Close Quarters Battle

**zephyr** · S-Rank Ninja Posts: 20 Join date: 2007-09-24

Principles & Fundamentals of
Close Quarters Combat (CQC) / Close Quarters Battle (CQB)

The Principles of Close Quarters Combat:

As in all other military operations, battles that occur at close quarters, such as
within a room or hallway, must be planned and executed with care. Units must train, practice, and rehearse close quarters combat techniques until each fire
team and squad operates smoothly as a team. Each member of the unit must
understand the principles of close quarters combat and the part his actions play
in their successful execution. The principles of close quarters combat are
surprise, speed, and controlled violent action.

1. Surprise is the key to a successful assault at close quarters. The fire team
or squad c1earing the room must achieve surprise, if only for seconds, by
deceiving, distracting, or startling the enemy. Sometimes stun or flash
grenades may be used to achieve surprise. These are more effective against a
non-alert, poorly trained enemy than against alert, well-trained soldiers.

2. Speed provides a measure of security to the clearing unit. Speed lets
soldiers use the first few vital seconds provided by surprise to their maximum
advantage. In close quarters combat, speed does not mean incautious haste. It
can best be described as carefull hurry.

3. Controlled violent action eliminates or neutralizes the enemy while
giving him the least chance of inflicting friendly casualties. Controlled violent
action is not limited to the application of firepower only. It also involves a
soldier mind-set of complete domination.

Each of the principles of close quarters combat has a synergistic relationship
to the others. Controlled violence coupled with speed increases surprise.
Hence, successful surprise allows increased speed.

The Fundamentals of Close Quarters Combat:

The ten fundamentals of close quarters combat address actions soldiers take
while moving along confined corridors to the room to be cleared, while
preparing to enter the room, during room entry and target engagement, and
after contact. Team members must

1. Move tactically and silently while securing the corridors to the room to
be cleared. Carry only the minimum amount of equipment. Rucksacks and
loose items carried by soldiers tire them and slow their pace, and cause noise.

2. Arrive undetected at the entry to the room in the correct order of
entrance, prepared to enter on a single command.

3. Enter quickly and dominate the room. Move immediately to positions
that allow complete control of the room and provide unobstructed fields of
fire.

4. Eliminate all enemy within the room by the use of fast, accurate, and
discriminating fires.

5. Gain and maintain immediate control of the situation and all personnel
in the room.

6. Confirm whether enemy casualties are wounded or dead. Disarm and
segregate the wounded. Search all enemy casualties.

7. Immediately perform a cursory search of the room. Determine if a
detailed search is required.

8. Evacuate all wounded and any friendly dead.

9. Mark the room as cleared, using a simple, clearly identifiable marking in
accordance with the unit SOP.

10. Maintain security at all times and be prepared to react to more enemy
contact at any moment. Do not neglect rear security.

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**zephyr** · S-Rank Ninja Posts: 20 Join date: 2007-09-24

Tactical actions at & upon entering the point of entry
Actions outside the point of entry must be quick and well rehearsed. The
doorway or breach point is a dangerous position. The clearing team is focused
on entry and could be surprised by an enemy appearing unexpectedly in the
corridor.

A. Clearing team members positions relative to the door are important as
are their weapons carry positions. Team members stand as close to the entry
point as possible, staying in a crouched position. They hold their weapons
either in the high-carry or the low-carry position. They ensure the muzzle is
not pointed at another team member.

B. All team members must signal one another that they are prepared before
the team enters the room. The last man taps or squeezes the arm of the man in
front of him, and each one passes this signal along. Team members avoid the
use of a verbal signal, which may alert the enemy and destroy the element of
surprise.

C. All individual equipment that is carried must be selected carefully and
prepared properly to ensure that it is quiet and not cumbersome. Essential
items only should be carried during close quarters combat. Protective vests
and helmets should be worn by all team members. Additional protective
equipment, such as gloves, kneepads, or goggles, may be worn, depending on
the situation and the units level of training.

The entire team should enter the room as quickly and as smoothly as possible
and clear the doorway immediately.

A. The door is the focal point of anyone in the room. It is known as the
fatal funnel, because it focuses attention at the precise point where the
individual team members are the most vulnerable. Moving into the room quickly reduces the chance that anyone will be hit by enemy fire directed at the doorway.

B. On the signal to go, the clearing team moves through the door quickly
and takes up positions inside the room that allow it to completely dominate the
room and eliminate the threat. Team members stop movement only after they have
cleared the door and reached their designated point of domination.

(1) The first man to enter moves in as straight a line as possible toward the
comer for which he is responsible. He may then turn and move deep into the far
corner of the room. The depth of his movement is determined by the size of the
robin, any obstacles in the room such as furniture, and by the number and location of
enemy and noncombatants in the room.

(2) The second man enters and moves toward the corner in the opposite
direction, following the wall, but not directly against it.

