Close Quarter Battles

Special Operations are special divisions of military, police, or intelligence services that are highly qualified in specific areas of urban warfare and in a variety of special weapons and technology. Over the past forty years, all of the world's superpowers have built up these groups in order to better fight wars, to counter terrorism, and to conduct high-stakes police actions.

As warfare has evolved, many military techniques and technologies have been adapted for use in urban settings by police units around the world. This episode provides viewers with an intimate perspective on what it feels like to be inside the heads of special police personnel, and how their use of military-style strategies and equipment allows them to save lives.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, many countries remained in dispute in the early nineties, despite eastern Europe's independence. In 1994 a bitter conflict broke out between the forces of the Chechnen independence movement and the Russian regular army.

The history of the British Empire colonial legacy in Northern Ireland is well-known the world over but a there is a largely untold story of the the firefights and close quarter battles among the provisional IRA, the British army, and the elite SAS.

In 1989, CIA operative Kurt Muse was imprisoned at the notorious Carcel Modelo in Panama for his role in organizing radio transmissions against dictator Manuel Noriega. That December, an elite group of the US Delta Force breached the roof of the prison, and one of the most daring close quarter battle operations in history began.

A look at the legendary JTF sniper teams and their use in Afghanistan alongside the British SAS and the US Delta Force at "the sharp end of the spear."

In 1968, a new form of military policing was being developed in a rural area north of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department sent an observer to this unit, and he, in turn, took this knowledge back to the LAPD. This contributed to the development of the department's first Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) team.

The Bosnian War was an extraordinarily complex event with many layers of military involvement including NATO forces, national militaries, irregular paramilitary forces, mujahedeen revolutionaries, private security companies, and international intelligence personnel.

A contemporary look at a day in the life of a group of civilian army contractors. Explore how their role has evolved on the modern battlefield.

From the elite ex-special forces personnel in charge of guarding heads of state in conflict zones to the two-person teams that protect CEOs in dangerous regions, modern-day bodyguards must be well-versed in close quarter battle techniques. An immense amount of planning and preparation is involved in each operation.

Following the September 11th attacks, military presence became commonplace in New York and other American cities, and the counterterrorism forces were effectively given a blank check when it came to ensuring that another terrorist incident would never take place on American soil.

No country other than France operates an elite military force that invites foreign nationals to serve in its ranks. With a reputation for being a safe haven for individuals with questionable pasts, the French Foreign Legion is a true mercenary army that has garnered significant respect within the global special operations community.

Ten years ago, thousands of US and Coalition forces personnel, ranging from elite soldiers to reservists, found themselves in the middle of two conflicts that required an entirely different approach to warfare than they had previously experienced.