Latest Volume
CAJ Volume 21, no. 2 (November 2025)
Table of Contents
Canadian Modernization in Action
Foreword
Brigadier-General J. D. S. Masson
Operational Readiness Through Wargaming: Scaling the Canadian Army for its Imminent Challenges
Major Mikalena Halos
Special Feature: Urban Operations, Volume 2
Back to the Future: Revisiting the Use of “Neutralizing Overmatch” to Prevail and to Mitigate Overall Destruction in Urban War
Dr. Charles Knight
The 2020 Battle of Shusha: A Unique Urban Battle with Many Lessons for Modern Warfare
John Spencer
Russian Urban Operations Doctrine and the Attacks on Kyiv and Kharkiv
Major Jayson Geroux
Urban Combat and Small Unit Urban Tactics: Russian Observations of Ukrainian Territorial Forces
Dr. Lester W. Grau and Dr. Charles K. Bartles
Fighting in Cities: Insights from the Battle of Marawi
Ann Bajo
Urban Warfare: Experiences and Lessons from Batticaloa, Eastern Sri Lanka
Colonel (Retd.) Rajesh Singh
The People’s Liberation Army and New Technologies in Urban Warfare
Jesús F. Román García
Book Reviews
The Lighthouse of Stalingrad - Iain MacGregor
(reviewed by Major Jayson Geroux)
Urban Operations: War, Crime and Conflict - John P. Sullivan et al, eds.
(reviewed by Lieutenant Colonel (retd.) Steve MacBeth)
Architecture, Urban Space and War - Mirjana Ristic
(reviewed by Noorulain Naseem and Muneeba Nawaz Khan)
Editorial
As we conclude this second volume on the theme of Urban Warfare, I find myself reflecting on the changing global landscape, the fragility of our security, and the ever-evolving trends in warfare. The topics we have covered here are not just theoretical, but they are a glimpse into what is coming for us as a global community. What we see now—global conflicts and power struggles in a shifting world order—is just the beginning. These tensions will escalate, testing military forces to their limits. The coming years are critical, and armies will have to confront their strengths and weaknesses in new ways. While it may feel too late to change course, it's more important than ever to start preparing—not only our military but our citizens—for a future with higher risks and more severe consequences.
It is in these transitional moments that I must share a personal note with all of you. After two and a half incredible years, I will be stepping down as the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Army Journal (CAJ). It has been a great honour and a profound responsibility to lead this journal through a time of meaningful change. But, as all things must evolve and progress, I am thrilled to announce that Mr. Frédéric Dion will be stepping into the role. With his expertise in academia and keen understanding of effective communication, I have no doubt that he will propel CAJ to even greater heights. I look forward to seeing how his leadership will shape the journal’s future.
Reflecting on my tenure, I cannot help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the dedicated individuals who have made this journey possible. The CAJ Editorial Staff and the incredible team at the Army Publishing Office—small, but relentless in their commitment—formed the bedrock upon which we built this journal. Together, we embraced opportunities, overcame challenges, and brought our shared vision to fruition. To the CAJ Assistant Editors, Major Bruce Rolston and Second Lieutenant Nicolas Brown, and the APO team—Ms. Susan Russell, Ms. Francine Lefebvre, Ms. Rebecca Abrams and Mr. Brandon Denard—thank you wholeheartedly for your unwavering support, hard work and dedication to CAJ’s mission.
We were fortunate to gain the backing of the Canadian Defence Academy for social media outreach, and I must extend a special thank you to Ms. Cassandra de Bartok for her efforts in making this connection possible. This partnership, coupled with our social media engagement, has enabled us to connect with our readers in new and impactful ways. We launched a new website with an electronic subscription option, allowing us to stay connected with our readers and keep them updated on our latest publications. Many thanks to ADM(PA), DAPA, Mr. Douglas Sherman and once again, Maj Bruce Rolston, for their excellent work on our website’s production, accessibility and outreach.
In the spirit of innovation we launched Short Bursts, a platform that has quickly become a cornerstone of our website, attracting many submissions. This initiative has allowed us to explore contemporary issues through short-form content, providing an alternative avenue for discussion and exchange of ideas. For Short Bursts, we were fortunate to receive outstanding support from the Army Translation Services and their exceptional team.
Additionally, we are currently digitizing the older, pre-1998 editions of CAJ, which will be available on our website in the coming months. Maj Bruce Rolston’s contributions to this monumental project are incredible and his dedication has been instrumental in making this ambitious effort a reality. A special mention must go to Lieutenant-Colonel (LCol) Matthew Rolls, whose efforts in revitalizing the Tactical Decision Games section of the CAJ website has been nothing short of transformative.
None of this would have been possible without the ongoing support of the enthusiastic team at the Canadian Army Land Warfare Centre, especially Colonel Christopher Sines, LCol Michael Morin, and one of the strongest supporters of CAJ and an outstanding mentor, LCol Alain Carrier. I am deeply grateful for all the wisdom and encouragement you have offered during my time as Editor-in-Chief. A heartfelt thank you to Brigadier-General Tod Strickland, LCol Pat Newman, Maj John Bosso, Dr. Nancy Teeple, LCol Mike Rostek, Dr. Peter Gizewski, Dr. Ali Dizboni for being my champions and offering unwavering support throughout my time with the journal. Your belief in me has meant the world. I would like to thank the members of the Canadian Army and academia for their tremendous support and the valuable interactions we shared throughout. While it is difficult to acknowledge everyone individually, please know that your trust and support in the journal made my job a breeze and inspired me every single day.
