In this episode of Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim, we discuss CQB Entry Team Stacking and related Tactics, Techniques and Procedures. Specifically, we discuss:
A new episode of Tactical Tuesdays is typically uploaded on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.
SHOW LINKS/RESOURCES
To learn more about Craig White click HERE.
To find “From Alpha to Omega, A Milsim Tactical Primer and Training Manual” : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FZ57B23/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
To find “From Insertion to Extraction: Advanced MILSIM CQB Tactics, Techniques and Procedures” : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07THX1CFT/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModernMilsim
If you have a topic you would like to see in an episode of Tactical Tuesdays, please suggest it in the comments of the post containing the posted episode. We do read them.
Website: https://tacticaltuesdaywithmodernmilsim.buzzsprout.com
YouTube Instructional Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUXI_GBdPeDuIoq_KJeCgWg
SUBSCRIBE
If you like what you hear on this episode, please subscribe and provide us with a review and a rating. You can subscribe to Tactical Tuesday on ITunes, Stitcher, Spotify and YouTube. You can also find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ModernMilsim. If you like this episode, you can find others Here.
You can also find “From Alpha to Omega, A Milsim Tactical Primer and Training Manual” and “From Insertion to Extraction: Advanced MILSIM CQB Tactics, Techniques and Procedures” at Amazon.com.
In this episode of Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim, we discuss CQB Entry Team Stacking and related Tactics, Techniques and Procedures. Specifically, we discuss:
A new episode of Tactical Tuesdays is typically uploaded on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.
SHOW LINKS/RESOURCES
To learn more about Craig White click HERE.
To find “From Alpha to Omega, A Milsim Tactical Primer and Training Manual” : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FZ57B23/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
To find “From Insertion to Extraction: Advanced MILSIM CQB Tactics, Techniques and Procedures” : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07THX1CFT/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModernMilsim
If you have a topic you would like to see in an episode of Tactical Tuesdays, please suggest it in the comments of the post containing the posted episode. We do read them.
Website: https://tacticaltuesdaywithmodernmilsim.buzzsprout.com
YouTube Instructional Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUXI_GBdPeDuIoq_KJeCgWg
SUBSCRIBE
If you like what you hear on this episode, please subscribe and provide us with a review and a rating. You can subscribe to Tactical Tuesday on ITunes, Stitcher, Spotify and YouTube. You can also find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ModernMilsim. If you like this episode, you can find others Here.
You can also find “From Alpha to Omega, A Milsim Tactical Primer and Training Manual” and “From Insertion to Extraction: Advanced MILSIM CQB Tactics, Techniques and Procedures” at Amazon.com.
TACTICAL TUESDAY WITH MODERN MILSIM - EPISODE 24 TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to another episode of Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim. Through this podcast, we will bring you real world tactics, techniques, and procedures that will enable you to succeed on the Milsim battlefield. It's time to make ready.
Hello, and welcome to episode 24 of Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim. I am your host, Craig White. As always, thank you for being here. Now, today we're going to discuss entry team stacking and associated tactics, techniques, and procedures. Generally speaking, the entry team stack in some form is the starting point for most room clearing methods to successfully breach and seize a target room.
The entry team needs to be organized in such a manner that it facilitates each entry team members role and responsibilities in accomplishing that task. The stack also needs to be tailored to facilitate which room entry method the entry team intends to employ to breach. There are three basic types of room entry methods.
There is the dynamic entry method which relies on speed, surprise, and violence of action to take a room. There is also the limited penetration or LIMPEN, L I M P E N. Method of clearing the room. Entry teams using this method will rely on available cover or concealment at the entryway of the room to protect them while they eliminate the majority of threats from outside the room.
Members of the entry team will then use one of several techniques to clear the near hard corners. As you can tell, limited penetration is focused more on a slower, methodical method of room clearing. That is focused more on force protection. Finally, there is the deliberate room clearing method. With this method, one member of the inter team pans around the door frame in an arc to clear most of the target room from the outside before the team enters and clears the room in a manner similar to a dynamic room entry technique.
