Tactical Tuesday Episode Twenty-Five - You Must Crawl Before You Walk then Walk Before You Run: Principles, Tenants and Techniques Common to CQB

In this episode of Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim, we discuss Principles, Tenants and Techniques Common  to CQB.  Specifically, we discuss:

• Crawl-Walk-Run (1:13)
• Basic Room Clearing Decision Making (3:00)
• Priority of Work (8:18)
• Mental Flexibility (9:30)
• CQB TTPs Common to Room Clearing Methods (10:30)
• CQB Communications  (19:44)
• Target Room Danger Classification (29:00)
• and more.

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

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Transcript

 TACTICAL TUESDAY WITH MODERN MILSIM - EPISODE 25 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 twenty-five of Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim. I'm your host, Craig White. As always, thank you for being here. Now today we're going to discuss principles, tenets, and techniques common to CQB room clearing methods. Although I had originally planned to also cover dynamic room entry methodology specifically, I realized as I was preparing this episode that Dynamic Room Entry needs its own episode to do it justice.

For that reason, I'm going to defer covering Dynamic Room Entry TTPs to a future episode of this podcast. Some of you probably know the tactical training adage that goes something like this, you must crawl before you walk and walk before you run. What this means is that entry team members must learn, then practice CQB TTPs at a slower pace until each member understands the basics of them.

This is the crawl stage. This is typically performed by the entry team walking through the basic TTPs without weapons to get a beginning familiarity with implementing them in the field. Once the entry team members become comfortable with CQB TTPs, They will practice them while improving their flow and while engaging paper targets.

This is the walk stage. And when I say improve their flow, I am talking about the entry team members improving their ability to move smoothly together, to engage targets on the move, and to improve the overall cohesion of the entry team. Eventually, the entry team will apply CQB TTPs against an opposing force or op for at full speed to get the team used to the stresses of clearing rooms.

This is the run phase. CQB combat is complex with many differing TTPs. Learning them is a continuum. They are also a perishable skill set. As such, to maintain their effectiveness, entry teams need to regularly practice their CQB SOPs, tactics, techniques and procedures.  

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. 

So with that in mind, let's get to it. First, let's talk about basic room clearing decision making. CQB is a thinking man's game that requires entry team members to constantly think in three dimensions while simultaneously assaulting complex buildings and structures. In so doing, the team must recognize favorable threat angles against the enemy, as well as potential threat angles against the entry team.

It also requires ongoing communication and passing of critical information between entry team members in real time during the breach of the target room. Entry team leaders must make reasonable decisions based on the information available to them at the time. When time is of the essence, entry team leaders typically do not have the luxury of waiting for a clear picture of what is contained in the target room before making a decision to breach it.

As a result, entry team leaders and members should keep in mind the following principles. First, keep room clearing procedures as simple as possible. Keeping procedures simple prevents confusion and allows quicker reinforcement of the tactic, technique, and procedure through repeated training. Make muscle memory your friend.

Number two, entry team members need to focus on clearing individual rooms one at a time. Do not move to adjacent rooms until the initial target room is cleared. 

Number three, entry team leaders should decide which room clearing method to use based on information currently available to them. Issues for consideration include, but are not limited to, whether the target room is known to be occupied by enemy forces, the number and composition of enemy forces, whether the target room contains an objective, Whether the target room is fortified, whether the target room or its contents represent key or critical terrain, the location of entry points into the target room.  The number and location of additional doorways or windows into the room, also known as threat axes and the security provided to the entry team by nearby friendly forces. 

Number four, entry team members must fully commit to and act on the team leader's decisions. Second guessing the entry team leader's decisions will likely get the entire entry team eliminated.  Once a decision is made by the Entry Team Leader, the Entry Team must execute on that decision. 

Number five. The Entry Team must maintain coordination and communications during the breach of the target room. Communication, even if unspoken between Entry Team members, is critical to a successful breach.  Depending on the experience of the Entry Team, such communications can be verbal or nonverbal signals. We'll talk about that later in this episode. 

Number six. Entry team members should cross the line of departure immediately, especially while using dynamic room entry techniques. Don't hesitate and get caught in the fatal funnel.  Move quickly through the doorway or entry point and along the walls to increase lateral separation between each entry team member. And to maximize triangulation of fire on the enemy. If you get hit, step aside to allow other team members to breach the target room. 

Number seven, entry team members should expect enemy contact.  While clearing any danger area, entry team members should always expect close contact with the enemy and be ready to engage Sane. Anticipating enemy contact should prevent hesitation or surprise once it occurs and provide entry team members with a reaction time advantage. 

