4GD has officially welcomed John Spencer to its board as an advisor. Spencer has been advising 4GD informally for several years but is now brought into the 4GD team to bolster their existing knowledge of the urban warfare space, especially in the US market.

Spencer has served as an advisor to the top US four-star general and other senior leaders in the US Army as part of strategic research groups from the Pentagon to the United States Military Academy.

Spencer is the chair of urban warfare studies at the Madison Policy Forum, codirector of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project Podcast. He served over 25 years in the Army as an infantry soldier having held ranks from private to sergeant and lieutenant to major.

A well-known commentator on the subject of urban warfare, he regularly contributes to programmes on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, and numerous news and media organisations. Since March 2022 he has contributed regularly on the developing Russo-Ukraine conflict.

4GD are looking to build on their existing US portfolio and network. 4GD’s footprint in the US has grown since 2018 where 4GD’s maiden SmartFacility was built in Albuquerque. Adapted around a complex existing structure, the facility enables on-site urban and immersive mission training.

Commenting on his appointment to the 4GD board, John Spencer said: “Urban warfare training development is at a critical juncture and 4GD’s solutions can help to bring training practices into the 21st century. It is vital for military leaders worldwide to understand the extraordinary challenges of urban warfare and how best to train Armed Forces to deal with complex urban ecosystems. Warfare has migrated into cities. From Mosul to Mariupol, Aleppo to Marawi, the major military battles of the twenty-first century have taken place in densely populated urban areas and this looks set to continue.”