Special Tactics: High-Intensity Military Urban Combat

This book is an open-source, abridged version of the longer Squad-Level Military Urban Combat manual published by Special Tactics in 2017. This version focuses on urban warfare and Close Quarters Battle (CQB) tactics designed for high-intensity, conventional warfare. Almost all of current U.S. military and special operations doctrine focuses on precision CQB tactics that trace their origins to special operations hostage rescue units. There is a notable gap in tactics focused on how to fight a near-peer adversary on a conventional battlefield. Such tactics and knowledge could prove particularly useful for promoting peace and security around the world giving the rising trend in urban conflicts.

High-intensity CQB differs from low-intensity CQB in a number of ways. In a high-intensity urban fight, commanders have much more freedom in their use of heavy weapons and firepower. As the risk-level increases, in some cases units will want to avoid going into a room or building at all and instead use firepower to neutralize threats from a distance. The employment of artillery and explosives change the urban landscape. Buildings may be damaged, unstable, on fire, or filled with smoke.

Sewers and subway tunnels become much more important since they offer hidden routes to move around the city while minimizing exposure.

These are just a few factors that make high-intensity urban combat a unique problem that must be addressed with its own specific tactics, techniques and procedures. Few resources currently exist that focus on high-intensity urban operations. This book aims to help fill that gap and covers a variety of topics including...

•    Basic urban combat and Close Quarters Battle (CQB)
•    Immediate entry and delayed entry tactics
•    Tactics for crossing streets, alleys and windows
•    Fragmentation grenade employment
•    Urban machine gun employment
•    Mouse-holing and conventional urban breaching
•    Clearing damaged or compromised building structures
•    Subterranean combat tactics and sewer/tunnel clearing
•    Urban small-unit defense
•    Urban casualty evacuation and counter-sniper tactics