Small Unit Tactics — From Fireteam to Squad
'Small unit tactics' just means how 4 to 13 people move, communicate, and fight together. It's the layer above CQB and below platoon ops. The vocabulary is small. The reps required to internalize it aren't.
Fireteam (4) vs. Squad (8–13)
A fireteam is the smallest tactical unit that can self-sustain a fight. A squad is two fireteams plus a leader. Knowing which problem you're solving changes everything.
The four core drills
Bounding overwatch, react-to-contact, react-to-ambush (near + far), break contact. Memorize these and 80% of small-unit problems become reflex.
Drill, don't lecture
TGH runs Arma Reforger and Squad nights specifically built around these drills — short, repeatable, with element leaders calling the play in voice.
The vocabulary
Element: any sub-unit you're commanding (a buddy team of 2, a fireteam of 4, a squad of 8). Bounding: one element moves while the other holds and watches. Overwatch: the holding element. Suppressive fire: not killing the enemy, just keeping their heads down so your bounding element can move. Contact left/right/front/rear: the direction the threat appeared from. These six terms cover most of what gets called over comms.
Bounding overwatch — the foundation
Two elements. One moves a short distance while the other watches and is ready to fire. Then they swap. Done correctly, your unit is *always* covered while moving. Done badly (everyone moving at once, no overwatch), your unit dies in the first ambush.
React-to-contact and react-to-ambush
Contact = enemy seen, you have time to react. Ambush = enemy fired first, you don't. The drill for each is different. Near ambush (within ~30m): everyone faces the kill zone and fires through it. Far ambush (>30m): suppress and maneuver. New squads conflate them and die.
Why this is unfair to learn alone
You can read every Ranger Handbook page on bounding overwatch and still have no idea what it *feels* like to coordinate it under pressure. You need the reps with mics on. That's exactly what TGH's milsim and Arma Reforger nights are.
Common questions
What games are best for drilling this?
Arma Reforger and Squad for the bounding/overwatch problem (open ground, real distances). Hell Let Loose for fireteam-in-objective fights. Ground Branch for compact small-unit problems.
Do I need to know military jargon to fit in?
No. The element leader will call it in plain English ('Alpha team move up to that wall, Bravo cover'). You'll pick up the slang inside a week.
Is there a 'how do I run the squad' track?
Yes — once you've shown up consistently, members rotate into element-leader slots on milsim nights. We coach you through your first few.