Urban Operations Summit

The 2024 Urban Operations Summit will focus on the tools, techniques, and training required to navigate the future urban battlefield. Speakers will discuss the development of technology and tactics needed to navigate expansive subterranean and urban terrain. Presentations will highlight the current ground conflicts ongoing both in Israel and Ukraine, recent changes to military doctrine, modern training strategies, and the development of innovative technologies aimed at supporting Warfighters in urban landscapes. 

The Department of Defense continues to prioritize joint force readiness. Overall spending for total readiness increased to $146 billion in FY’24, to strategically build and maintain warfighting forces and capabilities for the future operational environment. Today, over one-half of the world’s population resides in urban areas. By 2050, that percentage is expected to increase to 66%. Amid an era of strategic competition and increased urbanization, the current operational environment and future nature of conflict is changing. The Military will likely find itself conducting operations in high-population environments defined by complex, dense terrains, with both super-surface and subsurface terrains due to multi-level high rise buildings and maze-like tunnel systems found in most modern cities. The 2024 Urban Operations Summit will convene DoD, Military Services, industry partners, and academia for in-depth discussion focused on the training, tactics, and technologies essential to prepare for future urban warfare and its complex operating environment.

This year’s forum will examine how the U.S. military is preparing and training for operations within an urban setting. Discussions will highlight the ongoing ground conflicts in Israel and Ukraine, development of innovative technologies to support Warfighters in urban landscapes, prioritizing urban warfare training and readiness, redirecting tactics, training, and technologies for combat in large cities, planning for subterranean operations, and the challenges of urban warfare. The event will also have a panel emphasizing the importance of utilizing virtual training and wargaming to adequately prepare, plan, and train for operations in urban landscapes. Attendees at the Urban Operations Summit will have the unique opportunity to discuss and ask questions to key decision makers, subject experts, policy advisors, and solution providers to ensure mission success in the future urban battlefield.