So what’s the deal here? Is this just the military industrial complex looking for another paper threat to cash in on, or is fighting in “megacities” something the Pentagon needs to start preparing for in a big way? I think the real answer is a mix of both.

As population increases and urban areas become both more dense and sprawling, certain tactical problems will become more pronounced than they already are during current MOUT (military operations in urban terrain). But this is not a whole new medium of combat operations as the video implies.

There's nothing wrong with getting our best military minds thinking about how to negate tactical deficiencies of the future, the video seems to call for more than just that.

The US military spends billions a year on training its forces for MOUT. Countless fake villages and mock cities have been constructed at US military and allied bases around the globe, just for this purpose. Many of these installations even have role playing actors trained to fill out the civilian population. Some special operations units even get their very own elaborate MOUT training complexes tailored to specific mission sets. Not just that, but Special Operations Command regularly conducts elaborate drills in real metropolisesaround the US, often drawing fascination and ire of the local populous in the process.

Should America’s special operations forces do more of this type of near-real world training? It would make some sense, but some may argue that the US military should build its own metropolis for extreme MOUT training–high-rises and underground labyrinths included.

This is where the line between fantasy and necessity blurs. Building such a training complex would require a massive investment, and there are only so many resources to go around. The same training needs hold true for the missions and combat environments our soldiers are facing on the battlefields of today, not just those that may exist tomorrow.

As an alternative, the Pentagon could probably find some city blocks that are all but abandoned and adapt them for its training requirements. And besides, by the time there are megacities that really represent the threat the video plays them out to be, (if that ever truly occurs) virtual training will probably be up to the task of preparing our soldiers to do battle there successfully.

What are your thoughts on the video? Let us know in the conversation below.

Contact the author Tyler@thedrive.com