The Tactical Advantage: A Definitive Study Of Personal Small-Arms Tactics

227 Pages·2009·7.92 MB·English

by  Suarez Gabriel

Tactical
For my wife and best friend, Cheryl, who stood by my side (and covered my
back) during the worst of times ... and during the best of times.
Tactical
A DEFINITIVE
STUDY OF
PERSONAL
SMALL-ARMS
TACTICS
Gabriel Suarez
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ........................................1
ONE
Tactical Mind-Set ....................................5
TWO
Basic Tactical Principles ...............................13
THREE
Building Searches: Corners and Hallway Intersections .........23
FOUR
Building Searches: Doors ..............................49
FIVE
Building Searches: Stairs ...............................61
SIX
Building Searches: Extreme Close Quarters .................71
SEVEN
Tactical Movement to Contact and Shooting on the Move ......77
EIGHT
Tactical Use of Cover and Concealment ...................87
NINE
Reduced-Light Operations .............................97
TEN
Team Tactics ......................................113
ELEVEN
Tactical Communications .............................137
TWELVE
Handling Nonshooting Confrontations ...................145
THIRTEEN
Weapon Retention and Combat Countermeasures ...........151
FOURTEEN
Distance Intervals and Close-Quarters Defense .............163
FIFTEEN
Outdoor Tactics and Moving through Open Areas ...........175
SIXTEEN
Tools for Searching .................................187
SEVENTEEN
How to Practice Tactics ..............................193
Terminology of Tactics ...............................199
Sources for Gear and Training .........................203
Suggested Reading .................................205
FOREWORD
Put your heart and soul into being expert killers with your weapons. The only
good enemy is a dead enemy. Misses do not kill, but a bullet in the heart or a
bayonet in the guts does. Let every bullet find its billet-in the body of your foes.
General George S. Patton, Jr., December 1941
The Patton Papers, Vol. II, 1974
As a full-time professional weapons and tactics writer, instructor, and consultant,
I encounter an amazing number of people who profess knowledge and expertise
in a field of endeavor that can only be described as being diverse, abstract, at
times subjective, and always dangerous. As you might expect, the written
material and instructional programs produced by many of these "experts" reflect
an alarming lack of cognizance of realworld concerns, things that can only be
known by one who has "been there and done it."
Tactical liability hazards can't be understood by just reading a book or two. Nor
can written material dealing with them simply be paraphrased from someone
else's articles or, worse, merely theorized upon and then subsequently treated as
though it were fact. Yet, the vast majority of the written and instructional data
we see these days lacks this critical perspective. As a result, it is usually
ineffective-and often downright deadly-if used in a real life-and-death situation.
To make matters worse, a frightening number of the techniques and tactics
espoused by these people-those with what I call "the firing range mentality"-
were not created with a knowledge of criminal and civil liability issues, thus
creating a nightmare of legal implications that can destroy you as completely as
a bullet between the eyes.
In the pages that follow, author Gabe Suarez treats the subject of tactics with the
respect it not only deserves, but demands. For Gabe is one of those who has
"been there and done it," not just once, but a number of times. A law-
enforcement Medal of Valor winner for his actions under fire, he has served with
distinction as a police officer for more than 10 years in not only patrol functions,