Close-quarters battle (CQB), also calledclose-quarters combat (CQC), is a close combat situation between multiplecombatants involving ranged (typicallyfirearm-based) ormelee combat.[1] It can occur betweenmilitary units,law enforcement andcriminal elements, and in other similar situations. CQB is typically defined as a short duration, high intensity conflict characterized by sudden violence at close range.[2]
Close-quarters battle has occurred since the beginning of warfare, in the form of melee combat, the use of ranged weaponry (such asslings,bows, andmuskets) at close range, and the necessity ofbayonets.[clarification needed] DuringWorld War I, CQB was a significant part oftrench warfare, where enemy soldiers would fight in close and narrow quarters in attempts to capture trenches.
The origins of modern close-quarters battle lie in the combat methods pioneered by Assistant CommissionerWilliam E. Fairbairn of theShanghai Municipal Police, the police force of theShanghai International Settlement (1854–1943).[citation needed] After the 1925May Thirtieth Movement, Fairbairn was tasked with developing a dedicated auxiliary squad forriot control and aggressive policing. After absorbing the most appropriate elements from a variety ofmartial arts experts, Fairbairn condensed these arts into a martial art he called "defendu". The aim of defendu was to be as brutally effective as possible, while also being relatively easy for recruits and trainees to learn compared to other martial arts. The method incorporated both less-lethal and lethal fighting tactics, such aspoint shooting, firearm combat techniques, and the use of more ad hoc weapons such as chairs or table legs.
DuringWorld War II, Fairbairn was recruited to trainAllied special forces in defendu. During this period, he expanded defendu's lethality for military purposes, calling it the "Silent Killing Close Quarters Combat method"; this became standard combat training for British special forces. He also published a textbook for CQB training calledGet Tough.[3]U.S. Army officersRex Applegate andAnthony Biddle were taught Fairbairn's methods at a training facility in Scotland, and adopted the program for the training of Allied operatives atCamp X in Ontario, Canada. Applegate published his work in 1943, calledKill or Get Killed.[4] During the war, training was provided toBritish Commandos, theFirst Special Service Force,OSS operatives,U.S. Army Rangers, andMarine Raiders. Other military martial arts were later introduced elsewhere, including EuropeanUnifight, Chinesesanshou, Sovietsambo, and the Israelikapap andKrav Maga.
For a lengthy period following World War II, urban warfare and CQB had barely changed in infantry tactics. Modern firearm CQB tactics were developed in the 1970s as "close-quarters battle" by Westerncounterterroristspecial forces units following the 1972Munich massacre.[5] The units trained in the aftermath of the massacre, such as theSpecial Air Service,Delta Force,GSG 9,GIGN, andJoint Task Force 2, developed CQB tactics involving firearms to quickly and precisely assault structures while minimizing friendly andhostage casualties; these CQB tactics were shared between these special forces units, who were closely-knit and frequently trained together.[5] The Special Air Service used CQB tactics during the 1980Iranian Embassy siege. CQB tactics soon reachedpolice tactical units and similarparamilitaries, such as AmericanSWAT teams, by the 1980s and 1990s.[5]
However, CQB was still not widely taught to regularinfantry, as it was considered a hostage rescue tactic.[5] As late as the 1990s, some infantry manuals on urban combat described close-quarters room clearing essentially the same basic way it was described 60 years prior: a grenade being thrown into an enclosed area, followed by an infantry assault with automatic fire.[5] The special forces "monopoly" on CQB was broken following the experiences of urban warfare and close-quarters battles in the 1990s, during theBattle of Mogadishu, theBosnian War, and theFirst Chechen War.
TheFirst andSecond Battles of Fallujah during theIraq War were the watershed moments for infantry CQB, whenU.S. Marines, under pressure to capture the city ofFallujah,Iraq frominsurgents, used conventionalcombined arms andfire support against the city, and lacked proper CQB training and equipment to effectively clear buildings, causing numerous civilian and allied casualties and severely damaging the city.[5] With similar struggles in towns and cities amongABCA Armies during theWar in Afghanistan, a proper approach to infantry in urban warfare became crucial, and CQB tactics began to be more widely taught to infantry.[5]
According to scholar Anthony King, some special forces unitsexpress disdain at regular infantry being taught CQB, especially in organizational politics and internal matters such as securing budgets; a unit with CQB training requires expensive equipment and training facilities, using up funding that could be used for other units or purposes.[5]
Military uses of close-quarters battle vary by unit type, branch, and mission.Military operations other than war (MOOTW) may involvepeacekeeping orriot control. Specialized forces may adapt MOUT tactics to their own needs, such asmarinenaval boarding teams being trained specifically to searchships and fight CQB within them. Hostage rescue or extraction units may involve even more esoteric adaptations or variations, depending on environments, weapons technology, political considerations, or personnel.[6]
Armies that often engage in urban warfare operations may train most of their infantry in basic CQB doctrine as it relates to common tasks such as building entry, clearing a room, and using different types of grenades.[7]
Police tactical units (PTU) are the primary units that engage in CQB domestically. Situations involving the potential for CQB generally involve threats outside of conventional police capabilities, and thus PTUs are trained, equipped, and organized to handle these situations. Additionally, police action is often within what can be considered "close quarters", so members of PTUs are often well-trained in or already experienced with CQB, to the point that some PTUs may train military service members in CQB principles such as breaching and room clearing.
Police CQB doctrine is often specialized by unit type and mission. Depending on the unit or agency's jurisdiction or scope, PTUs may have different goals with different tactics and technology; for example,prison guards may maintain a unit trained in CQB in compact indoors areas such ascells without using lethal force, while a police anti-gang unit may be trained in CQB against multiple enemies that may be difficult to identify.
Unlike their military counterparts, PTUs, as law enforcement officers, are tasked with ideally apprehending suspects alive; for this reason, they are often trained inarrest procedures, non-lethal takedowns, and standoff negotiation instead of solely combat. They may be equipped withless-lethal weaponry such astasers,pepper spray, andriot guns to firetear gas,rubber bullets,plastic bullets, orbeanbag rounds.
Private security andprivate military companies may maintain units that are trained in CQB. These teams may be responsible for responding to an incident at a facility operated by a government agency that has hired their security services, or to provide protection for VIPs in combat zones. For instance, theU.S. Department of State employed such security teams in Iraq.[8]
Private military and security companies known to maintain units that are trained in, or are capable of training other units in, CQB includeBlackwater andSCG International Risk.[9][10]
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