What is CQB?

[Cavguy]

IIRC, a SWC member penned an Armor Magazine article titled, "Beware Battle Drill Six.". It shares some of your concerns.

The folks who slammed you for asking an entitely reasonable question have their heads up their asses.

The Marine Corps learned the flaws of our TTPs in the urban/residential fights along the Euphrates, and in wholesale amounts during Fallujah 2.0. I cannot remember the title, but a group of infantrymen from 3d Bn 5th Marines wrote an excellent AAR of their fight, and it was eye-opening.

The Benning link is broken, but there is an open source version of the article here:

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+case...x.-a0160714362

Great SWJ thread here:

http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...4002#post54002

And my comment:
http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...2&postcount=47

Bottom line - no reason a unit should do it unless all other options are expended. Excessive training focus on it makes it a first, rather than last, tactical choice.

[jcustis]

I'll add that in the Afghan context, there is definitely no need to send a man through a door, knowing that hostiles are confirmed to be inside, unless one is doing DA in-extremis hostage rescue, or hard target takedowns and the intel to be gained has a short shelf-life. The units that need to do it, do it well. Everyone else should just use a rocket or a tank.

[Fuchs]

I'll add that in the Afghan context, there is definitely no need to send a man through a door, knowing that hostiles are confirmed to be inside, unless one is doing DA in-extremis hostage rescue, or hard target takedowns and the intel to be gained has a short shelf-life. The units that need to do it, do it well. Everyone else should just use a rocket or a tank.

I wonder how this works out well if the defenders in the village have connecting tunnels between the houses as they did in Chechnya.

snipe from building
run to tunnel, crouch through it
boom - house gone
rinse, repeat till whole village is down - all for one man with a bolt action rifle?


Other problem; assault on village. First line of houses is unoccupied save for some spotters, textbook-style. Assault on village. How to blow up 2nd line of houses without closing in with tanks within suicidal 50 m (think: capable opponents, European two-floor houses with inverted vee roof)?


I'm no friend of maxims.

[jcustis]

By Afghan context, referring to the use of a rocket or tank was hyperbole. We shouldn't actually level a house for a guy with a bolt action rifle. You just encircle the structure and wait him out.

If, over time as you operate in the battlespace, you realize there are tunnels involved, you change to address that element.

Now, if there are defenders (emphasis on plural), then tactics adjust as well, but I get where you're going with what you're saying.