We will address the specifics of each of these room clearing methods in future episodes of this podcast. In order to have an intelligent discussion describing CQB stacks, and their employment, we need to use a common method of describing them. As with last season's episodes concerning land warfare, each episode concerning CQB TTPs will build on the language used to describe the various CQB methodologies in earlier episodes.
Understanding the initial episodes on this topic are essential to better understanding the episodes that follow them. Now, be aware that this series of episodes is intended to provide a more basic understanding of CQB TTPs. A more detailed explanation of these tactics, techniques, and procedures can be found in From Insertion to Extraction, Advanced MILSIM CQB Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures now available at Amazon.com.
As with describing room or hallway anatomy, describing entry team stacks and their employment is always done from the perspective of the breaching entry team and not from the perspective of the enemy or another entry team. This is to prevent confusion amongst members of the breaching entry team forming the stack in question. So with that in mind, let's get to it.
The first concept we need to discuss is how to describe each member and where he or she is in the stack. This is typically done by numbering each member of the stack from front to back. Although most entry team stacks consist of four members, they can be larger depending on the individual team SOPs.
Just remember that the larger the entry team is, the more difficult it is to control, and the more likely it will not move efficiently or smoothly. With that in mind, the first person at the front of a four-man stack is the first man. He or she is also sometimes referred to as the point man. The first or point man is typically the best reflexive shooter in the stack. His sector or area of responsibility while outside of the target room is to focus on the entryway or door leading into it. Should any enemy combatant exit the target room before the entry team breaches it, it is the point man's responsibility to eliminate that threat. The second person in the stack is the second man.
The second man is typically the best shooter in the stack. Generally speaking, the second man sector is the entryway to the target room with a secondary sector of covering the long axis threat down the hallway.
The third person in the stack is the third man. This position is typically occupied by the entry team leader. The third man sector is to cover the outside flank, which is away from the adjacent wall of the stack.
The fourth person is the security or drag man. Depending on entry team TTPs, he may also do double duty as the team breacher. The breacher is the man that opens closed doors so that the rest of the entry team can focus on clearing the room. The fourth man provides rear security to the stack as it moves up to the door of the target room. If the fourth man is called forward to breach the door to the room, the third man assumes the rear security duties formally done by the fourth man.
Although there are many variations of stacking formations used in CQB, They are generally based on the standard version of the stack. It is often referred to as the linear or door facing stack. With the linear or door facing stack, entry team members line up along the outside wall of the target room while facing the doorway or entry point into it. The point man stacks closest to the entry point and is followed by the second, third, and fourth man in that order.
With the linear stack, the second man normally lines up just off point man's outside shoulder in order to put two muzzles on the initial danger area represented by the target room's entry point. The remaining team members move up so that they are very close to the team member in front of them.
Stacking closely together should allow each entry team member to enter the room with minimal gaps in timing. This is especially true with dynamic room entry where the point is to overwhelm the enemy by the use of speed, surprise, and violence of action. Hit the room hard before the enemy has an opportunity to timely react.
A variation of the linear stack is for the 3rd and 4th men to increase separation between themselves. and between other entry team members prior to breaching the room. In this configuration, third man sector or area of responsibility would be the danger areas on the stack's exposed flank, the part that is facing away from the wall.
The fourth man sector or area of responsibility is to cover the rear of the stack. The linear stack is the most common stacking method used by entry teams. It works well with all three methods of room clearing and is the more easily understood method of stacking by inexperienced team members. The next stacking formation is the mobile or stackless formation.
With the mobile or stackless formation, the entry team is formed loosely into a formation in the same order as that used for a linear stack while it moves down the hallway to the target room. The stack does not stop for open doors, but instead closes the gap between each entry team member as the entry team approaches the target room immediately before breaching the door or entryway.
It is sometimes also referred to as the rolling stack. When using the mobile or stackless method, familiarity with each position in the stack by every team member is especially important. Once point and second man enter the target room, the other team members must converge and enter the room immediately behind the second man.
Now it does not matter which specific team member enters the room directly behind second man. Whoever that may be, that team member assumes the role of third man. The next team member assumes the role of the fourth man or security element. Using this stacking technique helps to avoid timing gaps between each entry team member.
