The findings matter beyond the Middle East. They offer critical lessons for countries like Indonesia, where urban security threats such as terrorism and insurgency require adaptive military strategies.
Urban Warfare Is Expanding Below Ground
Modern warfare is no longer confined to streets and buildings. It now extends beneath cities, where underground tunnels serve as hidden infrastructure for combat operations.
In Gaza, Hamas has built extensive tunnel networks used for:
- Moving troops undetected
- Storing weapons and supplies
- Protecting leadership and command centers
- Launching surprise attacks
This underground dimension creates what researchers call a “vertical battlespace,” where conflict occurs across surface, structural, and subterranean layers. In densely populated urban areas, this complexity increases both military challenges and political risks.
Joseph Robert Giri and Suspada Siswa Putra highlight that such tactics are typical of asymmetric warfare, where weaker groups avoid direct confrontation and instead exploit environmental advantages.
How the Study Was Conducted
The research uses a qualitative explanatory design focused on the Gaza conflict as a case study. The authors analyzed military documents, academic literature, and strategic reports to trace how subterranean warfare operates in real-world conditions.
Rather than relying on numerical data alone, the study applies a process-tracing approach. This method examines cause-and-effect relationships specifically how underground tactics interact with modern military technologies such as surveillance systems and precision strikes.
Key Findings: Tactical Gains, Strategic Weaknesses
The research identifies a clear pattern: underground warfare works well in the short term but struggles against advanced military systems.
Tactical Advantages of Tunnel Warfare:
- Shields fighters and leaders from airstrikes
- Enables hidden movement across urban areas
- Maintains command and control in hostile environments
- Creates surprise attack opportunities
These advantages allow non-state actors like Hamas to survive and operate despite facing stronger opponents.
Strategic Limitations in Modern Warfare:
- Advanced surveillance systems can detect tunnel networks
- Precision strikes can destroy critical underground infrastructure
- Dependence on fixed tunnel systems creates vulnerability
- Leadership targeting disrupts organizational coordination
Israel’s use of ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) technologies including drones, satellite imaging, and ground sensors has significantly reduced the effectiveness of Hamas’s tunnel systems.
The study shows that once tunnel entry points, ventilation systems, or communication lines are identified, the entire network becomes exposed. What initially provides protection can quickly turn into a strategic liability.
Technology Is Changing the Rules of War
One of the study’s central conclusions is that technological superiority determines long-term success in modern conflict.
Integrated military operations combining air, land, cyber, and intelligence capabilities allow state actors to:
- Map underground environments in detail
- Track movement patterns
- Disrupt logistics and communication systems
- Eliminate leadership through targeted strikes
This multi-domain approach reduces the advantages of asymmetric tactics. As a result, underground warfare no longer guarantees operational survival.
Implications for Indonesia and Global Security
The findings carry important implications for Indonesia’s defense strategy. While the country is not currently engaged in large-scale war, it faces real threats from terrorism and separatist movements.
Joseph Robert Giri emphasizes that the potential use of underground tactics in Indonesian cities cannot be ignored. Urban areas with high population density could become operational environments for similar strategies.
To respond effectively, the study recommends:
- Strengthening early detection systems using integrated intelligence
- Enhancing surveillance technologies, including geospatial intelligence (GEOINT)
- Developing capabilities to control vertical battlespaces, including underground zones
- Integrating military operations with community-based counterinsurgency approaches
Suspada Siswa Putra highlights the importance of public trust in modern conflict management. According to him, military success is not only about defeating opponents but also about maintaining legitimacy among civilians. Suspada Siswa Putra of Poltekad Malang explains that long-term victory depends on public support, where security operations must align with community trust and governance.
Broader Impact on Military Doctrine
The study contributes to a growing body of research showing that warfare is becoming increasingly complex and technology-driven.
Key takeaways for global military strategy include:
- Urban warfare will continue to expand into underground environments
- Intelligence and surveillance systems are now central to combat effectiveness
- Asymmetric tactics must evolve to remain relevant
- Military doctrine must integrate technological, social, and political dimensions
For policymakers and defense planners, the research underscores the need for adaptive strategies that combine technology, intelligence, and human-centered approaches.
Author Profiles
Joseph Robert Giri, S.Si., M.Han. is a military academic and researcher at Politeknik Angkatan Darat (Poltekad) Malang. His expertise includes modern warfare strategy, urban conflict, and defense doctrine development.
Suspada Siswa Putra, S.IP., M.Han. is a lecturer and researcher at Poltekad Malang specializing in counterinsurgency operations, military doctrine, and national security strategy.
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