In military operations, CQB is typically employed whenever troops expect close-range combat in confined or built-up environments. It is a core component of urban warfare and special operations.
Primary use cases:
Urban Combat and Room clearing
Modern militaries often have to engage in urban warfare in cities, towns, and inside structures. CQB tactics are used by infantry squads to clear buildings room-by-room during urban offensives. For example, during intense fights in Iraq (like Fallujah) or Afghanistan, U.S. and coalition soldiers had to enter insurgent-held houses and neutralize enemies hiding within. These house-clearing battles are textbook CQB scenarios – extremely dangerous and requiring disciplined tactics. In fact, veterans describe room clearing as one of the most perilous tasks: “Stacking up – entering a room to conduct CQB – is one of the most dangerous tasks a soldier may face,” especially given the lethal fighting seen in Iraq’s urban battles. Combat in Fallujah and Baghdad showed insurgents effectively forcing U.S. forces into close quarters, where only skillful CQB technique kept casualties from being even higher.
Special Forces Raids
Elite military units (Special Forces, Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, etc.) frequently conduct raids and direct action missions that revolve around CQB. A typical operation might involve a commando team covertly entering a terrorist safehouse or a hostage site and clearing it room by room. CQB allows them to strike fast and hard, overpowering adversaries before they can harm hostages or mount a defense. Missions like the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound (2011) or countless counter-terror raids in Afghanistan and Iraq were essentially CQB operations. Surprise and speed in such raids are key to success – the operators rely on CQB drills to breach entry points, clear each room methodically, and eliminate armed resistance with precision.
Hostage Rescue and Counter-Terrorism
A subset of special operations, hostage rescue is a scenario that virtually always demands CQB tactics. Military counter-terrorism units train extensively to enter airplanes, buses, buildings, or ships where hostages are held and terrorists are present. The priority in these operations is saving hostages, which means teams use extremely fast and synchronized CQB techniques to incapacitate hostage-takers before they can react. This was one of the driving purposes behind modern CQB’s development in the 1970s. The tactics pioneered by SAS and Delta Force demonstrated that well-drilled teams could resolve hostage situations swiftly with minimal friendly casualties. Today, many nations’ special forces have CQB-focused units on standby for hostage rescues, hijacked vessel recoveries, and similar crises.
Bunkers, Tunnels, and Ships
CQB in military operations is not limited to houses – it also applies to bunker clearance (underground complexes or cave systems) and naval boarding operations. Navies have teams for Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) missions, where sailors or Marines board a ship and clear it of hostiles (e.g., during anti-piracy ops). The tight corridors and rooms of a ship are classic CQB settings. Likewise, during wars in the Pacific (WWII) or Vietnam, troops often had to clear enemy tunnels or bunkers, essentially fighting in claustrophobic quarters. Modern training incorporates these scenarios too.
Future and General Use
As warfare trends toward urbanization, even standard infantry units are expected to perform CQB when needed. Military doctrine now incorporates battle drills for entering and clearing rooms as fundamental skills. The U.S. Army, for instance, has a battle drill (commonly called Battle Drill 6) that every infantry squad learns, which covers how to assault and clear a room with a small team. This reflects a recognition that virtually any platoon might find itself in a CQB situation in modern conflict. Indeed, military strategists note that with over half the world’s population in cities, the armed forces “must close with and destroy enemy forces in buildings and rooms” more than ever.
In military CQB operations, the rules of engagement and objectives might differ from police scenarios. Soldiers clearing an enemy-held building in wartime will use maximum force (including grenades, explosives, etc.) to eliminate threats, whereas in a hostage rescue they would exercise more precision to avoid harming captives.
Nonetheless, the foundational tactics – how to move, shoot, and communicate in tight spaces – remain consistent. Combat experiences from the last two decades have reinforced that effective CQB capability can decide the outcome of urban battles. Units that are well-trained in close-quarters tactics are far more likely to survive and accomplish missions when fights move indoors. It’s not an exaggeration to say that today CQB proficiency is a required skill set for modern militaries, not just for special forces but across the board.
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