With very experienced entry teams, point and second man are not pre designated. Instead, the first entry team member that reaches the target room entry point becomes the point man. The second entry team member that reaches the target room behind the point man becomes the second man. Et cetera, et cetera.
Now please note that stackless entry is only really effective when the target room has an open door or entry point. If a closed door is present, the entry team may need to stack first before hitting the room. The biggest disadvantage of this stack formation is that it requires entry team members to remain in closer proximity to each other as they approach the target room.
It also requires close synchronization of entry team members to function correctly using a dynamic entry room clearing technique. Stackless entry is often used to clear follow on open doors that lead off of the initial target room. It provides a smoother and more sustained flow. The mobile or stackless method is probably the second most frequently used stacking method.
It lends itself well to all three room entry methods. It can also more easily incorporate free flow room to entry techniques, which we will talk about in later episodes. The main downside to the mobile or stackless method is that it requires a more experienced entry team to perform it well. Each member of the entry team must know each position of the stack in intimate detail and must be able to assume any position in the stack on a room to room basis.
Next on my list is the offset stacking formation. With this formation and in addition to the primary entry team, an additional entry team known as the offset entry team is positioned off the wall and perpendicular to it. The offset entry team stack is offset from the primary entry team and aligned with the edge of the entry point that is located across from the primary entry team.
This formation allows the offset entry team to engage enemy through the doorway prior to breaching it. This formation still allows each entry team to breach the room by each team member taking a different angle to enter the room. The main disadvantage of this stacking formation is that it exposes the offset entry team stack to potential incoming fire before the breach occurs and requires closed synchronization to work properly with a dynamic entry room clearing technique.
Because of the increased exposure of Offset Entry Team to potential enemy fire and the coordination issues associated with having a second Entry Team in this formation, the Offset Stack is infrequently utilized. A variation of this formation is to remove the Offset Entry Team altogether and to replace it with a Primary Entry Team.
Essentially, the entry team stacks up perpendicular to the entry point, but behind the line of departure into the target room. Obviously, this variation places the entire entry team in the fatal funnel and subjects them to potential enemy fire coming out of the room. Because the stack is lined up perpendicularly to the entry point, There is also a greater likelihood of fratricide.
Entry team members lines of fire are often masked or blocked by the bodies of other entry team members ahead of them. Because of these issues, this variation of the offset stack is also infrequently used by most entry teams.
The next entry stack formation is dispersed. With this formation, the stack is dispersed in the area immediately near the target room door or entry point. The stack compresses itself immediately before breaching the target room. This reduces the likelihood of the stack being eliminated by one grenade or a similar attack. As with stackless and offset stack formations, it requires close synchronization to work well with a dynamic entry room clearing technique. Unlike the mobile or stackless formation, the dispersed stack is already stopped outside the target room entry point.
The next variation of the standard stack is the coverman. The stack utilizes a coverman that is offset from the stack formation and provides cover to the entry team before it breaches the room. The coverman clears the interior portion of the room prior to the breach by the entry team. This allows the entry team to prevent enemy movement into the center area of the room and largely avoids moving angle issues. The coverman formation is most often used with deliberate room entry method. Because of the presence of a coverman can result in the loss of stealth if he is detected by enemy in the target room, it is not often utilized with dynamic room entry techniques.
The main advantage of the coverman stack formation is that he can clear the majority of the deep portion of the room while also providing security to the entry team. The coverman is typically an additional team member that remains outside of the target room while the rest of the stack breaches it.
However, and depending on entry team TTPs or SOPs, The third or fourth man can take the cover man position. In this variation, the cover man is typically the last entry team member to enter the target room and takes on the role of the fourth man. As with categorizing rooms, halls, and stacking formations, there are basic techniques and procedures regarding stacking and movement into a target room.
Now, each member of the entry team needs to be intimately familiar with the duties and responsibilities of each position in the stack. Point and second men have the most demanding positions in the stack. Second man has the additional responsibility of entering the target room immediately behind the point man and moving in the opposite direction along the near wall to protect the point man's rear.
