Room Clearing is DANGEROUS business

First off lets look at some terminology. STACK the group of assaulters that will clear the room. A stack is a MINIMUM of two assaulters but more is better. The stack is formed outside just prior to the assault usually right by the point of entry (which is usually a door.) BREACHER the assaulter that opens the door, window, etc. The only rule about the breacher is that he is always the LAST guy in the stack to enter the room. FATAL FUNNEL the area of the doorway. It is called the FATAL FUNNEL because it draws everyones attention and GUNFIRE. To remain in the FATAL FUNNEL is DEATH to you and your team-mates. The FATAL FUNNEL must be negotiated as QUICKLY as possible.

There are two categories of entry static and dynamic.

STATIC entry/clearing is for when you have the time to go slow such as clearing your own house at night when you
think your house has been invaded by a bad-guy. For static clearing you think 100% in terms of working the angles or slicing the 1,000s of pies in every room.

DYNAMIC entry/clearing is done in a blast. The room is quickly dominated through speed and aggression. Dynamic
entry has been broken down into two different methods stacking and stackless. Case in point while you are all running to the building you have chosen you dont want to stack outside the front door and waste precious time getting in stack. What I would envision is that three of you leave the main group and SPRINT over to the building and IMMEDIATELY enter the front door which is a hallway. THEN AFTER the hallway is secure go ahead and stack outside the office/apartment door prior to entry. (Stackless entry is VITAL if you are already receiving incoming fire. You dont have time to stack out there while under fire.) You would enter the final room only after the whole group is secure in the hallway. The guy you left with the group would provide security for the group and would also act as your six. He would provide security in the hallway too prior to entry. Here are all the necessary elements of CQB:

1. Planning 2. Preparation 3. Intelligence 4. Coordination 5. Execution 6. Safety 7. Training

With our scenario above the planning and preparation have occurred LONG before the visit to the city. The intel gathering came when you saw the unruly mob approaching your area. You then coordinated with each other about what to do (go to ground and secure a safe place to hole up). Then you executed that plan SAFELY. (Safely means that no one got hurt except those that you intended to get hurt.) Then when you get back home you will do an AAR and analyze what you could have done better and add that to your training.

Here are the Five Principles of CQB:

1. Number 1 man is never wrong 2. Move through the threshold/fatal funnel (Don't stop) 3. Occupy your sectors of fire (Points of Domination) 4. Cover your buddy 5. Dominate the room
Here are the Five Fundamentals of CQB:

1. Speed 2. Surprise 3. Violence of Action (some call it Shock Action) 4. Simplicity (K.I.S.S. cause Murphy will be along for the ride) 5. Safety (have a fail safe breach and know you sector of fire)
The Four Danger areas of CQB are known as

1. Corners 2. Ceilings 3. Closets 4. Stairs

STAY OFF OF THE WALLS! When in stressful situations you will want to lean on a wall. DONT. If you do you will drag the wall as you move MAKING NOISE. Noise is a target indicator that someone will eventually shoot at. MOST bullets go through MOST walls. This is especially true when in the stack! Most men especially new guys will want to lean against the wall while in a stack. DONT DO IT! DONT ALLOW IT! While in the stack ALL firearms are pointed at the ground. This allows for unobstructed vision, and un-encumbered movement and SAFETY for the team. Think of it this way if you buddy behind you has an ND (Negligent Discharge) do you want the bullet in your foot or in your head?? In the stack the safety is ON! Fingers along side trigger guard. As SOON as movement starts the firearms (be they long or short) can be brought to approximately a 45 degree angle. Then as SOON as the FATAL FUNNEL has been negotiated bring your firearm up to almost eye level, and into your firing position. While negotiating the Fatal Funnel the safety can come off but the firing finger is ALONG SIDE the trigger guard not IN the trigger guard. The firing finger only enters the trigger guard immediately prior to shooting NOT BEFORE. You want FULL eye vision but with the firearm almost at eye level so quick shots can be delivered. The barrel of the firearm should be parallel with the floor or close to parallel so if you have to shoot it will at least be a hit even if it is low. (With a handgun the arms can be bent and relaxed yet the muzzle will still be parallel with the floor so shots can be fired from this position. It is also FAST and EASY to bring the pistol out to full extension for more precise shot/s.) HALLWAY SECURITY and APPROACH TO ROOM ENTRY Front view Top View Your sectors of fire would look like this:

Notice that the whole hallway is covered. The team can move like this with relative security but hallways are dangerous places to move as EVERY door, window, coke machine, table, air-conditioning vent, etc. is a danger area. You MUST think in terms of a 360 degree hostile environment. Ceilings, walls, floors, front and back. Continuously scan these areas within your Sector of Fire. You pretty much wait by the front door covering the hallway until the whole group is there then you will assemble into the

4 man hallway security formation. It looks like this:

You will be continuously communicating to your team-mates and they to you. Moving Closed door right Coke machine left etc. ANYONE can stop or halt the movement by saying Stop then communicating why. If you are searching for bad-guys - movement will be slow and deliberate a few feet per second is a good rule of thumb. However in this instance you are just looking for a safe room and can move quicker. In a textbook building clearing you NEVER pass by a door that you havent cleared that room. However in this case you are not searching for bad guys you are searching for a safe place to hide out. So you wont be taking the time clear the whole dang building. You will pick a room and then clear it. You are obviously wanting to pick a room that allows good security and a 2nd way out and one that provides good avenues of fire should that become necessary. I would avoid 2nd floor (or higher) rooms as riots tend to burn buildings down and it would be poor form to be stuck on the 2nd story of a building when it is on fire. Although from a security standpoint the first floor is the LEAST secure. As always there are trade-offs and compromises to be made. The choice is yours and your team-mates. Go with what you feel is best for the given situation and adapt and overcome obstacles when they present themselves. Once you locate what you think would be a good room the three of you would stack outside the door and the fourth man would provide rear security. *******************************

Precision Room Clearing: Room Entry

STAY OFF OF THE WALLS! When in stressful situations you will want to lean on a wall. DONT. If you do you will drag the wall as you move MAKING NOISE. Noise is a target indicator that someone will eventually shoot at. MOST bullets go through MOST walls. This is especially true when in the stack! Most men especially new guys will want to lean against the wall while in a stack. DONT DO IT! DONT ALLOW IT! While in the stack ALL firearms are pointed at the ground. This allows for unobstructed vision, and un-encumbered movement and SAFETY for the team. Think of it this way if you buddy behind you has an ND (Negligent Discharge) do you want the bullet in your foot or in your head?? In the stack the safety is ON! Fingers along side trigger guard.

As SOON as movement starts the firearms (be they long or short) can be brought to approximately a 45 degree angle. Then as SOON as the FATAL FUNNEL has been negotiated bring your firearm up to almost eye level, and into your firing position. While negotiating the Fatal Funnel the safety can come off but the firing finger is ALONG SIDE the trigger guard not IN the trigger guard. The firing finger only enters the trigger guard immediately prior to shooting NOT BEFORE. You want FULL eye vision but with the firearm almost at eye level so quick shots can be delivered. The barrel of the firearm should be parallel with the floor or close to parallel so if you have to shoot it will at least be a hit even if it is low. (With a handgun the arms can be bent and relaxed yet the muzzle will still be parallel with the floor so shots can be fired from this position. It is also FAST and EASY to bring the pistol out to full extension for more precise shot/s.) The CORNERS must be DOMINATED FIRST! ESPECIALLY the corners adjacent to the point of entry. That means the #1 and the #2 man will NOT take the center of the room. At this point they will pretend the center of the room does not even exist. Remember the danger areas of CQB?? Corners are the FIRST danger area so the corners are the HIGHEST priority. If you fail to dominate the first set of corner you fail to dominate the room. If you fail to dominate the room your team has failed its mission. First some ground rules. 1. If the door opens inward (into the room) always line-up on the opposite side of the doorway as the door knob. 2. If the door opens outward (into the hallway or away from the room) always line up nearest the door knob. 3. The only guy that will always break the rules above is the breacher or the guy that opens the door. This way he is out of the way of the entry team and he can go in last or stay out and provide security which ever would be best. 4. #1 man takes 2 and #2 man takes 1 (corner that is. #1 will typically take the first and second corner in the room b and the #2 man will take just one corner. Now if #1 falls down or something like that communication can take place so that the #2 man will go ahead and take 2 corners the #1 man will just take one corner. The Following section involves 4 persons. 2 for room entry, and 2 for hallway security. Since we are doing a 2 man entry the 2nd man is the breacher. He is standing on the door knob side of the door because the door opens inward. He will just reach over and turn the knob and push if it is unlocked or he will kick the door in or he will pick the lock for a stealth entry. Once the door is unlocked the #1 man will give the countdown and the breacher will open the door on the count. Now what happens next will take A LOT longer to read than it does to do it. The millisecond that door is open b the #1 man is able to see the deep corner he takes this knowledge with him as he is racing through the FATAL FUNNEL. In the millisecond that his mind needs to process it b he will decide if there is a threat there or not. HE DOES NOT STOP MOVING AT ALL DURING THIS TIME. He is headed for his corner. If he sees a threat b he can engage it WHILE MOVING to his corner. HE DOES NOT STOP MOVING AT ANY TIME. ALL SHOTS ARE DONE ON THE MOVE. (If he stops for whatever reason he will create a bottleneck in the FATAL FUNNEL and the team may get killed.) DO NOT STOP MOVING!!!!!!!! If #1 doesnt engage the deep threat while moving to his first corner he will engage the deep threat while moving to his second corner. Here is our 2 men ready to enter. The #1 man is on the right - and the breacher is on the left. REMEMBER AT THIS POINT THE FIREARMS SHOULD BE POINTED AT THE GROUND! FIREARMS ARE BROUGHT TO BEAR ONLY AFTER THE FATAL FUNNEL HAS BEEN NEGOTIATED!!!(These little GIJoes arms and hands are hard to move around - so I left them all in "patrol carry" position - so look at where the GIJoe is standing - NOT at how they are carrying thier rifle.)

