John Spencer (military officer)
John W. Spencer is a retired United States Army officer, researcher of urban warfare, and author. He "currently serves as the chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute, codirector of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project Podcast," at West Point. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he started to give "how to resist the Russian invasions" through Twitter. This culminated in him releasing "The Mini-Manual for the Urban Defender: A Guide to the Strategies and Tactics of Defending a City", which was translated in more than 10 languages. Military career He enlisted in the United States Army as a private, immediately after graduating from high school at the age of 17, eventually reaching the rank of Sergeant first class, until receiving commission; he retired from active service with the rank of major. During his military career, he was infantry platoon leader and company commander, including two combat tours during the Iraq War. In Iraq, he served during the initial invasion in 2003 and later in 2008 during the Surge and the Battle of Sadr City. He was also assigned to Ranger School, Joint Chiefs of Staff, etc. Later he became