John Spencer
United States
Urban Warfare Training, 40th Infantry Division
Military career
He enlisted in the United States Army as a private, immediately after graduating from high school at the age of 17,[3] eventually reaching the rank of Sergeant first class, until receiving commission; he retired from active service with the rank of major.[4]
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 Iraq War troop surge and the Battle of Sadr City.[5][6] He was also assigned to Ranger School, Joint Chiefs of Staff, etc. Later he became a fellow with the chief of staff of the Strategic Studies Group, until he moved to Modern War Institute (MWI).[7]
Work
Spencer is currently a chair of urban warfare studies at the MWI and a colonel in the California State Guard, where he is assigned as the director of urban warfare training with the 40th Infantry Division.[8]
During the summer of 2022, while Russian invasion of Ukraine was still in progress, he visited Ukraine, "to study the battle of Kyiv."[9]
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he started giving advice on "how to resist the Russian invasions" through Twitter.[10][11][12][13][14] 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.[15][16][17]
He is also a contributing editor at War on the Rocks.[18]