Number eight. Each entry team member should eliminate all immediate threats as he or she encounters them.  If dynamic or deliberate room entry techniques are being utilized, entry team members should eliminate threats while moving to their points of domination. First eliminate immediate threats. They pose more of a danger to the entry team member than potential threats that are positioned deeper in the room.  That being said, rely on other entry team members to neutralize less immediate threats that are not in your sector and are deeper in the target room. 

Number nine. Move to all domination points. If Dynamic Room Entry or Deliberate Room Entry techniques are being utilized, Entry Team members should move to all points of domination as per their TTPs or SOPs.  We'll cover this issue when we discuss Dynamic Entry and Deliberate Entry techniques in future episodes of this podcast. 

Number ten. Never Stop Scanning Sectors. Entry Team members should stay focused and never stop scanning their sector or area of responsibility Unless they are actively engaged in a threat, hidden threats will often wait until the initial breach is completed before revealing themselves.  Keep in mind that potential threats may be represented by open doors leading into the target room, unidentified individuals in the target room, and obstacles that cannot be cleared visually from the entry member's current position. If such a potential threat exists, provide security for the rest of the Entry Team by covering it with your weapon.

Number eleven. Check your condition. On command of All Clear, each Entry Team member should check both their condition and the condition of other Entry Team members before reorganizing back into the stack. Entry Team members should also make sure that they monitor their ammunition use. When in doubt, reload.

Now, next, I want to talk about CQB priorities of work. Priority of work in CQB means what tasks have priority over others. Threats must be addressed according to the following priority of work. 

The first priority of work is actual observed threats. Entry team members must first neutralize all immediate threats starting with the nearest one and then moving out, i.e. near to far. 

The second priority of work is civilians and potential threats. Entry team members must identify and determine if any civilians in the target room are threats masquerading as non combatants and neutralize SANE. 

The third priority of work is open space. Entry team members must clear open space such as the target room interior of any threats.

The fourth priority of work is open door. Entry team members must then hold cover on and or eliminate any threats observed through any open doors or entry points. 

And the fifth priority of work is closed doors. Entry team members must then hold cover on any closed doors in case enemy combatants attempt to open the door and engage the entry team.

So let's talk about mental flexibility. Entry team members need to maintain mental flexibility as they clear target buildings and rooms. The use of any given room clearing method is dependent on the circumstances in which he finds himself. Some room clearing methods are better than others in certain circumstances.  For example, dynamic entry room clearing is better for hostage rescue, whereas limited penetration, or LIMPIN, is not. Similarly, if you must take a fortified target Dynamic room entry will not work well. In such a circumstance, the entry team is likely to be wiped out in the target room reinforced with fortified defenders.

In contrast, use of limited penetration from the entry point or door provides some cover in MILSIM operations that can mitigate against those issues. The bottom line is that each room clearing method and technique is a tool for your CQB toolbox. Entry team members must learn which one works better in different circumstances and apply them accordingly.

So now let's discuss CQB tactics, techniques, and procedures. That are common to each room clearing method. Although dynamic entry, deliberate entry, and limited penetration room clearing techniques have TTPs that are specific to them, there are many TTPs that are common to all three. 

So the first one I want to talk about is to divide the enemy's attention.  Whenever possible, entry CQB TTPs to divide an enemy's attention between two or more team members. The hesitation of the enemy while he decides which threat to engage should lengthen his reaction time and can provide a tactical advantage to the entry team. Typically, this effect is achieved by rapid lateral separation of entry team members while entering the room.

The next one is security. The entry team must also provide its own security during the entire process of clearing a building from the approach to the objective through back clearing through the building. CQB is a complex environment that often involves many intersecting halls, rooms, and stairways that are in close proximity to each other.  Also, do not leave an uncleared room between you and your extraction or exit point. 

Next is maintaining sector of fire and area of responsibility. All entry team members must maintain their own individual sector of fire and area of responsibility. Rely on your team members to cover their sector. As a general rule, each member of the entry team should initially scan from the outside edge of his or her sector and toward the center of it to make sure that no enemy combatants slip through.

So let's talk about scanning. Each entry team member needs to constantly scan his or her sector An area of responsibility for enemy threats. And then we have collapsing sectors. Collapsing sectors means that you progressively scan through your sector until you reach the muzzle of the entry team members to each side of you.  This ensures that each entry team member is providing interlinking fields of fire. With the team members next to him or her. 