Point and second men are first to move into a contested room and are usually the first to engage targets therein. Being intimately familiar with each position in the entry team stack, will lessen the impact of another team member, such as the point and second men getting hit. Cross training for different positions in the entry team stack will also speed up the time between hitting runes because the stack does not have to be reshuffled before breaching each room. This is especially important while utilizing the mobile or stackless formation.
Now, the first man's sector or area of responsibility is the entry point or doorway. First man's weapon should be aimed at the entry point or doorway, so as to be ready to engage any enemy that may move out through it. In doing so, point man must be careful not to expose the muzzle of his weapon past the plane of the entry point.
Second man should position himself so that his weapon is at the point man's outside shoulder and pointing at the entry point or doorway. His sector or area of responsibility is also the entry point or doorway. This allows the entry team to maintain two weapon muzzles on the most immediate danger area…the target room's door or entry point.
Third man's sector area of responsibility is any threat areas on the entry team's exposed flank. Fourth man's sector area of responsibility is the entry team's rear. Please note that inexperienced entry teams should use a simple linear stack formation to breaching a target room before implementing complexity into it.
Once the entry team becomes familiar with utilizing the basic linear stack, it can then add in additional TTPs. So let's talk briefly about transitioning from hallway or stairway formations to an entry team stack. Entry team members must be positioned in hallway or stairway formations to allow quick and seamless transition to the entry team stack.
Especially with dynamic room entry techniques and procedures. Conservation of time is at a premium. The more quickly and smoothly than an entry team can transition from a hallway formation to breach in the target room, the less likely that the enemy will have time to prepare for the assault.
Maintaining initiative and the tempo of the assault should cause the enemy to continue to react to the assault and hopefully prevent them from taking more effective action to defeat the entry team.
Now let's also talk about breaching with the possible exception of deliberate room entry point men should not open doors into a target room, although this function can be performed by the third man, it is recommended that the fourth man perform this task. This allows for a more coordinated flow into the target room. Fourth man enters the target room in the normal fashion behind the third man. Once the target room is identified as having a closed door, the entry team should stack up according to whether the door opens into or out of the target room.
If a closed door opens into the target room, push. The entry team should stack on the hinge side of the door. If a closed door opens out to the target room, known as pull, the entry team should stack up on the doorknob side of the door. Be aware that a pull door that is noticeably more narrow than a standard door will often lead to a closet or some other small room on the other side of it.
As the entry team stacks up, Fourth Man moves to the opposite side of the door. His responsibility is to open the door to allow the Point Man to engage any targets that may be revealed by the door opening. Otherwise, Point Man could be out of position when the threat reveals itself. When he is ready to open the door, Fourth Man gives Point Man a thumbs up ready signal.
Once Point Man responds with an exaggerated nod of his head, Point Fourth man opens the door and the team breaches the target room. Fourth man then follows the third man into the room as per the entry team's TTPs or SOPs. It should be noted that the door does not need to be opened with much force. Use only enough force to open the door wide enough for the point man to move through the entry point and clear his corner. Leaving the door partially open provides cover, of course only in MilSim, and concealment of the entry team from the potential threats located on the other side of the door.
So let's talk about mistakes and things that entry team members should avoid doing. Number one, avoid weapon telegraphing. Entry team members should not give away the entry team's position by allowing any part of their weapon or gear to extend beyond a corner or into a doorway or entry point. That is a quick way to alert the enemy to your presence that an attack is imminent. We call this activating the angle. This is especially true for entry team members in the point man or second man positions. The point and second man are the positions in the stack that are closest to the entry point and are more prone to weapon telegraphing.
Number two. Do not sweep the body of the team member ahead of you. This can be avoided by using high ready or low ready weapon positions. With the exception of the point man and or second man in a staggered stack, entry team members should keep their weapons at high or low ready before breaching the target room. As each entry team member breaks the plan of the entry point, presuming it is using a dynamic or deliberate room entry method, His weapon should have moved into a firing position to engage enemy targets. This is done to prevent enemy muzzles from sweeping across the head or other body part of other entry team members.
Now, there are several different variations of these high or low ready techniques. The classic low ready technique is the non firing weapon position, most familiar to entry teams. It is performed by keeping the heel of the stock in the shoulder pocket while allowing the weapon muzzle to rest naturally about a foot or so in front of your feet.