#1 man's view in the open room a . millisecond before he enters

#1 is entering - his Sector of Fire is "red" - #2 (also the breacher) Sector of Fire is "green"

#1 is on his way to his first of two corners AS SOON AS #1 man is out of the way our #2 man can begin his crossing of the FATAL FUNNEL. He too had a millisecond to view part of his eventual sector of fire. If there was a threat in his deep zone he can engage it WHILE ON THE MOVE. So whether there is a deep threat or not - he continues to move towards his corner! Chairs, end tables, lamps, etc. are cast out of the way by kicking them or elbowing or shouldering them. The corners closest to the door are the biggest danger areas besides the FATAL FUNNEL. Those corners MUST be dominated QUICKLY or all is lost. If these corners are not dominated QUICKLY - the team will be in a cross fire from the flanks and will die.

Besides any bad guy in the deep zone had his OODA loop severely messed with when he sees two guys going in opposite directions. By the time he recovers and gets past the two of OODA our guys have dominated the room and have delivered fight stopping hits to the bad guy. This cannot be stressed enough. THE CORNERS MUST BE DOMINATED!!!

#1 man is almost at his first corner and #2 nearly is at his corner as well. #1 man is on his way to his final corner - and #2 is turning to face his final sector of fire. This is a GREAT spot to hit any targets that may be in the center from a crossfire position. The #1 and #2 man's PRIMARY Sector of Fire is the colored portion - but a "target of opportunity" (in the center) can be engaged by either or both men.

Both of our men are at thier at final points of domination Once each man has reached his final area of domination then communication picks back up such as One CLEAR! Two CLEAR! or Cover me while I check this area etc. Once it has be ascertained that the room contains no threat then the team sounds off in order One Clear. Two CLEAR etc. Once all men have sounded off in order, the #1 man in the room yells ALL CLEAR. He then sticks his hand out the door with thumb up and invites the other team members and family in the hallway to enter.

3 and 4 man entries. TRAIN IN TWO MAN ENTRIES BEFORE TRAINING IN MULTIPLES!!

