Infantryman S Guide To Combat In Built Up Areas

The 1993 printing. The urban growth in all areas of the world has changed the face of the battlefield. Military operations on urbanized terrain (MOUT) constitute the battlefield in the Eurasian continent. It includes all man-made features (cities, towns, villages) as well as natural terrain. Combat in built-up areas focuses on fighting for and in those cities, towns, and villages. The probability is great that United States forces will become engaged by enemy forces who are intermingled with the civilian population. Therefore, units using the techniques outlined in this manual under these conditions must obey the rules of engagement issued by their headquarters and the laws of land warfare. Infantry commanders and staffs should concentrate on the skills contained in Chapters 3 through 5 as they train their units. This manual provides the infantryman with guidelines and techniques for fighting against an organized enemy in built-up areas who may or may not be separated from the civilian population. Some techniques for dealing with insurgents, guerrillas, and terrorists are included; however, the manuals which best address these issues are FM 7-98 and FM 90-8. This manual does not address any techniques for missions that require the restoration of order to urban areas. Information and techniques to accomplish this mission are addressed in FM 19-15.

This manual provides infantry doctrine, tactics, and techniques for urban combat at battalion level and below.The urban growth in all areas of the world places a high premium on the development of those skills described in this manual and on the highest standards of discipline and leadership.

This combat manual covers ground operations in urban settings. It clearly outlines skills unique to city fighting, including analyzing terrain, seizing blocks and buildings, setting up firing positions, scaling walls, employing snipers, evaluating civilian impact and effects of small arms and support weapons, and much more.

Illustrated with action photographs and detailed artworks, Combat Techniques is a comprehensive reference work on tactical procedures for infantry today, providing a thorough insight into how the soldiers of today’s armies would fight in any combat scenario they encountered.

The urgent requirement for US Army preparedness in conducting urban operations (UO) is very real. As global urbanization continues to increase, the contemporary threat environment makes operations in cities impossible to avoid. The past decade has demonstrated through the American experiences in Mogadishu and Russian experiences in Grozny, less capable forces will attempt to use urban terrain asymmetrically to even the balance of power against technologically superior military forces. While we have always had a serious requirement to conduct urban operations, the very nature of the cold war, which was successful by its deterrence, prevented us from ever having to face the reality of fighting such urban engagements. In the post-cold war era, the U.S. Army is forced to face the realities of fighting in the urban environment. It is not enough to speak of preparing for “future urban operations”; the future is here today and the Army must be prepared to engage in urban operations even as it moves towards the objective force. Being prepared means having solid doctrine, realistic training programs and facilities, and appropriate equipment to ensure success on the urban battlefield when the time comes to fight there.