In essence, the weapon muzzle will be pointing down at the ground. To engage targets, the entry team member simply brings the weapon up so that his or her cheek welds on the stock as his eyes align with the gun sights. While this technique prevents flashing of other entry team members, it also slows the ability of the entry team member to get his weapon back on target quickly.
The two to three tenths of a second delay can result in the enemy eliminating the entry team member. Because shooters under stress often have a natural tendency to fixate on their gun sights. This technique often results in entry team members looking at the ground where their weapon is pointing instead of covering their respective sectors or areas of responsibility.
Since this effect decreases the entry team's situational awareness, shooters are often trained to immediately scan the room as they are lowering their weapons to prevent gun sight fixation. Because of these issues, the modern low ready technique is preferred over the classic method. So what is the modern low ready technique?
The modern low ready technique is a modification of the classic low ready method. In some circles, it is also referred to as CQB ready. This technique is performed by keeping as much of the weapon stock in the shoulder pocket as possible. While they're pressing the weapon's muzzle no more than about 15 degrees below eye level.
To engage targets, entry team members need to raise their rifles only a few inches to align their eyes with their gun sights. Unlike the classic low ready position, the modern low ready technique lowers the muzzle only so much as to pull entry team members eyes off of their gun sights in order to open up their field of view.
This technique promotes situational awareness. It also tends to discourage shooters from looking at the ground. Although it can be measured in tenths of a second, the less distance you have to raise your muzzle to get on target, the more quickly you can make your first accurate shot. This technique is especially recommended for use by point men.
The point man is in the position to most likely encounter enemy as he approaches and or breaches the target room. As with the classic low ready technique, entry team members need to avoid gun sight fixation and keep their heads and eyes up and scanning for potential enemy threats. So next is the high ready technique.
Although there are multiple versions of the high ready technique, the cross body high ready technique is often preferred by many law enforcement and some military units. It is performed by allowing the weapon to naturally angle across the team member's body. With the shooting hand on the grip and the non shooting hand on the weapon forearm hold the weapon up just high enough for the gas block or front gun sight to be at eye level. The stock of the weapon should not be tucked into the armpit, but should be hanging loosely between the elbow of the dominant arm and the shooter's torso. This part is especially important because it allows the shooter to bring the weapon into firing position quickly, keeping the target's sight or gas block at eye level, lowers the majority of the weapon below the shooter's line of sight, opens up the shooter's field of view, and promotes situational awareness. Holding the gas block or front sight at eye level helps prevent muzzle flashing because the muzzle is on the entry team member's line of sight. He can control where the weapon points. Having the weapon stock positioned between the dominant arm elbow and the shooter's torso naturally places the weapon muzzle up at a 45 to 50 degree angle.
The cross body technique usually keeps muzzles pointing up and to the side instead of flashing a team member's body or head. To engage the enemy, the entry team member needs to first push the weapon up and out from his body just far enough So that the stock clears from underneath his armpit and torso.
Once the weapon is clear of the armpit, pull the weapon stock back, and seat it in the shoulder pocket. As part of this movement, the shooter's eyes should be aligning with the weapon's gun sites. Once the weapon is seated in the shoulder pocket and the target is acquired fire, the high ready technique is highly recommended for second man while using dynamic or deliberate room clearing methods.
As he breaks the line of departure, Second Man proceeds to move his weapon from high ready into a firing position. As he brings his weapon muzzle down, Point Man will have moved out of Second Man's line of fire and will not be flashed by the muzzle of Second Man's weapon.
Number 3. Never go into a new room without a fresh magazine. Entry team members must make it a habit to insert a fresh magazine in their weapon prior to hitting a target room to ensure they will not go dry during the breach. There is little worse than having the entry team eliminated because the first or second man forgot to insert a new magazine in his weapon before the breach.
If necessary, reload with another entry team member's magazine. To do so, the reloading entry team member calls check. Once one or more of the other entry teams respond with go or okay, the reloading team member performs a reload of his weapon. Once the reload is completed, the reloading team member announces back in.
Number four> Keep your finger off the trigger. Until you cross the threshold and engage the enemy, keep your finger off of the trigger. Friendly fire isn't. You don't want to be responsible for a failed breach because entry team members ahead of you were victims of fratricide.
