Development of Close-Quarters Marksmanhip Standards

Guided from a first-aid station to a helicopter evacuation clearing, yet still wanting to turn back to his dead commanding office, a marine gunnery sergeant instinctively moves towards a mud-splattered comrade. Wounded for the third time, these would be his last minutes in Vietnam before being flown to a hospital ship at sea and, eventually home. Mutter Ridge, Nui Cay Tri, October 5, 1966.

Regardless of the best efforts of resistance forces to utilize stand-off attacks in the form of IED/EFP, sniper attacks, sabotage, and other methods, the reality is that irregular warfare often ends up requiring the ability to close with and kill the enemy at “bad breath” distance. Further, outside of the stand-off “hit-and-run” techniques noted above, one of the most efficient applications of guerrilla direct-action operations is to get “belt buckle-to-belt buckle.” Intentionally fighting at “danger close” distances allows the guerrilla fighter to negate, or at least greatly reduce, the conventional security force’s ability to take advantage of the technological advantage offered by indirect-fire support and CAS.

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