Contemporary Tactical Military Use of Subterranea by Non-State Actors

Abstract

Contemporary military conflicts show that NATO needs once again to understand the significance of subterranea as an operational environment. Much previous subterranean knowledge, training and infrastructure was taken as a Cold War peace dividend and ‘at risk’ in subsequent defence reviews. Today, both state and non-state actors are utilising this space. NATO tactical-level subterranean experiences in Afghanistan have largely been with caves and tunnels in mountains2, 3. In contrast, conflicts in Syria and Iraq have centred on the need to hold or capture cities4. These conflicts have again shown how critical subterranean parts of cities are for the survival of both combatants and civilians. In rural settings, these same conflicts have seen combatants use natural subterranean features but also undertake significant military tunnelling and underground construction projects.