So now let's talk about techniques and procedures common to all room entry techniques.
The first one I want to talk about is determine the most advantageous entry point. If possible, determine the most advantageous entry point for the target room. Whenever possible, use every kind of deception to confuse the enemy and mask your movements as you approach and breach the target room. The objective is to keep the enemy off balance, to prevent the enemy from determining the team's rhythm, and to keep the enemy confused as much as possible while the entry team takes the objective, i.e. seizing the target room.
The entry team leader should determine the initial position of the stack, an entry point based on several factors including the path of least resistance as it pertains to movement, security and smoothness of movement into the target room, threat axes to the location where the entry team will stack up, and the presence of tripping hazards such as ramps, steps and or uneven floors leading into the target room. Remember that a fall by one entry team member will delay or prevent the rest of the entry team from supporting team members that have already breached the room ahead of the fallen team member.
The second issue I want to discuss is footwork. Move efficiently and silently during approach to the target room. When moving forward, use a heel to toe step with your knees slightly bent and body leaning slightly forward. This will allow you to move quietly while still maintaining a stable firing platform. Until you are more proficient with smoother movement, use shorter steps to move smoothly and avoid the muzzle bounce associated with longer steps.
Avoid shuffling or dragging feet. As much as possible, avoid other unnecessary and noisy movements. The point of this is to maintain stability of the upper torso as a firing platform while you're on the move. Think of yourself as a modern tank. Your lower torso and legs act like the tread and hull of a tank, while the upper body acts as a gun stabilized turret.
When you get proficient with your footwork, you will be able to move smoothly in one direction while putting accurate fire on target in another. Entry team members need to use proper footwork to provide the most efficient movement into the target room. Point and second men in particular should have their feet positioned so that they can quickly and efficiently clear the entry point and complete a crossing/least resistance or buttonhook maneuver into the target room. Depending on which room entry method you utilize, the footwork will be slightly different. Although the number of steps used to enter a target room is important, it is the smoothness and efficiency of the footwork that is more critical.
So the third thing I want to talk about is ready signals. Depending on the experience of the entry team, its members may elect to execute a ready signal prior to breaching the target room. Entry teams that have not worked together for very long often choose a deliberate signal for greater control. More experienced teams often use a more simple or abbreviated signal.
Highly experienced teams are able to move from room to room quickly and aggressively with minimal communication at all. A ready signal should not be a tap or a leg bump because an incidental tap or bump can be interpreted as a ready signal when it is not. Use a shoulder squeeze or some other deliberate action that generally cannot be replicated by bumping into other members of the entry team.
When using a squeeze as a ready signal, be sure to apply a firm squeeze to the shoulder or meaty part of the arm where it is not covered by armor or other gear.
Here is an example of a deliberate signal for maximum control. First, point man gives a thumbs up signal to indicate he is ready to breach the room. Second, thumbs up signal is repeated down the stack to the fourth man. Third, starting at the back of the stack, each entry team member then squeezes the shoulder of the entry team member ahead of him when he is ready. Four, when second man squeezes the point man's shoulder, point man bobs his head three times. Five, on the third head bob, The entry team proceeds to breach the room. This type of ready signal ensures that everyone in the stack is ready to go and reduces the risk that any member of the stack will either be left behind or leave timing gaps during the breach. The disadvantage with this type of ready signal is that it increases the amount of time it takes to breach each room. This increase in time can result in the loss of tempo and initiative while clearing subsequent rooms.
Now here's an example of a simple ready signal. First, Pointman gives thumbs up signal to indicate he is ready to breach the room. Two. Beginning from the rear of the stack, each entry team member squeezes the shoulder of the team member ahead of him. Three. Immediately after second man squeezes point man's shoulder, point man begins to breach the target room. This form of ready signal is much faster than the deliberate signal discussed earlier. It provides a good middle ground to ensure that less experienced entry team members will not get caught flat footed when the point man commences his breach of the target room. The disadvantage is that it still takes time to complete the ready signal between rooms.
