Closing with the enemy

[Mindset Laboratory]

Here is a recent article by Claude Werner that mirrors some of my own observations.

https://tacticalprofessor.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/closing-with-the-enemy/

I agree with his assessment that closing should be done purposefully and only with very good reasons.

What do you think?

 

[SSGSAD]

JMHO, Distance, and cover, are YOUR friends, as long as you can shoot that far !!!!!

 

[GIJEW]

He's absolutely right. Keep the mission in focus. Is it primarily to survive or to destroy the enemy (yes there is overlap)? Like he said the infantry's mission is to close with and destroy the enemy and the unit is composed of "...numerous men capable of supporting each other with automatic weapons and explosive munitions." Not only that but IIRC it takes a 3:1 force ratio to have any guarantee of success.

 

[The Bubba Effect]

After a Force on Force training scenario, the first thing Shay critiqued me on was my closing on the attacker. I had every opportunity to leave, to seek cover/concealment, to put more space between me and them. Instead, once I committed to the fight, I was committed to fight. I was drawn almost magnetically to my attacker. I wanted to get at them, I wanted to get close and hold on, ignoring that he had at least one gun and murderous intent, forgetting that he might have buddies showing up any second, forgetting everything except the desire to close with my enemy. I was in a fight and I was focused solely on fighting, not dealing with my problem, not surviving.

Without going into specifics, I actually remembered that part of my training when I needed to about a month ago. I was able to untangle a difficult and dangerous situation and I believe that the main reason I was successful was because I made a lot of space early and moved myself and my people away from the threat and mostly out of line of sight of the threat before things really started to escalate. During this situation, I specifically remembered Shay critiquing me about my mistakes in the scenario regarding space and barriers, about not closing with the enemy.