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			{{redirect\|CQB}}
	[[File:Flickr - Official U.S. Navy Imagery - SWAT team members breach a room and engage hostile targets in a training exercise..jpg\|thumb\|[[Los Angeles Police Department]] [[LAPD Metropolitan Division\|SWAT]] officers engaged in close-quarters battle during a joint [[Military exercise\|training exercise]] with the [[United States Navy\|U.S. Navy]], 2007]]		[[File:Flickr - Official U.S. Navy Imagery - SWAT team members breach a room and engage hostile targets in a training exercise..jpg\|thumb\|[[Los Angeles Police Department]] [[LAPD Metropolitan Division\|SWAT]] officers engaged in close-quarters battle during a joint [[Military exercise\|training exercise]] with the [[United States Navy\|U.S. Navy]], 2007]]
	{{War\|expanded=tactics}}		{{War\|expanded=tactics}}
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	* [[Kill house]]		* [[Kill house]]
	* [[Knife fight]]		* [[Knife fight]]
	* [[Mozambique ~~Drill~~]]		* [[Mozambique drill]]
	* [[Charge (warfare)]]		* [[Charge (warfare)]]
	* [[Combatives]]		* [[Combatives]]

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{{Short description|Physical combat at close range}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
[[File:Flickr - Official U.S. Navy Imagery - SWAT team members breach a room and engage hostile targets in a training exercise..jpg|thumb|[[Los Angeles Police Department]] [[LAPD Metropolitan Division|SWAT]] officers engaged in close-quarters battle during a joint [[Military exercise|training exercise]] with the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]], 2007]]
{{War|expanded=tactics}}
'''Close-quarters battle''' ('''CQB'''), also called '''close-quarters combat''' ('''CQC'''), is a close combat situation between multiple [[combatant]]s involving ranged (typically [[firearm]]-based) or [[melee]] combat.<ref>{{cite book |title=U.S. Marine Close Combat Fighting Handbook |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing Inc. |date=2011 |chapter=Overview}}</ref> It can occur between [[military]] units, [[law enforcement]] and [[Crime|criminal]] elements, and in other similar situations. CQB is typically defined as a short duration, high intensity conflict characterized by sudden violence at close range.<ref>Royal Air Force Common Core and Deployment Skills Aide-Memoire AP 3242B VOL 5, ABBREVIATIONS</ref>

==History==
Close-quarters battle has occurred since the beginning of warfare, in the form of melee combat, the use of ranged weaponry (such as [[Sling (weapon)|slings]], [[Bow and arrow|bows]], and [[musket]]s) at close range, and the necessity of [[bayonet]]s.{{Clarify|date=November 2024|reason=Bayonets are not essential, so what is this trying to say?}} During [[World War I]], CQB was a significant part of [[trench 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 Commissioner [[William E. Fairbairn]] of the [[Shanghai Municipal Police]], the police force of the [[Shanghai International Settlement]] (1854–1943).{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}} After the 1925 [[May Thirtieth Movement]], Fairbairn was tasked with developing a dedicated auxiliary squad for [[riot control]] and aggressive policing. After absorbing the most appropriate elements from a variety of [[martial 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 as [[point shooting]], firearm combat techniques, and the use of more ad hoc weapons such as chairs or table legs.

