The Role of Terrain and Terrain Analysis on Military Operations in the Late Twentieth to Early Twenty-First Century: A Case Study of Selected IDF Battles

Abstract

The following analysis of the contribution of terrain and terrain evaluation to eight Israel Defense Forces military engagements since the late 1960s, mostly against guerrilla forces, demonstrates that terrain and the application of terrain analysis significantly affect battles. Nowadays, following the growing imbalance in military technology between guerillas and western militaries, guerillas try to limit their exposure to remote detection and fire technologies and exploit the advantages that terrain (e.g., urban/subterranean) offer for concealment. The paper argues that the combat scenarios now facing western forces in deprived regions are often affected by terrain and the accuracy/inaccuracy of terrain analysis. The subsurface affords considerable relative offensive and especially defensive potential for using guerilla tactics against sophisticated technologies. Further semiquantitative study is needed to identify the scenarios where terrain had and has a significant relative impact on past and modern combat.