Obstacles and barriers

Forcible Entry Agenda Obstacles and barriers Principles Entry tools Construction factors Breaching TTPs Definition: Obstacles Any object that stops, impedes, or diverts the progress of either yourself or the enemy Examples include: Fences (w/concertina or razor ribbon), flood control channels, dogs, doors, windows “Narco bars,” steel doors, drop bars behind entry doors, etc Definition: Barriers Material, formation, or structure that prevents or hinders movement Choke Points Formed by obstacles/barriers Constrict forces Reduce supporting fires Create vulnerability Curtail avenues of escape Effect of Obstacles and Barriers Create tactical dilemma: Attempt to reduce obstacle before trying to gain entry, they risk loss of surprise Attempt entry w/o defeating obstacle, they risk getting delayed and forced into enemy’s prepared defenses Effective Entry All combat units must develop this skill When entry is blocked, use forcible entry techniques: Be imaginative Have/use proper tools Principles of Forcible Entry Effective planning and training required to apply principles Push concept Push obstacle into the building Pull concept Pull obstacle from the building Explosive entry concept Destroy obstacle Entry Tools Prying, pulling, and spreading Cutting Striking and battering Heavy duty pulling Often attached to truck/vehicle Prying, Pulling, and Spreading Tools (1of2) Hooligan tool Crowbar or wrecking bar Prying, Pulling, and Spreading Tools (2of2) Flat bar Shove knife Wetlesen hooks Cutting Tools (1of2) Long handle bolt cutters 8-inch bolt cutters Wire cutters Cutting Tools (2of2) Fire ax Chainsaw or rotary saw Striking and Battering Tools Battering ram Sledge hammer Foot Last resort After shooting lock Heavy Duty Pulling Tools Wetlesen hooks Usually 3-feet long 12-inch rake on the end Case hardened hook points Usually employed in pairs Designed for pulling bars off doors and windows Also clears concertina/debris Best used with a pull vehicle Construction Factors Knowledge of building materials and construction techniques will help you select: Where to attempt entry How to attempt entry Doors Most common point of entry Two primary groups: Residential Commercial One secondary group: Interior doors Residential Doors Exterior: Normally 3-feet wide Open in outward direction 1-3/4 inches thick w/ a solid core Interior: Normally 2-1/2 feet wide Open in inward direction 1-3/8 inches thick hollow core Commercial Doors Most swing outward Many have “panic” door release Some built solely for strength Steel jamb Welded/anchored to concrete wall Some are sliding or revolving May be designed to collapse in an outward direction Interior Doors Generally open inward Residential and commercial Except small closets/bathrooms Can indicate room size Doors panels can be forced So you can reach in/turn lock Number of door panels: Fewer than 5 = to another room 5 or more = to exterior Forcing Doors (1of3) Strike solidly near the latch Above or below doorknob Pull it w/hooks or pry bar Focus effort on the latch Forcing Doors (2of3) Forcing Doors (3of3) Cutting – usually a last resort Triangle or diamond shape Chain saw fast but noisy Explosives – complicated EOD, engineers or breachers Linear charge or det cord Focus on latch - or cut door Windows (1of2) Designed for emergency exit Never for entry Many variations and styles Double or single hung Sliding Casement and louver Bay and bow Reinforcement and glazing Windows (2of2) Break and rake - or ram Cover sill with flak jacket or blanket to avoid broken glass Impact resistant glazing Best to ram it Attack the frame Walls and Roofs (1of2) Most complex area to breach Must understand building construction Easiest to breach where an opening already exists Worst place is right next to an opening Walls and Roofs (2of2) Chainsaw diamond shaped hole Beware of electric wires Interior walls Sledge hammer, ram Hooligan tool Explosives Matched to wall density Outside Construction Fences are the most common barrier Climbing Cutting Charges Prying Shotgun Breaching Best to shoot where the lock throw and the strike plate meet Zero inches of standoff Ammunition: Lock Buster “00” Buck Summary Obstacles and barriers affect: How we apply principles Which tools we use Construction factors affect: Windows, doors, roofs and walls And how we breach each of them Including use of a shotgun Questions In urban warfare the defender will always have the advantage. He can employ a variety of obstacles, barriers, and defensive arrays that are prevalent in the urban environment that exist in no other. Couple this with modern building construction and natural urban man-made features and you have a tremendous obstacle to overcome. It is our job to defeat these obstacles in order to defeat the enemy. We will cover some obstacles and barriers comon to the MOUT environment. Principles of dynamic entry, tools that we have and tools we need to look for on the battlefield. Construction factors and how they dictate which tools to use and some breaching TTPs. Dogs are a large obstacle to soft assaults. Iron bars over windows commonly called ‘Narco bars’ are common in businesses and third world countries. Even the smallest barrier once rubbled becomes an obstacle slowing your movement and keeping you exposed to enemy fire. Urban choke points include: alleys, walls, intersections, and stairwells to name a few. Bunching up must be avoided at all costs. We cover obstacles with direct and indirect fires. Expect no less from your adversary. Reducing an obstacle while in the open exposes elements to enemy fire while bypassing may lead into heavy weapons fire. The success of an entire operation often depends upon an effective entry. The commander who recognizes the significance of obstacles, barriers and choke points can defeat or exploit them to great advantage to gain necessary entry into buildings. When entry is blocked, the