First some ground rules THERE ARE SOME CHANGES FROM THE 2 MAN ENTRY SO READ THEM ALL AGAIN!! 1. If the door opens inward (into the room) always line-up on the opposite side of the doorway as the door knob. 2. If the door opens outward (into the hallway or away from the room) always line up nearest the door knob. 3. The only guy that will always break the rules above is the breacher or the guy that opens the door. This way he is out of the way of the entry team and he can go in last or stay out and provide security which ever would be best. 4. #1 man takes 2 and #2 man takes 1 (corner that is. #1 will typically take the first and second corner in the room b and the #2 man will take just one corner. Now if #1 falls down or something like that communication can take place so that the #2 man will go ahead and take 2 corners the #1 man will just take one corner. 5. #3 man follows #1 man and #4 man follows #2 man. By following the above rules it allows the team the quickest and easiest access to the room. Since we are doing a 4 man entry the 4th man is the breacher. He is standing on the opposite side of the door from the door knob because the door opens outward. Once the door is ready to be breached the #1 man will give the countdown and the breacher will open the door on the count. Since there is more than one man besides the #1 man communications can go something like this: #1 man: Need FOUR STACK ON ME! #2 man when right behind #1: GOT TWO #3 man when right behind #2: GOT THREE #4 man when right behind #3: GOT FOUR #1 man CLOSED DOOR LEFT BREACHER UP! all: CLOSED DOOR LEFT BREACHER UP! Once breacher figures out how he is going to breach the door - and once he is TOTALLY ready he will give the #1 man a thumbs up. REMEMBER AT THIS POINT THE FIREARMS SHOULD BE POINTED AT THE GROUND! FIREARMS ARE BROUGHT TO BEAR ONLY AFTER THE FATAL FUNNEL HAS BEEN NEGOTIATED!!!(These little GIJoes arms and hands are hard to move around - so I left them all in "patrol carry" position - so look at where the GIJoe is standing - NOT at how they are carrying thier rifle.)

#1 to BREAHCER: THREE, TWO, ONE GO! Breacher blows door. IMMEDIATELY team enters room. Now what happens next will take A LOT longer to read than it does to do it. The millisecond that door is open the #1 man is able to see the deep corner he takes this knowledge with him as he is racing through the FATAL FUNNEL. In the millisecond that his mind needs to process it he will decide if there is a threat there or not. HE DOES NOT STOP MOVING AT ALL DURING THIS TIME. He is headed for his corner. If he sees a threat he can engage it WHILE MOVING to his corner. HE DOES NOT STOP MOVING AT ANY TIME. ALL SHOTS ARE DONE ON THE MOVE. (If he stops for whatever reason b he will create a bottleneck in the FATAL FUNNEL and the team may get killed.) DO NOT STOP MOVING!!!!!!!!

AS SOON AS #1 man is moving our #2 man can begin his crossing of the FATAL FUNNEL. He too had a millisecond to view part of his eventual sector of fire. If there was a threat in his deep zone he can engage it WHILE ON THE MOVE. So whether there is a deep threat or not he continues to move towards his corner! Chairs, end tables, lamps, etc. are cast out of the way by kicking them or elbowing or shouldering them. The corners closest to the door are the biggest danger areas besides the FATAL FUNNEL. Those corners MUST be dominated QUICKLY or all is lost. If these corners are not dominated QUICKLY - the team will be in a cross fire from the flanks and will die. Besides any bad guy in the deep zone had his OODA loop severely messed with when he sees two guys going in opposite directions. By the time he recovers and gets past the two of OODA our guys have dominated the room and have delivered fight stopping hits to the bad guy. This cannot be stressed enough THE CORNERS MUST BE DOMINATED!!!

Number 3 man follows #1 man to the same side of the room but he stops about 1 meter in the room and 1 to 2 meters towards the wall so he gets out of the FATAL FUNNEL. He can begin engaging center targets at any time.

Number 4 man follows #2 man to the same side of the room - but he stops about 1 meter in the room and 1 to 2 meters towards the wall so he gets out of the FATAL FUNNEL. He can begin engaging center targets at any time.

Once each man has reached his final area of domination then communication picks back up such as One CLEAR! Two CLEAR! Cover me while I check this area etc. Once it has be ascertained that the room contains no threat then the team sounds off in order One Clear, Two CLEAR etc. Once all men have sounded off in order, the #1 man in the room yells ALL CLEAR and then DRY HOLE or TWO TANGOS DOWN or whatever if any bad guys got nailed TWO TANGOS SECURE once they are flex-cuffed or whatever. Someone then will yell out STACK ON ME! and then #2 man will yell Got two and so on. Then #1 man sticks his hand out the door with thumb up and yells COMING OUT and someone in the hallway will respond back COME OUT. Obviously if ANYONE was inside most if not all of you will stay in the room to ensure that the room remains secure. One man can go out in the hallway (using the same procedure above) and lead in the search team, medical teams, MP teams to haul away prisoners, etc. Note that 3 man entry is the exact same at 4 man entry the only exception being that there is not a fourth man.