During [[World War II]], Fairbairn was recruited to train [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] 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 called ''Get Tough''.<ref name="CHAM">Chambers, John W., [https://web.archive.org/web/20090110213118/http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/oss/index.htm ''OSS Training in the National Parks and Service Abroad in World War II''], Washington, D.C., U.S. National Park Service (2008), p. 191.</ref> [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] officers [[Rex Applegate]] and [[Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle Sr.|Anthony Biddle]] were taught Fairbairn's methods at a training facility in Scotland, and adopted the program for the training of Allied operatives at [[Camp X]] in Ontario, Canada. Applegate published his work in 1943, called ''Kill or Get Killed''.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Modern Self-Defence|url=http://www.aikiproductions.com/history-of-modern-self-defense/|access-date=28 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015133818/http://www.aikiproductions.com/history-of-modern-self-defense/|archive-date=15 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> During the war, training was provided to [[Commandos (United Kingdom)|British Commandos]], the [[First Special Service Force]], [[Office of Strategic Services|OSS]] operatives, [[United States Army Rangers|U.S. Army Rangers]], and [[Marine Raiders]]. Other military martial arts were later introduced elsewhere, including European [[Unifight]], Chinese [[Sanda (sport)|sanshou]], Soviet [[Sambo (martial art)|sambo]], and the Israeli [[kapap]] and [[Krav 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 Western [[Counterterrorism|counterterrorist]] [[special forces]] units following the 1972 [[Munich massacre]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=King |first=Anthony C. |date=2015-06-25 |title=Close Quarters Battle: Urban Combat and 'Special Forcification' |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0095327x15588292 |journal=Armed Forces & Society |volume=42 |issue=2 |pages=276–300 |doi=10.1177/0095327x15588292 |hdl=10871/17093 |s2cid=146961496 |issn=0095-327X|hdl-access=free }}</ref> The units trained in the aftermath of the massacre, such as the [[Special Air Service]], [[Delta Force]], [[GSG 9]], [[GIGN]], and [[Joint Task Force 2]], developed CQB tactics involving firearms to quickly and precisely assault structures while minimizing friendly and [[hostage]] casualties; these CQB tactics were shared between these special forces units, who were closely-knit and frequently trained together.<ref name=":1" /> The Special Air Service used CQB tactics during the 1980 [[Iranian Embassy siege]]. CQB tactics soon reached [[police tactical unit]]s and similar [[Paramilitary|paramilitaries]], such as American [[SWAT]] teams, by the 1980s and 1990s.<ref name=":1" />

However, CQB was still not widely taught to regular [[infantry]], as it was considered a hostage rescue tactic.<ref name=":1" /> 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.<ref name=":1" /> The special forces "monopoly" on CQB was broken following the experiences of urban warfare and close-quarters battles in the 1990s, during the [[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|Battle of Mogadishu]], the [[Bosnian War]], and the [[First Chechen War]].

The [[First Battle of Fallujah|First]] and [[Second Battle of Fallujah|Second Battles of Fallujah]] during the [[Iraq War]] were the watershed moments for infantry CQB, when [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marines]], under pressure to capture the city of [[Fallujah]], [[Iraq]] from [[Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011)|insurgents]], used conventional [[combined arms]] and [[fire 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.<ref name=":1" /> With similar struggles in towns and cities among [[ABCANZ Armies|ABCA Armies]] during the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|War in Afghanistan]], a proper approach to infantry in urban warfare became crucial, and CQB tactics began to be more widely taught to infantry.<ref name=":1" />

According to scholar Anthony King, some special forces units [[Interservice rivalry|express 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.<ref name=":1" />

==Examples==
* The [[Battle of Spotsylvania Court House]] took place between 9 and 21 May 1864 during the [[American Civil War]]. The men of the Northern and Southern armies were periodically forced into a bloody hand-to-hand struggle reminiscent of ancient battles, with the men using swords, knives, bayonets, and even with sticks and bare hands.
* The [[Battle of Isandlwana]] on 22 January 1879, the first battle in the [[Anglo-Zulu War]], turned into close combat when the British exhausted their ammunition. It resulted in a decisive victory for Zulus over the modern British army.
* On 22 October 1986, during the [[Pudu Prison siege]], the [[Pasukan Gerakan Khas|Special Actions Unit]] (special ops unit of the Royal Malaysia Police) turned to hand-to-hand combat, using batons and rattan canes, after the Malaysian Prime Minister ordered the resolution of the hostage crisis without the use of firearms. The result was a victory for the police, and the five prisoners holding hostages in Pudu Prison were arrested.
* The [[Battle of Danny Boy]] took place close to the city of Amarah in southern Iraq on 14 May 2004, between British soldiers and about 100 Iraqi insurgents of the Mahdi Army. The insurgents ambushed a patrol of Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders close to a checkpoint known as Danny Boy near Majar al-Kabir. The Argylls called in reinforcements from the 1st Battalion of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment; the latter were also ambushed, and due to an electronic communications failure, it was some time before further British relief arrived. While waiting for reinforcements, the British were involved in one of the fiercest engagements they fought in Iraq. The fighting involved close-quarter rifle fire and bayonets. The battle lasted for about three hours, during which 28 Mahdi Army insurgents were killed; the British suffered some wounded, but none were killed in the action.

