Urban warfare: Encyclopedia II - Urban warfare - CQB

Urban warfare - CQB

CQB, sometimes CQC, is an acronym for Close Quarters Battle or Close Quarters Combat, and refers to fighting methods within buildings, streets, narrow alleys and other places where visibility and maneuverability are limited.

Both CQB and MOUT are related to urban warfare, but while MOUT refers mainly to the macro of it (i.e. sending troops, using of heavy armoured fighting vehicles, battle management), CQB refers to the micro of it—namely: how a small squad of infantry troops should fight in urban environments and/or inside buildings in order to achieve its goals with minimal casualties.

As a doctrine, CQB concerns topics such as:

• Weapons and ammunitions most suitable for the mission
• Extra gear, such as bulletproof vests and night vision devices
• Accurate explosives
• Routines and drills for engaging the enemy, securing a perimeter, clearing a room, etc
• Team maneuvers
• Methods and tactics

It should be noted that military CQB doctrine is different from police CQB doctrine, mainly because the military usually operates in hostile areas while the police operates within friendly populations.

Armies that often engage in urban warfare operation may train most of their infantry in CQB doctrine.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "CQB", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki