and interviewed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[22] According to a foreign policy adviser of Netanyahu, Spencer believes "Israel sets the gold standard in terms of preserving civilian lives".[23] Spencer claims that Israel's mass calling and texting of Gazan civilians, giving them days, and then weeks to evacuate, and roof knocking before airstrikes are practices that no military has ever implemented before.[24]
John Spencer has referenced estimates that 80-90% of casualties are civilians in modern warfare, while also noting that civilians constituted 50-60% of the deaths in the Israeli attack on Gaza.[25] While these claims were later picked up by Netanyahu, Professor Michael Spagat of the University of London writes that both claims are false.[26] The myth that 80-90% of casualties in war are civilians was popular among government officials in the 1990s, but by 2010 it had been debunked by the Red Cross, World Health Organization and others.[27] Spagat points out that the Uppsala Conflict Data Program database of wars (1989-2017) in "urban settings" shows 42.5% of the casualties are civilians, 36.8% are combatants and 20.7% are unknown.[26] Spagat also estimates that 80% of Gaza casualties are civilians, concluding that civilian casualties in Gaza are higher than the average for both urban warfare and modern warfare.[26]
Larry Lewis of Center for Naval Analyses has criticized Spencer's positions.[3] He argues that IDF's order for 1 million Gazans to evacuate from northern Gaza to southern Gaza in 24 hour was deemed practically impossible by experts,[28] and that Israel attacked civilians while they were evacuating and then again once the civilians were in southern Gaza. Lewis also questions the effectiveness of communication with cell phones, given damage to Gaza's infrastructure; and that interviews with Gaza after the 2014 war showed that the effectiveness of roof knocking was mixed due to confusion among civilians.[3]
Maryam Jamshidi has also criticized John Spencer's praise of Israel's "precautionary measures" arguing that in reality such measures are ineffective and possibly even war crimes. She points out that many of Israel's evacuation orders contained errors, and Israel's order for 1.1 million Palestinians to evacuate could be construed as collective punishment.[29]
Publications
- Liam Collins and John Spencer, Understanding Urban Warfare (2022; ISBN 978-1912440351)
- John Spencer, Connected Soldiers: Life, Leadership, and Social Connections in Modern War (2022; ISBN 978-1640125124)
References
- ^ MWI.USMA.edu - John Spencer
- ^ "John Spencer: Chair of Urban Warfare Studies". westpoint.edu. United States Military Academy.
- ^ a b c Lewis, Larry (12 March 2024). "Israeli Civilian Harm Mitigation in Gaza: Gold Standard or Fool's Gold?". Just Security.
- ^ Bryant, Wes J. (10 January 2024). "I led strike cells against ISIS — Israel's strike campaign in Gaza is unacceptable". The Hill.
- ^ International Policy Digest - Conversation with Ret. Colonel John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies
- ^ MWI.USMA.edu - John Spencer
- ^ JohnSpencerOnline.com - Urban Warfare
- ^ MWI.USMA.edu - John Spencer
- ^ MWI.USMA.edu - John Spencer
- ^ MWI.USMA.edu - John Spencer
- ^ WashingtonExaminer.com - John Spencer is a world-renowned expert on urban combat. Here’s how he thinks the war in Ukraine is going
- ^ OpenCulture.com - West Point Expert Gives Ukrainians Advice on Conducting Effective Urban Warfare Against Russian Troops
- ^ Marketwatch.com - Advice on how to fend off Russian army from urban warfare expert hits Twitter as battle for Ukraine’s capital Kyiv rages
- ^ WashingtonExaminer.com - John Spencer is a world-renowned expert on urban combat. Here’s how he thinks the war in Ukraine is going
- ^ KyivPost.com - Leading US Scholar Publishes Book on Urban Warfare Free to Read in Ukrainian
- ^ Sky News - Ukraine invasion: Urban war expert’s advice on how Ukrainian civilians can defend themselves against Russian forces
- ^ JohnSpencerOnline.com - Urban Warfare
- ^ WashingtonExaminer.com - John Spencer is a world-renowned expert on urban combat. Here’s how he thinks the war in Ukraine is going
- ^ KyivPost.com - Leading US Scholar Publishes Book on Urban Warfare Free to Read in Ukrainian
- ^ WarOnTheRocks.com - John Spencer
- ^ Spencer, John (25 March 2024). "Israel Has Created a New Standard for Urban Warfare. No One Will Admit It". Newsweek. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ "John Spencer Interview of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 27FEB2024". 15 March 2024.
- ^ Simon, Scott (February 17, 2024). "Netanyahu's foreign policy adviser comments on Israel's possible invasion of Rafah".
Now, Col. John Spencer - he says that Israel sets the gold standard in terms of preserving civilian lives.
- ^ Spencer, John (31 January 2024). "Israel Tried to Prevent Civilian Casualties More Than Any Nation in History". Newsweek.
- ^ Spencer, John (25 March 2024). "Israel Has Created a New Standard for Urban Warfare. No One Will Admit It". Newsweek.
- ^ a b c Overton, Iain (2 August 2024). "Netanyahu got it wrong before the US Congress: IDF's clean performance in Gaza is a lie". AOAV.
- ^ Roberts, Adam (July 2010). "Lives and Statistics: Are 90% of War Victims Civilians?". Survival. 52 (3): 115–136. doi:10.1080/00396338.2010.494880.
- ^ K, S. "Israel must rescind evacuation order for northern Gaza and comply with international law: UN expert". Question of Palestine.
- ^ Jamshidi, Maryam (6 May 2024). "Genocide and Resistance in Palestine under Law's Shadow". Journal of Genocide Research: 1–35. doi:10.1080/14623528.2024.2348377.