assault element needs to have and use the proper tools and imaginative forcible entry techniques to be successful. Push Concept. This seeks to push the obstacle or barrier into the building. Perhaps the best-known example of this is the Battering Ram. Firing AT4 or M203 rounds at doors, windows or barricades combines the push and explosive entry (explained below) concepts. Pull Concept. This seeks to pull the obstacle from the building. Usually has hooks attached to bars or other obstruction and is then pulled from the building by HMMWV, Bradley or tank. The Explosive Entry Concept. This seeks to destroy the obstacle. The explosive method is by far the most complex of the forcible entry/breaching methods. There is a wide variety of building materials and finding suitable explosives and a suitable configuration is tricky. Due to the extensive training this method will be seldom used. The hooligan tool is one of the most versatile tools designed for forcible entry. It has a pointed pike for such uses as breaking padlocks and hasps, and adz type “ax” head for slipping into tight crevices and a forked flat bar for prying. Flat bars are used to pry open windows and doors. Shove knives work on latches and doors for stealth entry. They will not however work on deadbolts so they are of little use. Wetlesen Hooks are three feet in length with a 12 inch hook and eyelets for attaching to cable or rope. Ropes are generally attached to a vehicle to facilitate removal of narco bars. Wire cutters are often overlooked. While your multi-tool may seem handy now, they easily break on concertina wire and lack of a good wire cutter will keep you in the enemy’s kill zone longer than you want to be there. Fire axes can be useful on hasps and door jambs. Chainsaws and rotary saws make great entry tools for making holes in walls and metal garage doors. Triangle holes work best. Be careful of electrical wires in wooden walls. Battering rams and sledgehammers make quick work of most doors. Foot should only be used as a last resort. This is a good way to limp off the battlefield. Remember try the door, it may be unlocked. Even a superficial knowledge of how the building is constructed will aid in mission accomplishment. As mentioned avoid doors and windows if possible. Construction dictates which tools need to be carried at all times and which can be left with supporting elements. Remember go in as light as possible. The general wisdom of MOUT operations is to avoid using doors to enter a building as they are fatal funnels of fire and can be booby-trapped. The common way MOUT current publications offer to avoid doors and gain entry into a building is to blow holes in the walls of the building and enter through them. This is sound tactical advice and should be practiced wherever possible, but it ignores two key considerations: No weapons exist in the current U.S. arsenal that will blow a man-sized hole in an exterior wall. It is extremely difficult to build and place an explosive charge large enough to blow a man-sized hole in an exterior wall while under fire. This means doors will have to be used at some point in the MOUT fight. Exterior doors must resist fire and forcible entry, they are 1-3/4 inches thick and have a solid core. There are no hollow voids anywhere in the door. Interior doors need not be fire resistant, they are most often 1-3/8 inches thick and are easily forced. Commercial doors generally need to be cut from the hinges with power tools or blown off the hinges with explosives. The locks are generally some of the best around and will resist being forced. Inside buildings generally only small closets and bathrooms open outward. This helps determine how to clear this room. Most interior doors have decorative panels that can be easily forced open so you can reach in and turn the lock. When striking the door, hit it above or below the doorknob. Striking the door to the side will usually only remove a rail or, in the case of a hollow core door, simply push a hole through it. Notice in the picture that several attempts have been made to ram the door. Perhaps a hooligan tool prying would have been a better choice. Double or single hung windows are common in residences. They slide vertically. Sliding windows slide horizontally. Casement and louver windows use a hinge and hand crank to open outward. Treat it like a door and pry it open. Bay and bow are a combination of single hung or sliding windows. Pick one to attack. Reinforced and glazed windows can have wire in them and should be avoided as they take time to defeat. Generally walls are reinforced close to windows and doors so move away from them when breaching. A hole can be created underneath a window as this is a soft spot. The window must be wide enough to move through and the explosions will remove glass from the window and most enemy from the room. Explosives require an intricate knowledge of building material and construction. Overcharge and you may collapse the whole building. Check the far side before going over. Once over you are isolated from your support element. Zero standoff is recommended. NO more than two inches is allowable. Zero standoff forces the charge into the next room. Using standoff can cause some of the blast to travel down the door toward shooters leg or ricochet completely. During this period of instruction we have discussed forcible entry, various forcible entry means and tools as well as building construction considerations. You have to always consider that: Obstacles and barriers affect how you apply the forcible entry proceduresand which tools are best to carry and use. You have to aware of the construction factors associated with the different kinds of windows, doors, roof and walls that impede your momentum during MOUT and, most of all, you have to have a firm grasp of the best way to breach the obstacles and barriersregardless of how they are constructed.