9-11 Feb 2007
The future of urban warfare operations was the main topic of discussion at a workshop co-hosted by NATO in Norfolk, US, 11-16 February.
The workshop participants agreed that NATO should work towards creating a standard training concept for such operations. Workshop participants highlighted that within the next 20 years, over two-thirds of the world's population will live in urban areas, creating new concerns over how security operations can be conducted effectively.
Dutch Army Lt. Col. Bastiaan van Rijswijk, a staff officer with NATO’s Transformation Command said the Alliance is looking to set up a joint set of guidelines for all military operations.
"With this workshop, we want to bring some coordination and synchronisation in the work being done on urban operations within NATO and to get nations to share what they're doing," said van Rijswijk.