So now let's talk about controlling the distance to threats. Whether the entry team utilizes a dynamic room entry, deliberate room entry, or limited penetration room entry techniques to secure the target room, it must still maintain distance to threats in the room.  Unless he is searching an enemy player, the entry team members should maintain at least a six to 10 foot distance from him or her. 

This is critical for the following reasons. First.  Maintaining greater distance increases the time in which to react during engagements. Second. Maintaining greater distance increases your options regarding cover and alternative means of exercising control over the target room.  Third. Distance avoids weapon retention issues. Four. Distance also helps to prevent masking or blocking of other team members, fields of fire. Fifth. Distance helps to avoid fratricide resulting from over penetration into the target room. Sixth. Distance also promotes target acquisition and discrimination because areas of responsibility and sectors of fire remain clear.  Seventh, Distance also helps to facilitate efforts to contain high value targets or HVTs in the room and to prevent their escape. And then finally, eighth. Distance helps to lessen the chance that enemy combatants in the room will be able to employ melee weapons such as knives. So now we have clear all rooms. Do not bypass one room or door to clear another.

Clear rooms and danger areas sequentially as you reach them. You should never expose your flank or rear to an uncleared room, door, or other danger area. If you are presented with multiple uncleared rooms, Decide which room to breach while maintaining security over uncleared rooms and danger areas. And so that dovetails into our next topic, which is retreat and escape routes.

Always make sure to ensure that the entry team has a means of retreat or exfil, especially while clearing complex rooms and other danger areas. Make sure that entry team's movement guard against efforts of the enemy in the room to cut off retreat. When you move, move only as fast as you can acquire threats, then put accurate fire on them.

Remember that the engagement is not won by the first shot. But by the first accurate shot. So now let's talk about positive identification. Before firing entry team members should use positive identification measures to determine that the target is an enemy threat. This is known as target discrimination because it is possible for a target room to contain both friendly and enemy forces that are unaware of each other or are otherwise actively engaged.

Entry teams will not have time to use challenger passwords to identify enemy forces. Entry teams will have to use positive identification, or PID, indicators provided by the event organizer. In other words, uniform requirements, armbands, and the like, to do so. 

Now one of the main tenets of CQB is to eliminate all threats as you encounter them.  With the exception of limited penetration room clearing method, eliminate all immediate threats as you encounter them while moving. There is no point in checking your near corner if an enemy is just inside the door. All target engagement must be done on the move and or in cover as circumstances dictate, depending on the room clearing method used by the entry team.

Do not stop in the door or entry point. As you move through the entryway, eliminate any immediate threats that your line of fire passes over. That being said, do not make a point of engaging an enemy that your line of fire does not cross. Stick to your sector and area of responsibility as you move into the room.

In other words, shoot them as you see them. Whatever you do, do not stop in the fatal funnel to engage the enemy. Doing so will likely prevent the rest of the entry team from breaching the target room and providing support. Another thing that is important to firing on the move is to assume proper positioning.

 Keep your body balanced in a slight fighter's crouch in order to maintain a stable firing position while moving. Keep your eyes above your gun sights until you are ready to fire. This opens up your field of view and promotes situational awareness. Make sure your eyes and weapon are covering the same sector and area of responsibility for your position in the stack.  Failure to do so can result in the loss of the entire entry team. 

Entry team members must also position themselves so that they can breach the room without striking the door frame or other obstacles. This is especially important for the second man. Second man needs to already be in position when he gives the go signal to point man.  He must be ready and able to move with the point man immediately after the go signal is given. 

So let's talk about noise discipline and jump checks. As much as possible, secure loose items such as BBs, magazines, carabiners, slings, and radios so that they do not jingle, rub against each other, or otherwise make noise.  Entry team members should do a jump check prior to hitting the target building to make sure everything in their kit is well secured. The last thing the entry team needs is to produce noise while they move. It will telegraph the entry team's position and intentions to the enemy way before it approaches the room.

Moving quietly and suddenly appearing in the room puts you inside the enemy's OODA loop and increases your chances of success. In a similar fashion, entry team members need to leave flashlights and lasers off until they actually breach the target room. Indiscriminate use of lights and lasers will also give the entry team's positional weight to the enemy.

White light also destroys natural night vision. Use of night vision goggles or night optical devices is recommended so long as its infrared light is off. Entry team members also need to be aware that the use of lights behind other members of the team will silhouette them. Now another common technique to both dynamic and deliberate room entry is the standoff distance when breaching doorways.

