Home Defense Tips From an Infantryman

There are few situations more dangerous to an infantryman than urban combat, especially in dense residential areas against well-armed opponents.

Hopefully the day when you must defend your home against an invading army never comes, but it is very possible you will have to defend it against competent criminals, enraged looters, desperate survivors, or tyrannical institutions.

What works in combat against professional armies can work against these groups. The more prepared you are, the more dangerous you are. Here are some home defense tips from an infantryman.

Slow the Entry

Whenever possible, slow the entry of home invaders. This can be done by installing reinforced doors and windows beforehand or creating obstacles before or during the break-in attempt.

A swift entry makes the job of the attacker much easier, so slow them in any way possible, even if you are just chucking furniture at the doorway.

An added benefit of a chaotic pile of furniture is that it is incredibly difficult for attackers easily scan through it for threats, meaning they will have to slow down significantly for their own safety, giving you more time to react and robbing them of the initiative.

Maintain Situational Awareness

Always maintain the highest level of situational awareness you can.

That be through home cameras, listening closely, or creating noisy terrain for the invader to walk over.

Related: 5 Types of Looters and How to Outsmart Them

Empty soda cans, broken glass, hasty trip wires attached to lamps or other items that will be knocked over when triggered, and precariously perched items on shelves can all work to help you maintain situational awareness.

We often rely on eyesight, but effective listening is extremely beneficial for developing spatial and situational awareness. You must always know where all the attackers are and work very hard to prevent them from knowing where you are.

Channelize Movement

To impede the movement of attackers and help guarantee you know exactly where they will move through a room, channelize their movement by blocking their easy access to the wider area of a room.

For example, one of the most dangerous places to be when entering a room is in the doorway itself, this is because the attacker must go through that very narrow passage and the defenders know this. This is called a fatal funnel.

Improve the fatal funnel by putting tripping hazards in the way or furniture to the side that force the attackers to remain exposed for longer. This is especially beneficial against body armor-clad opponents who are more encumbered and will struggle to overcome even simple obstacles.

Take Advantage of Multiple Angles

Rooms and hallways with multiple angles are exceedingly difficult to fully cover and safely move through.

For example, a hallway with a door on the right and a door directly across from it on the left creates a predicament for attacks, especially when both doors are open.

They must try to clear both rooms at the same time, which can be difficult in the narrow confines of a residential hallway, even if they have help behind them.

Similarly, your front door likely opens into a living room with views of the kitchen, and maybe up the stairs or into an additional room. All these areas create a multitude of angles for an attacker to survey as quickly as possible. The instant they come through the fatal funnel, they are the most vulnerable they will be for the remainder of the home invasion.

Related: 9 Hiding Spots in Your House Where Looters Always Look First

The attacker most likely does not know the layout of your home before stepping foot inside, so take advantage of this and engage them when they are most exposed. This has the added benefit of concealing your position for any additional attackers who may retreat if you “decisively deal with” the first one who entered the room.

Beware of Bullet Penetration

Bullet penetration is a common concern for home defense, and rightfully so. Walls in the US are often not much more than plywood, drywall, and 2×4 boards.

None of this will stop very many firearm calibers, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage for home defense. You must have protection from bullet penetration wherever you intend to engage the attackers from.

A refrigerator will be effective for birdshot, but not bullets or slugs. A refrigerator tightly packed with books would be much more effective, though still does not guarantee your protection. In all cases, if you cannot stop the projectiles, at least try to slow them down so they cause less damage to you. Have multiple layers of protection, if possible.

Conversely, the relative frailty of modern homes and appliances creates an opportunity to engage attackers through the wall. If you see an attacker duck behind the wall and you are armed with anything larger than a pellet gun, you can most likely penetrate the wall and still hit them.

Related: The Guns the Government Doesn’t Want You to Have

If combined with a home surveillance system, you can easily create kill boxes where you have predetermined spots to shoot through a wall to hit an intended area on the other side.

Layered Defense

Superior fire and decisive maneuver are the foundation of effective infantry fighting. Apply the same philosophy to your home defense. Establish multiple firing positions where you have predetermined the line of sight and a plan for when you will move from one to the other.

Even if you are in a superior position to begin with, determined attackers can deduce that you are staying in one spot, giving them more freedom to try another angle. Additionally, by moving from one position to another, you can give the impression that there are multiple defenders, significantly compounding the difficult position of the attackers.

Having a primary firing position and multiple secondaries is a great start, but you should also have fallback positions. The best plans are still susceptible to failure from purposeful efforts by the attackers or even just ridiculous coincidences. Giving some ground can put you in a better position to regain control of the situation and give you a brief moment to collect yourself mentally or reload your weapons.

Know When to Retreat

Your home is your castle, but it does not have to be your Alamo. Fight the enemy until their last breath and avoid fighting to yours.

The lives of you and your family are the most important possessions in the house anyway, so if all seems lost and you know you cannot regain control of the situation, conduct a fighting retreat and escape, especially if you have a family in tow.

Once you have escaped, you can continue on to a safe location or circle back and attack them from another angle in some situations. As long as you are not trapped in the deepest corner of your home, you will have the added benefit of mobility, which makes you a more dangerous and difficult opponent to overcome.

Practice

As with anything you want to be good at in life, you must practice your home defense tactics and strategy, including everything from barricading doors and moving between firing positions, to evacuation and mastering the angles of your home.

You probably do not want to live your daily life with shards of glass, piles of furniture, and trip wires strewn about your home, but you can have the plan and materials in place, combined with practice to quickly fortify your home with only a moment of notice. Be more dangerous than the attackers. Train harder than them, think smarter, and never underestimate your opponent.

While the tips shared here provide a strong foundation for home defense, there’s always more to learn. For those who want to take their preparation to the next level, the Special Forces Home Defense Academy  offers in-depth training and strategies from a seasoned Green Beret.

The Academy’s expert instruction covers everything from setting up strategic defenses to handling various security threats, to help you build a rock-solid defense for your home. Don’t leave your safety to chance—equip yourself with the knowledge and skills necessary to protect your loved ones effectively. Learn more about the Home Defense Academy here.

With training designed by the seasoned Green Beret Terry Schappert, you’ll gain the skills needed to face even the most challenging situations. Don’t wait for a crisis to realize you’re unprepared.

War is hell, but your home defense should only be that way for the attackers. What are your best tips for home defense? Let us know!

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