== Use ==

=== Military ===
[[File:SpecialForces with M4.jpg|thumb|A [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] [[United States Army Special Forces|Special Forces]] soldier preparing to breach a structure during training]]

Military uses of close-quarters battle vary by unit type, branch, and mission. [[Military operations other than war]] (MOOTW) may involve [[peacekeeping]] or [[riot control]]. Specialized forces may adapt MOUT tactics to their own needs, such as [[Marines|marine]] [[naval boarding]] teams being trained specifically to search [[ship]]s 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.<ref>{{cite book|first=Roger |last=Ford|author2=Tim Ripley |publisher =Brassey's|year= 2001 |page=16|title=The whites of their eyes: close-quarter combat |isbn =978-1-57488-379-4 }}</ref>

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.<ref name="ranger">{{cite book |author=U S Department of Defense |title=U.S. Army Ranger Handbook |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing Inc. |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-60239-052-2 |pages=200–206}}</ref>

=== Police and law enforcement ===
[[File:Atlantic City SWAT low light tactical training at JT2DC 161014-Z-NI803-260.jpg|left|thumb|[[Atlantic City Police Department]] [[SWAT]] officers conducting CQB training]]

[[Police tactical unit]]s (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 officer|prison guards]] may maintain a unit trained in CQB in compact indoors areas such as [[Prison cell|cells]] 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 in [[arrest]] procedures, non-lethal takedowns, and standoff negotiation instead of solely combat. They may be equipped with [[Non-lethal weapon|less-lethal weaponry]] such as [[taser]]s, [[pepper spray]], and [[riot gun]]s to fire [[tear gas]], [[rubber bullet]]s, [[plastic bullet]]s, or [[flexible baton round|beanbag rounds]].

=== Private industry ===
[[Security company|Private security]] and [[Private military company|private 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, the [[United States Department of State|U.S. Department of State]] employed such security teams in Iraq.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Private Security Companies during the Iraq War: Military Performance and the Use of Deadly Force|last=Fitzsimmons|first=Scott|publisher=Routledge|year=2016|isbn=9781138844261|location=Oxon|pages=43}}</ref>

Private military and security companies known to maintain units that are trained in, or are capable of training other units in, CQB include [[Blackwater (company)|Blackwater]] and [[SCG International Risk]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Mercenaries: A Guide to Private Armies and Private Military Companies|last=Axelrod|first=Alan|publisher=CQ Press|year=2013|isbn=9781483364667|location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=America's Covert Warriors: Inside the World of Private Military Contractors|last=Engbrecht|first=Shawn|publisher=Potomac Books, Inc.|year=2011|isbn=9781597972383|location=Washington, D.C.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/americascovertwa0000engb/page/87 87]|url=https://archive.org/details/americascovertwa0000engb/page/87}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of established military terms]]
* [[Hand-to-hand combat]]
* [[Kill house]]
* [[Knife fight]]
* [[Mozambique Drill]]
* [[Charge (warfare)]]
* [[Combatives]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Close quarters combat training}}
*[https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA489647.pdf Lessons Learned: Infantry Squad Tactics in Military Operations in Urban Terrain During Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, Iraq] - Earl J. Catagnus Jr.; Brad Z. Edison; James D. Keeling; David A. Moon, ''Marine Corps Gazette''; Sep 2005; 89, 9
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/90-10-1 "An Infantryman's Guide to Combat in Built-Up Areas" FM 90-10-1] 12 May 1993

[[Category:Land warfare]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]

Close-quarters battle - Revision history

imported>CopperyMarrow15: /* top */ added {{redirect}} hatnote targeting CQB (disambiguation)

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