As we turn our focus to this special feature's theme of urban warfare, I must give special recognition to Maj Jayson Geroux for his unparalleled dedication and boundless passion. His contributions have been nothing short of extraordinary, and the heart and soul he has invested in the urban warfare issues are truly remarkable. I am truly grateful for the dedication, support, and hard work.
Finally, my sincere thanks to our readers. The best ideas, perspectives and content we created have been largely shaped by your input. Your engagement, feedback, and support have been the lifeblood of this journal. To our contributors, our peer reviewers— thank you for believing in the mission of the CAJ and for making this journal the success that it is.
I am filled with optimism for the future of the CAJ under new leadership. As we navigate an evolving global order, I hope you continue to trust your journal for its valuable insights, its role in fostering meaningful dialogue, and its contribution to the ongoing discussions on topics relevant to the Canadian Army.
Thank you, all, for your incredible support. In closing, I leave you with this thought: “In times of change, it is not the strongest who survive, but those most adaptable to the evolving landscape of conflict and warfare.”
Aditi Malhotra, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief
In the fall of 2022, when I began working with Dr. Aditi Malhotra on an urban warfare-themed edition of the Canadian Army Journal, we reached out to fellow urban operations scholars and practitioners to contribute articles and book reviews. To our pleasant surprise, we ended up having “catastrophic success”—nearly all responded positively and were pleased to contribute. Given the overwhelming number of contributions, Aditi’s editorial expertise enabled us to expand the urban warfare-themed issue by adding a second urban-warfare themed special feature to the following issue. When organizing the content, I proposed structuring articles around the operational process—the themed edition could focus on subjects that need to be analyzed and conducted during the crucial planning and preparation phase, while the subsequent special feature could shift the focus on the execution phase, addressing the kinds of activities carried out during that phase of an urban operation.
The themed edition was published in late 2024 and has received positive reviews. We are hoping to build on that successful foundation and are now proud to present this special feature that has a number of well-known urban operations experts contributing. We are fortunate to have urban warfare researcher and historian Dr. Charles Knight leading with his initial article on the need for friendly forces to neutralize overmatch in urban warfare by either using overwhelming firepower while still applying the principle of concentration of force, or all things about by using other tools to reduce the amount of collateral damage and casualties occurred, which most believe—perhaps erroneously, he argues—must continue due to it being the historical norm in urban warfare. Next, world-renowned urban warfare scholar John Spencer discusses his findings on the strategically critical battle of Shusha from the Nagarno-Karabakh War in 2020 after he visited that city, reconnoitered the geographic and urban terrain, and interviewed some of the battle’s participants shortly after the conflict concluded.
Furthermore, in the opening days of the Russo-Ukrainian War (2022–present) the attacks on the cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv left many believing that the Russians were completely inept with regards to fighting in urban environments. However, before jumping to that conclusion, it is necessary to understand Russian urban operations doctrine and its positive and negative outcomes. I have attempted to explain these in my article. Following that, Lester Grau and Charles Bartles—internationally known as subject matter experts on all things about the Russian military—provide and analyze an open-source Russian article from its Army Digest periodical on lessons identified in urban operations and a detailed description of their adversarial Ukrainian forces and the urban warfare tactics the latter employed in the beginning months of the war.
It would be incorrect and smug to assume that Western nations are the only countries that have urban operations experience. To highlight the global nature of urban operations and learn from non-Western perspectives, we solicited contributions from experts and practitioners who focus on the Far East and South Asia. As China continues to conduct bold military exercises around Taiwan—an island wherein approximately 80% of the population lives in an urban environment–we have asked Jesús Román García, an accomplished military magazine editor from Spain, to discuss China’s urban operations capabilities and equipment. The 2017 battle of Marawi remains a fascinating case study for urban warfare enthusiasts. To shed light on the case, Ann Bajo, who was a defence analyst with the Armed Forces of the Philippines at the time, offers her in-depth review and analysis of the battle. A rare opportunity to understand some of the urban operations experienced during the relatively less-documented counter-insurgency operations in Sri Lanka in the late 1980s is discussed by Colonel (Retired) Rajesh Singh, who was a company commander during that time. The issue concludes with three book reviews by Noorulain Naseem and Muneeba Nawaz Khan, Colonel (Retired) Steve Macbeth and myself.
Unfortunately for the Canadian Army generally and the Canadian Army Journal in particular, Dr. Malhotra is ending her tenure as the editor-in-chief with this particular edition being her last. During her brief time, she has brought a high standard of academic rigour to the editions of which she was responsible in producing, and I along with many other writers have become better scholars as a result. Her warmth and personable demeanour made her a strong partner while we collaborated together on these two issues of the CAJ in particular.
We sincerely hope that you enjoy reading this urban warfare-themed special feature. We also hope that both issues have engaged you intellectually and also motivated you to think about and perhaps integrate more urban operations thoughts and training into your work in order to better prepare our soldiers, sailors and aviators for the inevitable urban warfare battles in which we will be participating.
Major Jayson Geroux, CD
Guest Editor
