Introduction This is a historical examination of the first battle fought for Fallujah, Iraq: Operation Vigilant Resolve. We will examine the history, location, composition and social background of Fallujah. The analysis of Operation Vigilant Resolve will identify the participating units, the underlying strategy, why Vigilant Resolve failed, and the lessons learned. Most scholars agree that future battlefields will be urbanized; with the lessons learned from this operation we will be better suited for similar future conflicts. History Fallujah is an ancient city with a diverse history. Known locally as "the city of mosques", Fallujah and the surrounding villages contain approximately 100 mosques including 47 in the city. Fallujah contains 300,000 residences in an area of ​​30 square kilometers and 2,000 city blocks. Fallujah is located 43 miles west of Baghdad along the Euphrates River in Al Anbar province, with Highway 10 running through the center of the city into Baghdad. Fallujah is located in the “Sunni Triangle”. The Sunni Triangle is a large, triangle-like geographic area, extending west from Fallujah toward Ramadi, east toward Baghdad, and north toward Tikrit, where a high concentration of Sunnis reside. Sunni Muslims make up about 20% of Iraq's population. Sunnis make up the modern Ba'ath party in Iraq, which came to power in the 1960s after the Arabs lost the Six-Day War against Israel. The Ba'ath Party is a highly centralized, authoritarian, socialist reform party with strong communist ties that opposes imperialism and colonialism. During Saddam's rule, the Ba'athists received preferential treatment. Fallujah, with cities like Tikrit (Saddam's hometown), formed the power base of the Ba'ath Party. During Operation Desert S... at the center of the document... between the civilian and military political leadership. Operation Vigilant Resolve is a prime example of the failure of this relationship and the need to correct this problem. This is the final and most important lesson we must learn. Our top military leaders must also be great politicians. They need to figure out how to temper the will of our civilian leadership who may not be well versed in military strategy or operations. We need leaders who are willing to fight for what is right and humble enough to accept when they are wrong. Modern warfare will be fought predominantly in the chaos of the urban environment. As we move into the future we must never forget our past; always keeping in mind where we are trying to go. Operations like Vigilant Resolve, which on the surface appear to be failures, quickly turn into future successes if we remember, study, learn, and grow from them.