[furryclan] tactics

Two-man dynamic room clearance - [furrycat]

This is a basic [furryclan] tactic. As the old saying goes, you should "keep it simple, stupid" and a breach, bang and clear is very simple, and very effective.

In a nutshell, one man places a C2 charge and blows open the door. His partner throws a flashbang into the room. Both men rush in. If there are any suspects present the officers call for compliance and will hold their fire to give the suspect a chance to surrender. If he raises his weapon, however, he is downed.

Here's the drill in more detail. We'll call the assaulters One and Two for simplicity's sake. They do not necessarily have to be Red One and Red Two or Blue One and Blue Two.

  1. Both men position themselves close to the doorway to the room, and slightly to the side. If the door is closed, One must get close enough to it to place a C2 charge. Two should line up in such a way that he can bounce a flashbang into the room off the door frame or near wall, if there is one.

    If they haven't already done so, both men should activate their partner's remote camera.

  2. One places a C2 charge and announces that it is ready. You might use the "It's clear!" menu or "Compromised!" Custom chat can be helpful here too: you can say "Let's go, go, go!" for example.

  3. One detonates the charge and Two immediately throws a flashbang into the room. The aim of the game is to get the bang as close as possible to the centre of the room so as to affect the most suspects while blinding the fewest (preferably none) officers. If possible, he should bounce the bang off the door frame or the closest wall.

  4. Both men prepare to move. It is a feature of the game that you are less likely to be blinded by a flashbang if you move slightly after deploying the bang. Some players try to turn away from the light. Not only does this not work, it also slows you down. The best strategy is to take a step backward and to the side. Do not move into the room too soon or you will be affected by the flash. Ideally you should be moving into the doorway as the bang goes off but while you are practicising the tactic you are best advised to wait for the bang before moving.

  5. As the flashbang explodes, One enters the room first, followed by Two. One's primary concern should be to get out of Two's way. This means moving to the left or right as soon as possible. Both men have to get in, and get in fast.

    It might happen that a suspect is directly in front of the doorway. One should not engage him. Two will have a clear line of fire when he enters.

    As Two enters, he must cover that half of the room which One does not have under control. In simple terms, this means "Two does not follow One." If One turns left, Two turns right or, if all there is to the right is a wall, continues straight ahead and turns to cover to his left also.

    If One and Two are fast enough, anyone in the room should still be reeling from the bang, and thus not yet a threat.

  6. They say no plan survives first contact and if things are going to fall apart, now is the time for it to happen. The room might be empty. There might be a single suspect. There might be several suspects. There might be a hostage or two. You won't know until game time.

    And you won't know where you'll have ended up looking. Use your partner's camera to check on the situation. It's no good you both aiming at one suspect while two more lurk uncovered. Only practice, instinct and good old-fashioned luck will put you in an advantageous position.

    If there are suspects, the team must issue compliance. The effects of flashbangs are very powerful. Many suspects will give up their arms at this stage. Others will fly into a panic and start dancing around the room, not knowing which officer to aim for. As long as the suspect does not raise his weapon you must hold your fire but once he becomes a threat it's time to take him out.

Notes

If possible, a third man should stack in a safe location and cover One and Two for the short time where both have their weapons slung.

Remember that you play the role of a law enforcement officer. You may up the stakes with military tactics, deploying flashbangs and charging your enemy, but your rules of engagement are quite clear. You must not fire on a (most probably still disorientated) opponent without first calling for his surrender.

Sometimes you want to clear a room whose door has already been opened. In this case you will of course not be able to place a C2. Follow the drill as outlined above but starting from section three. Make sure that it is Two who deploys the flashbang. One should keep his weapon trained on the open doorway, covering for any threat, until the time comes to move into the room. This simple rule should always be followed, regardless of the tactical situation: the point man keeps his weapon ready unless it is unavoidable for him to sling it.

It is absolutely essential that everyone knows what he is doing in a fast and furious clearance. As stated at the start of this discussion, assaulters One and Two do not necessarily have to be teammates. [furryclan]'s rule of thumb is simple. The closest man to the door to be breached places the charge. He becomes One. The next man is Two, and will throw the bang. To make doubly sure everyone knows what's happening, it is a good idea to use custom chats such as "I'll breach the door" or "I'll bang it" before going into action.

[furryclan] are committed to shaking up "standard" SWAT 3 tactics. Real SWAT elements don't stroll nonchalantly up to every doorway and mirror it. Not once the cat's out of the bag. When the action kicks off these guys move fast. So do we.

Introductory notes

Movies

Positions and assignments

Tactical discussions