Ignoring the Innocent: Non-combatants in Urban Operations and in Military Models and Simulations

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<p><span style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:times new roman">Non-combatants have become an important aspect of U.S. military operations in urban areas. Recent experience shows how non-combatants can affect the United States ability to meet tactical and strategic objectives in engagements across the spectrum of warfare. However, there is currently little systematic research on civilian behavior within the defense community, including the military modeling community. As the policy questions about dealing with civilians continue to gain in importance, further research on noncombatants would be beneficial. This dissertation reviews recent urban operation campaigns and attempts to provide background research that will assist in incorporating non-combatants into models, simulations, training scenarios, and other analytic tools in a more formal way. It identifies noncombatant behavior from recent urban operations that have affected U.S. military activities. It recommends a layered approach to civilian behavior, beginning with basic population density and other demographic characteristics. To this, it adds simple and then complex behaviors.</span></p>