The Timeless Nature of War and Fireground Operations

By: Jason Brezler

On two separate occasions in recent years, I have transitioned back into my duties as a firefighter with the FDNY in the Bronx. In each instance, I had been off-line from the fire department for nearly a year, leading men assigned to U.S. Marine infantry battalions in some very volatile places….Fallujah, Iraq and Now Zad, Afghanistan. As I traded in my rifle in for a hook and halligan, quickly reacquainting myself with the duties of a ladder company firefighter, I could not help but measure the similarities of urban combat and urban fire ground operations.

我在研究相关的反映历史of warfare, as well as my personal experiences gained firsthand while leading Marines on daily patrols through the streets of Fallujah and the villages of Now Zad. The United States Marine Corps (USMC)’s fundamental publication on warfare doctrine: Warfighting, asserts that war is a violent struggle between two opposing wills in an environment that is influenced by: friction, uncertainty, fluidity, violence, and the human dimension. Historical studies in warfare all conclude that these factors have influenced and decided the outcome of every firefight, battle, campaign and conflict. The study of warfare affirms that uncertainty is a pervasive trait of war; even the best battlefield commanders acknowledge its existence, but find ways to reduce its impact. Fluidity is the dynamic phenomena of war that affords combat commanders fleeting and limited opportunities to act in environments where time is always the most precious commodity. According to the German warfare philosopher Carl Von Clausewitz, “friction is the trait of war that makes the simple difficult and the difficult seemingly impossible.” Lastly, the outcome of war is always contingent on the human dimension; and USMC doctrine suggests that no dimension of technological development will diminish the human dimension in war. The study of warfare establishes that these characteristics have significantly influenced the outcome of every armed struggle, in every environment and place. More importantly, the study of warfare, validated by my own firsthand experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, suggest that the best commanders not only understand the nature of war, but plan, decide, and act in ways to overcome these challenges.