And finally, here's an example of a minimal signal. First, second man takes a snapshot view of the stack behind him to make sure the entry team members are in position. Two. Second man squeezes the shoulder of point man. Three, point man immediately moves to breach the target room. This method is far faster than the previous two examples. It allows the entry team to breach successive rooms very quickly.
The disadvantage of this ready signal is that inexperienced entry team members will not be ready when point man breaches the target room and or may get left behind while the team breaches subsequent rooms. It requires maximum alertness by each entry team member to ensure the team acts in a synchronous manner.
A variation of this technique is for one entry team member to lightly push his forearm against the shoulder upper back area of another entry team member in front of him. Upon receiving this signal, the front entry team member proceeds to breach the room or other danger area. This method is especially effective with entry teams using the free flow room clearing technique. It also allows the second man to keep his weapon in position while signaling the point man to breach the target room.
The next common technique I want to discuss is two muzzles, one threat. Whenever possible, entry team members should work in a synchronized manner to put two or more muzzles on one target, i.e. superiority of fire, to increase the chances of a successful breach. Whenever possible, entry team members should avoid one on one firefights. It increases the odds of incurring casualties and can put the whole entry team in jeopardy. This is the very reason why no room should be cleared with less than a buddy pair.
The next common technique is to stay off the wall. Do not bump or scrape against walls. It can be heard by enemy on the other side of them. And as soon as you do that, the enemy is going to know the jig is up.
So now let's talk about the topic of head, eyes, and weapon. Generally speaking, each entry team member should align his head, eyes, and weapon to his sector or area of responsibility. The fraction of a second it takes to get on target because your eyes and or weapon are not aligned on your sector or area of responsibility. Can result in you being eliminated by the enemy. Don't do it. Another principle that is common to all CQB methodology. Is to avoid sight fixation. While moving in a room, maintain eye level slightly above your actual gun sights.
Fixating on your sights narrows your field of view and makes your peripheral vision almost useless. At typical CQB engagement distances of 10 to 30 feet, you will most likely use point shooting techniques to engage the enemy.
Along those same lines, you also need to be aware of the fatal funnel. As much as possible, stay out of the fatal funnel until the entry team leader decides to clear the target room. Once that decision is made, immediately move through the entryway and do not linger there.
Let’s talk about grenades. Grenades are little balls of hate that are friends to no one. As such, their use in CQB environments can be problematic. Accuracy is paramount. A well placed grenade can effectively eliminate a full squad or more of enemy forces. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. A mis-thrown grenade can eliminate the entire entry team. Entry team members need to determine the odds that a thrown grenade will come back to them if thrown. Stairs and ramps are especially prone to this issue. Take care to throw a grenade only where it will be effective against the enemy.
And then finally, never clear danger areas alone. Entry team members must avoid pushing forward into non cleared rooms or dead space on their own. When an entry team member encounters non cleared room or dead space, He should hold cover on that danger area until he's supported by another team member.
Avoid pushing into danger areas with less than two team members. Remember you want two muscles covering a danger area.
I certainly hope you've enjoyed this episode of tactical Tuesday. Tune in for our next episode when we're going to discuss individual room entry techniques, basic dynamic room entry methods and related tactics, techniques, and procedures.
If you have any topics you would like to see covered in future episodes of tactical Tuesday, please let us know by posting it on the modern Milsim Facebook page. If it's not one of the topics we are already planning to cover, we will likely add it to our ever growing topic list.
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To our listeners out there, thank you for tuning in, and I look forward to providing you with new episodes every two weeks. If you like what you're hearing on this podcast, please subscribe and provide us with a review. Want to know what you like and how we can improve? You can also contact us on our Facebook page at facebook.com/modernmilsim with any suggestions you may have. In our next episode of Tactical Tuesday, we will discuss individual room entry techniques, basic dynamic room entry method, and related tactics, techniques, and procedures. If you want to know more about application of real-world tactics, techniques, and procedures to milsim, please check out from Alpha to Omega: A MILSIM Tactical Primer and Training Manual, as well as from Insertion to Extraction, Advanced MILSIM CQB Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures. Both books are available at amazon.com. As always, thank you for your support and I'll see you at our next installment of Tactical Tuesday.
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