When stacking up outside the target room, entry team members, especially the point man, should position themselves so that they will not be exposed to fire from within the target room when the door is open. Stacking a few feet back from the entry point, Will narrow and or eliminate the gap through which the stack can be hit by fire and or grenades coming out from the target room.

In other words, you're diminishing your angles of exposure. It is the timing and sequencing of entry team members hitting the room that matters, not the proximity to the door. Now, please note that standoff distance from the entry point is not readily applicable to entry teams utilizing limited penetration room entry techniques.

If you are using dynamic or deliberate room entry techniques, do not crowd the entry point before the breach. You can unnecessarily expose yourself to potential enemy fire from within the target room before you actually enter it. 

So finally, let's talk about CQB communication. Communication is critically important to those engaging in CQB operations.  The ability of entry team members to communicate information clearly and decisively will significantly impact the team's ability to flow smoothly. Poor communications can cause an entry team member to hesitate or otherwise interfere with the movement of other team members. Although basic communication procedures, including the use of radios and hand signals, were addressed extensively in episode four of this podcast, the following commands and pro words are frequently used by entry teams in a CQB environment.

So the first command is status. This is a command from the Entry Team Leader for its members to declare their physical status and or whether their sectors and areas of responsibility are clear. The response to status is clear. This is a response given by Entry Team Members that their sector and area of responsibility is clear.

And then there is All Clear or Room Clear. This is the Entry Team Leader's report that the room is completely clear. 

So the next command is dominate. This is a command from the entry team leader for point and or second men, depending on entry team TTPs to move alongside walls to positions of dominance in the room.  This command can be used to order individual team members to move to a position of dominance. For example, point man dominate or second man dominate. 

So the next pro word is coming out. This means that allied troops are coming out of the room. Similarly, last man out is the announcement made by the last entry team member leaving the room.  This announcement is made so that other allied forces will know that anyone exiting the room behind the last entry team member is likely an enemy combatant. 

So then there is Come out, which is a response to the pro word coming out that it is safe to exit the room. The pro word coming in means there are allied forces coming into the room.

The response to coming in is come in, which means it is safe to enter the room. Now the next two pro words are move or set. Which means I am in a covering position, move to your next position. Move can also be used as a response to the command moving, given by another entry team member depending on entry team SOPs.

Now the next pro word is moving. Which means cover me while I am moving to my next cover position. It is a response to move or set. Now the next pro words are short or short room. This is an announcement by the point man that the room being entered is small and that there is not enough space for an entire entry team to enter the room with this signal or command.

Only the point and second man should enter the room. Third and fourth men provide security against threats located outside of the room. In many buildings, the size of the door and the location of the hinges can indicate that a closet or other smaller room is on the other side. Doors to most closets and smaller rooms open outwards, i.e., toward the entry team member. The door is also noticeably more narrow than a standard door. If you have a noticeably narrow door with hinges visible to the outside, it is likely a closet or small room on the other side. 

So the next pro word is grenade. This is the command by point man to fourth man to throw a grenade into the target room When stated twice, as in grenade grenade, it is the command to throw a dummy or dead grenade into the room.

All entry team members should be ready to immediately enter the target room upon a dead grenade being thrown in to maximize initiative and surprise. This command can also be made via hand signals. Pointman holds his arm above his shoulder while forming his hand into a C shape as if holding a grenade and making squeezing motions.

After giving the signal, the Pointman will hold up either one or two fingers to indicate how many grenades need to be thrown into the room. If the grenade hand signal is followed by a thumbs down signal, It indicates that a dummy grenade will be thrown into the room. With the use of live grenades, the entry team breaches the target room immediately after it detonates.

So then we get to stack up or on me. Which means get in position to enter the next room. When made, this call is often accompanied by the location of the entry point. and identifying on which side the team should stack. For example, open door front, stack right. 

The next pro word is stack, stack, stack.  Combined with a pointing motion at the entry point for the next room to be cleared means stack on that entry point and prepare to breach. This command can also be made via hand signals. The entry team leader faces the entry point of the next room to be cleared and points at it with a chopping motion with his non firing hand.  In other words, a knife hand. 

So the next code word is breacher. This is an order for the entry team breacher, which is usually the third or fourth man, to move into position to open a closed door. This command can be made via hand signal. The point man raises his closed fist over his head and swings it back and forth like it is a hammer.

