John Spencer (military officer)
John Spencer | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | United States Army California State Guard |
| Rank | Major (USA) Colonel (CSG) |
| Commands held | Urban Warfare Training, 40th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
| Alma mater | Georgetown University |
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 has commented on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Military career
He enlisted in the United States Army as a private, immediately after graduating from high school at the age of 17,[2] eventually reaching the rank of Sergeant first class, until receiving commission; he retired from active service with the rank of major.[3]
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.[4][5] 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).[6]
Work
Currently he is 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.[7]
During the summer of 2022, while Russian invasion of Ukraine was still in progress, he visited Ukraine, "to study the battle of Kyiv."[8]
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he started giving advice on "how to resist the Russian invasions" through Twitter.[9][10][11][12][13] 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.[14][15][16]
He is also a contributing editor at War on the Rocks.[17]
Opinions on Israeli invasion of Gaza
John Spencer has praised the Israeli military's performance during its invasion of Gaza Strip. According to a foreign policy adviser of Netanyahu, Spencer believes "Israel sets the gold standard in terms of preserving civilian lives".[18] Spencer argues that Israeli attempts to evacuate Gazan civilians, roof knocking and texting civilians ahead of an airstrike have never been implemented by any military before.[19]
In many interviews such as in the New York Times, Newsweek and on Times Radio and CNN, Spencer stated that Israel's bombing of the Gaza Strip had been “proportional, very discriminate, very precise.”
John Spencer has visited the present Gaza war zone twice, and his expert views - as the Professor of Urban Warfare at West Point - are based on first hand experience. This covered by several major sources of news such as the New York Times and Times Radio [20] [21]
He has also interviewed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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
- ^ 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
- ^ 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.
- ^ Brooks, David (2024-03-24). "Opinion | What Would You Have Israel Do to Defend Itself?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
- ^ Times Radio (2024-03-28). “Casualties are abnormally low” in Gaza conflict, says John Spencer. Retrieved 2024-06-01 – via YouTube.