(3) The number 3 man (team leader) buttonhooks inside the room at least
1 meter from the door, but between the number 1 man and the door.

(4) The squad leader can either use the number 4 man (normally the SAW
gunner) as rear security at the breach site, or he can have him enter with the
remainder of the team. If he enters, the number 4 man moves in the direction
of the number 2 man and buttonhooks in the same way between the number 2
man and the door.

C. To make close quarters combat techniques work, each member of the
team must know his sector of fire and how his sector overlaps and links with
the sectors of the other team members. Team members do not move to the
point of domination and then engage their targets. They engage targets as they
move to their designated point. However, engagements must not slow
movement to their points of domination. Team members may shoot from as
short a range as 1 to 2 inches. They engage the most immediate enemy threats
first. Examples of immediate threats are enemy personnel who

* Are armed and prepared to return fire immediately.
* Block movement to the position of domination.
* Are within arms reach of a clearing team member.
* Are within 3 to 5 feet of the breach point.

D. Each clearing team member has a designated sector of fire that is unique
to him initially but expands to overlap sectors of the other team members.

(1) The number 1 and number 2 men are initially concerned with the area
along the wall on either side of the door or entry point. This area is in their path
of movement, and it is their primary sector of fire. Their alternate sector of fire is
the wall that they are moving toward, sweeping back to the far corner.

(2) The number 3 and number 4 men start at the center of the wall opposite
their point of entry and sweep to the left if moving toward the left, or to the right if
moving toward the right. They stop short of their respective team member (either
the number 1 man or the number 2 man).

E. While the team members move toward their points of domination, they engage all
targets in their sector. Team members must exercise fire control and discriminate
between hostile and non combatant occupants of the room. Shooting is done without
stopping, using reflexive shooting techniques. Because the soldiers are moving and
shooting at the same time, they must move using careful hurry. They do not rush with total
disregard for any obstacles.

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**zephyr** · S-Rank Ninja Posts: 20 Join date: 2007-09-24

Approaching the Breach Point of the target room

Clearing team members must approach the breach point quickly, quietly, and
in standard order. This approach preserves the element of surprise and allows
for quick entry and domination of the room.

A. The order of movement to the breach point is determined by the method
of breach and the intended actions at the breach point. The members of the fire
team are assigned numbers 1 through 4, with the team leader always
designated number 3. If one member of the clearing team is armed with the
SAW rather than an M16 rifle or carbine, he should be designated number 4.
(1) The order of movement for a shotgun breach has the shot-gunner up
front, followed by the number 1 man, number 2 man, and then the number 3
man (team leader). After the door is breached, the shot-gunner falls to the rear
of the lineup and acts as the number 4 man.
(2) The order of movement for a demolition breach is number 3 (team
leader), number 2, number 1, and then number 4. The team leader provides
security at the doorway. The number 2 man carries the demolition charge and
places it. Number 1 carries a fabricated blast shield. Number 4 provides rear
security. After the demolition charge is placed, number 2 falls in behind
number 1 (with the blast shield), and number 3 (team leader) falls in behind
number 2, re-forming the standard 1, 2, 3, 4 configuration.
(3) If neither a shotgun nor a demolitions breach is required, the order of
movement is the standard 1, 2, 3, 4 configuration.
B. The clearing team must always be alert. Team members provide security
at the breach point and to the rear, laterally down corridors, and upward if near
stairs or landings. The two basic techniques for moving down hallways are
shown in Figure K-2. Hallway intersections are dangerous areas and should be
approached cautiously as shown in Figures K-3 and K-4.
(1) The serpentine technique is used in narrow hallways. The number 1
man provides security to the front. His sector of fire includes any enemy
soldiers who appear at the far end of the hall or from any doorways near the
end. The number 2 and number 3 men cover the left and right sides of the
number 1 man. Their sectors of fire include any soldiers who appear suddenly
from nearby doorways on either side of the hall. They cover the number 1
mans flanks. The number 4 man, normally carrying the SAW, provides rear
protection against any enemy soldiers suddenly appearing behind the clearing
team.
(2) The rolling-T technique is used in wide hallways. The number 1 and
number 2 men move abreast, covering the opposite side of the hallway from
the one they are walking on. The number 3 man covers the far end-of the
hallway from a position behind the number 1 and number 2 men, firing
between them. Once again, the number 4 man provides rear security

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**zephyr** · S-Rank Ninja Posts: 20 Join date: 2007-09-24

REFLEXIVE SHOOTING
During close quarters combat, there is little or no margin for error. Too slow a
shot at an enemy, too fast a shot at a noncombatant or inaccurate shots can all
be disastrous for the clearing team. Proper weapon carry technique, stance,
aiming, shot placement, and trigger manipulation constitute the act of reflexive
shooting. This method of shooting is the only way for the clearing team
members to consistently succeed without excessive casualties.