The next pro word is shot, shot, shot. The entry team member makes this call when he takes an unexpected shot at enemy in the target room before the team actually breaches it. Once this occurs, the entry team member that made the call takes temporary control over the entry team and directs what actions should be taken, including whether to continue the breach or transition to a limited penetration room entry.

The next pro word is going deep or moving deep. An entry team member, usually the point or second man, makes this call before he moves beyond his point of domination in order to clear dead space deeper into the room. Such as behind furniture. Next is open door. Entry team members make this call to indicate the location of an open door or entry point in relation to the target room's entry point as part of reporting his status.  For example, four up open door left. Now the call closed door is made by entry team members to indicate the location of a closed door in relation to the room's entry point as part of reporting his or her status. For example, to clear closed door front. 

So then the next command is last room clear.  Actually it's an announcement and not a command. The entry team leader makes this call when the last room on the floor is clear. This signal also serves as the command for the entry team to back clear to the access point to the next floor to be cleared. 

And then we have building clear. Entry team leaders make this call when the entry team has cleared the entire building.

So now we're getting on to a few other terms here. The next one is stoppage. An entry team member makes this call when his or her weapon is malfunctioning or down. 

Winchester out means the entry team member's weapon has run dry on ammo. 

Now the next call is check. Entry team member makes this call when he wishes to reload his weapon.  Other entry team members need to respond to this command with go or okay to confirm the announcing entry team member can reload. 

Back in means that the entry team member has cleared a weapon malfunction or has reloaded his weapon and then there is hold. This command is given by entry team members. For the formation to stop movement for any reason, such as an entry team member is reloading, a medic is reviving, a team member, and so on and so on.

Now, in addition to verbal signals, there are also non-verbal. Entry teams should formulate and incorporate a limited number of non-verbal signal TTPs standard operating procedures. Unlike simple hand signals, many nonverbal signals in CQB environments must work even when the recipient cannot see the team member giving them.

This is especially true where an entry team is using the free flow technique to clear rooms. We will address that topic in a future episode of this podcast. An example of such a nonverbal signal includes giving a shoulder squeeze to the point man to initiate a target room breach or brushing against another entry teammate to ensure he knows you are covering his flank. Nothing is said. The meaning of these physical contact signals is understood by everyone in the entry team. 

To avoid, Fracticide, entry teams need to remain in communication with each other. This can be achieved through various methods, including radio contact between entry team leaders, direct physical or eye contact between linked men, positioned at room entry points or stationed just inside the target room once cleared.  And verbal contact between entry teams, including the use of pro words. 

Now, the last thing I want to talk about today is room danger classification system. When clearing rooms, consider using a color brevity code system to classify and report the danger level. Of various target rooms. Use these color brevity codes to convey critical information to an entry team when time is of the essence.  An example of such color brevity codes are as follows. 

The first one is green. Although target room is deemed to be clear and non-contested, there may be civilians present in the room. The entry team makes entries per its TTPs. If engaged in a green room, the team commander will need to decide whether to re clear the room or break contact.  This condition is sometimes referred to as a soft clear. 

And then we have yellow. The target room is occupied by a hostage or high value target. Use aim fire to clear a yellow target room to avoid hitting the hostage or HVT. Avoid the use of fragmentary grenades to avoid injuring or killing the hostage or HVT.  This condition is referred to as a cautious clear. 

And then you have orange. The target room is potentially unsafe. Consider using a limited penetration room clearing method or grenades to clear the room. Fragmentary or flashbang grenades may also be appropriate. This condition is sometimes referred to as Flash Bang Up or Flashy Up.

And then you have Condition Red. The target room is unsafe to enter. It is an enemy contested room. Use of grenades is recommended to clear the red target room. This condition is sometimes referred to as Hard Clear. 

And then finally, you have Black. The target room is unsafe to enter and the entry team should not attempt it.  Usually a black target room is heavily reinforced or fortified. It may also contain booby traps. This condition is sometimes referred to as no clear. 

It should be noted that the color brevity code for a target room can change according to conditions at the time. For example, a target room would be deemed red.  If the entry team is taken fire from inside the room, however, the target room status would be changed to black if several members of the entry team are lost during efforts to clear the room and or if it is heavily fortified. 

I hope you've enjoyed this episode of Tactical Tuesday. Tune in for our next episode when we're going to discuss basic dynamic room entry methods and related tactics, techniques, and procedures.

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'd 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/modern milsim with any suggestions you may have. 

In our next episode of Tactical Tuesday, we will discuss basic dynamic room entry methods 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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