About this episode
The episode discusses the battle for Razish and the evolving nature of urban combat with Colonel Kevin Black.
John Spencer is joined on this episode by Colonel Kevin Black, commander of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, the Army’s premier opposing force at the National Training Center. Their discussion centers on the battle for Razish—a fight in which every rotational training brigade must attempt to seize a dense, multistructure city defended by a highly adaptive enemy. Col. Black explains how the Blackhorse Regiment replicates a near-peer threat with a fraction of the force, using repetition, terrain mastery, and decentralized execution to consistently defeat rotating units. The conversation then moves beyond Razish to examine how the character of warfare is changing and what that means for urban combat. It explores the emerging concept of a battlefield dead zone, where persistent surveillance and precision fires make movement lethal, and the notion of an empty battlefield, on which dispersion hides forces even as combat intensifies. The episode concludes by highlighting common mistakes made by attacking units—from overcomplicated planning to failure to mass at decisive points, and emphasizes the enduring advantages of the defense in urban terrain.
People in this episode
Host: John Spencer
Guest: Colonel Kevin Black
Topics covered
- urban warfare
- military strategy
- training exercises
- battlefield dynamics
- defense advantages
- combat tactics
Keywords
- Razish
- urban combat
- military training
- opposing force
- battlefield dead zone
- defense
- combat tactics
- surveillance
- precision fires
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
Places: Razish, National Training Center
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