Note: This is part of a series. Read parts one and two here. The corners are our main areas to clear in a “traditional” entry, as discussed in the previous article. This part of the series will look into the tactical significance of the room anatomy in relation to human inhabitants, as well as a few more minor structural concepts that are not “concrete anatomy.” To start off, we will further discuss corners. Are your ears bleeding yet? Get used to it.
Corners are the areas we clear in our primary sweep. We know that. So what? Well, corners in relation to human beings are areas people tend to “hug” in certain circumstances. If they are in immediate danger, under fire in a firefight, feel they cannot defend the room effectively, or feel they will gain surprise by being in a corner, they will “hug” it. It makes them feel safer; they have solid walls to either side of them, and only one area to focus on ahead of them. Cozy. It’s bad news for us. We enter the room facing someone with a weapon trained on the point of entry—someone who may feel safe, even confident, in this position. A dickhead with an AK can kill a million-dollar super soldier from this position. You may recognize that I’m trying to emphasize the importance of clearing corners. Clear them effectively.
They may hug the corner with the biggest field of view of the entry point—the soft corner. They may use cover and barricade themselves in this way using deep angles within the room. They may want to stay out of sight, relying on surprise from the hard corner. From this position, they may not be barricaded. They may be sitting “exposed” in the corner with no cover. If you clear the soft corners from outside, then you can conduct a targeted approach to the hard corners. Now you see why understanding these differences in corners becomes significant. At least I hope you do.
You have a few more areas to think about, the first being the immediate threat area, then the corners, and then the rest of the room. This is known as a “center-corner-center” approach. We’ve already discussed corners, so let’s take it back a step.
The immediate threat area
The immediate threat area can be seen as an area close to the entrypoint where an enemy may engage the entry team or obstruct the entry. If an enemy is within this area or looks to obstruct your entry, they are known as an immediate threat. The definition of an immediate threat is:
- A person armed and prepared to fire upon the entry team
- If not eliminated or subdued, they will cause harm to the entry team or inhibit the entry process.
Other definitions further describe an immediate threat as:
- A person who blocks movement of the entry team
- Within an arm’s reach of the entrypoint.
These are not imminent threats. An imminent threat is impending or likely danger that is separated by space or time. An immediate threat is actively happening in real time. It is a present danger that is next in order, without delay. For example, an imminent threat may be running across the room to grab his rifle, which is sitting meters away. This means you have a few vital seconds. Imminent. An immediate threat has the rifle in hand and is ready to operate it. A potential threat, furthering this point, is someone who may potentially become dangerous in the future, and is thus treated as a threat for a short duration until defined.
Now, an immediate threat area is not the “base anatomy” or “concrete anatomy” of the room. It is a tactical concept superimposed on the anatomy. The immediate threat area is a concept of how humans use the anatomy. This is equally important to know as the room’s anatomy. It has tactical significance. Eliminate immediate threats, if you can, as soon as possible. Even before reacting to the hard corners.
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