Opposing force

U.S. OPFOR soldiers playing the role of Iraqi insurgents in Fort Polk, Louisiana.[note 1]

An opposing force (alternatively enemy force, abbreviated OPFOR or OpFor) is a military unit tasked with representing an enemy, usually for training purposes in war game scenarios. The related concept of aggressor squadron is used by some air forces.

At a basic level, a unit might serve as an opposing force for a single scenario, differing from its 'opponents' only in the objectives it is given. However, major armies commonly maintain specialized groups trained to accurately replicate real-life enemies, to provide a more realistic experience for their training opponents. (To avoid the diplomatic ramifications of naming a real nation as a likely enemy, training scenarios often use fictionalized versions with different names but similar military characteristics to the expected real-world foes.)

Units

China

France

In the French Army, a FORAD (FORce ADverse, enemy force) is used to train the army, in both the centre d'entraînement au combat (CENTAC, Combat Training Center) of Mailly-le-Camp[1] and in the centre d'entraînement aux actions en zone urbaine (CENZUB, Urban Operations Training Centre).[2] Declassed AMX-30 tanks were used to simulate Soviet T-72s,[1] until 2018.[3]

Japan

United States

A UH-1H replicating a Mi-24 at Fort Irwin in 1985

There are three major training centers that utilize home-based OPFOR units for the US Army:

Various US military installations or major units have their own local versions of opposing force used for training exercises. The joint Australian–US military exercise "Crocodile '03" featured an Australian-led opposing force in which soldiers from a range of Australian units worked together with a US Marine Corps contingent.[7]

Several state defense forces have served as OPFOR units when training with the National Guard. The California State Guard,[8] the Georgia State Defense Force,[9] and the New York Guard[10] have provided OPFOR services to their respective National Guard counterparts. In 2018, the Georgia State Defense Force established the OPFOR Battalion[11] to assist National Guard Soldiers with pre-deployment training.

Gallery

Notes

  1. ^ Photo was taken during Operation Cajun Fury with one of the many training exercises that take place at Joint Readiness Training Command (JRTC).

References

  1. ^ a b "CENTAC/5e régiment de Dragons" [CENTAC/5th Dragoon Regiment]. Batailles & Blindés (in French). No. Hors Série 24. 2014. pp. 52–55. ISSN 1950-8751.
  2. ^ "Dans la ville fantôme de Jeoffrécourt, les armées étrangères simulent la guerre" [In the ghost town of Jeoffrécourt, foreign armies simulate war]. Le Point (in French). Agence France-Presse. 8 May 2016.
  3. ^ Lagneau, Laurent (17 October 2018). "Le 5e Régiment de Dragons se sépare de ses derniers chars AMX-30 Brenus" [The 5th Dragoons Regiment separates from its last AMX-30 Brenus tanks]. opex360.com (in French).
  4. ^ "Brave Rifles OPFOR dominates at NTC".
  5. ^ "Paratroopers refine war fighting skills at the Joint Readiness Training Center".
  6. ^ "Army.mil". Archived from the original on 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  7. ^ Wellfare, John. "Exercise Crocodile '03: You win some, you lose some". Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper.
  8. ^ "OPFOR". 1st Battalion (MP), 2nd Brigade (Civil Support), California State Military Reserve. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  9. ^ Seay, Howard. "Operation Roughrider Cold". Heads up. 11 (1). Georgia State Defense Force: 3. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  10. ^ Mendie, Ubon (31 March 2009). "N.Y. Guard 'Brings the Fight' to Fighting 69th". Guard Times Magazine. p. 36. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  11. ^ "OPFOR Battalion". Georgia State Defense Force. Retrieved 2019-12-10.

Further reading

  • Validating the "Enemy" (discusses the United States Army OPFOR units and post-Cold War changes to OPFOR.)
  • The Circle Trigonists (Aggressors), a summary of the opposing force Aggressor used by the United States Army from ca. 1946–1978
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