Maj. John Spencer, U.S. Army retired, is chair of urban warfare studies with the Modern War Institute at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and co-director of its Urban Warfare Project, an initiative to study the character of war in cities. He previously served as a fellow with the chief of staff of the Army’s Strategic Studies Group. He served 24 years as an infantry soldier, which included two combat tours in Iraq.