A. Weapon Ready Positions. The two weapon ready positions are low
ready and high ready.

(1) Low ready position. The butt of the weapon is placed firmly in the
pocket of the shoulder with the barrel pointed down at a 45-degree angle. This
is the safest carry position. It should be used by the clearing team while inside
the room, except when actually entering and clearing.

(2) High ready position. The butt of the weapon is held under the armpit,
with the barrel pointed slightly up, keeping the front sight assembly under the
line of sight but within the gunners peripheral vision. To engage a target, the
gunner pushes the weapon out as if to bayonet the target. When the weapon
leaves the armpit, he slides it up into the firing shoulder. This technique is best
suited for the lineup outside the door.

B. Stance. The feet are kept about shoulder-width apart. Toes are pointed
straight to the front (direction of movement). The firing side foot is slightly
staggered to the rear of the non-firing side foot. Knees are slightly bent and the
upper body is leaned slightly forward. Shoulders are square and pulled back,
not rolled over or slouched. The head is up and both eyes are open. When
engaging targets, the gunner holds the weapon with the butt in the pocket of
his shoulder.

C. Aim. The four aiming techniques all have their place during combat in
built-up areas, but the aimed quick-kill technique is the one most often used in
close quarters combat.

(1) Slow aimed fire. This technique is the most accurate. It consists of
taking up a steady, properly aligned sight picture and squeezing off rounds. It
is normally used for engagements beyond 25 meters or when the need for
accuracy overrides speed.

(2) Rapid aimed fire. This technique features an imperfect sight picture in
which windage is critical but elevation is of lesser importance. When the front
sight post is in line with the target, the gunner squeezes the trigger. This
technique is used against targets out to 15 meters and is fairly accurate and
very fast.

(3) Aimed quick kill. This technique consists of using a good spot weld
and placing the front sight post flush on top of the rear peep sight. It is used
for very quick shots out to 12 meters. Windage is important, but elevation is
not critical with relation to the target. This technique is the fastest and most
accurate. With practice, soldiers can become deadly shots at close range.

(4) Instinctive fire. This technique is the least desirable. The gunner
focuses on the target and points the weapon in the targets general direction,
using muscle memory to compensate for lack of aim. This technique should be
used only in emergencies.

D. Shot Placement In close quarters combat, enemy soldiers must be
incapacitated immediately. Shots that merely wound or that are mortal but do
not incapacitate the target instantaneously are only slightly better than clean
misses. Members of clearing teams should concentrate on achieving solid,
well-placed head shots. This shot placement is difficult for some soldiers to
learn, having been taught previously to aim at center of mass.

(1) The only shot placement that guarantees immediate and total
incapacitation is one roughly centered in the face, below the middle of the
forehead, and above the upper lip. Shots to the side of the head above the
horizontal line passing through the ear opening to just below the crown of the
skull and from the cheekbones rearward to the occipital lobe are also effective.
With practice, accurate shot placement can be achieved. (See Figure K-16 for
proper shot placement.)

(2) Shots to the spinal column below the jaw and above the sternum can
neutralize a target immediately. However, the spinal column is a narrow target
and misses by only a few centimeters may cause no immediate reaction or a
delayed reaction in the target. Even though severely wounded, the enemy
soldier may be able to return effective fire.

(3) Shots to the center of the chest that enter the lung/heart region are
normally fatal but may take several seconds to incapacitate the target. During
this time, the opponent may be able to return effective fire. This region of the
body may also be shielded by military equipment or protective vests that can
often deflect or absorb rounds and prevent immediate incapacitation.

(4) Shots to the abdomen or lower extremities are rarely effective in
rendering an opponent immediately incapable of returning fire, even if they
are ultimately fatal.

E. Trigger Manipulation. Rapid, aimed, semiautomatic fire is the most
effective method of engaging targets during close quarters combat. As each
round is fired from the aimed quick-kill position, the weapons recoil makes
the front sight post move in a small natural arc. The gunner should not fight
this recoil. He should let the weapon make the arc and immediately bring the
front sight post back onto the target and take another shot. This two-shot
combination is known as a double tap. Soldiers must practice the double tap
until it becomes instinctive. Clearing team members continue to fire double
taps until the target goes down. If there are multiple targets, team members
double tap each one and then return to reengage any enemy left standing or
who are still trying to resist.

(1) Controlled three-round bursts fired from the M16A2 rifle are better
than fully automatic fire, but they are only slightly faster and not as accurate or
effective as rapid, aimed semiautomatic fire.

(2) Fully automatic fire with the M16A2 rifle or carbine is rarely effective
and may lead to unnecessary noncombatant casualties. Not only is fully
automatic fire inaccurate and difficult to control, but it also rapidly empties
ammunition magazines. A clearing team member who has expended his
ammunition while inside a room with an armed, uninjured enemy soldier will
become a casualty unless his fellow team members can quickly intervene.

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