{"id":103816,"date":"2024-01-28T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=103816"},"modified":"2024-01-30T17:37:14","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T17:37:14","slug":"opposing-forces-a-key-element-during-northern-strike-24-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=103816","title":{"rendered":"Opposing Forces a Key Element During Northern Strike 24-1"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Sgt. 1st Class Todd Teuling, noncommissioned officer in charge of opposing forces during exercise Northern Strike 24-1, aims an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon skyward in response to a surveillance drone while defending an area against Soldiers with the 5th Special Forces Group during Northern Strike 24-1 at Camp Grayling Maneuver Training Center, Michigan, Jan. 21, 2024. Northern Strike 24-1 is the winter warfare component of the annual National Guard Bureau-sponsored Northern Strike exercise series.(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy)
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CAMP GRAYLING, Mich. \u2013 Snowflakes floated to the ground, bringing a hushed quiet to the darkened woods. Aside from the falling snow settling to the ground, the only sound was the muffled swishing of Soldiers as they pushed through knee-high snowdrifts toward their objective. That still quietness was vanquished by small-arms fire as muzzle flashes erupted in front of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cContact right,\u201d somebody called out and returned fire.<\/p>\n

Movement commands were shouted as the Soldiers responded to the attack. The darkness, snow and cold were all elements they had to battle, and the Soldiers had just come across the other element they had to fight: the training exercise\u2019s opposing forces, or OPFOR.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first role of the OPFOR is to give the rotational training units, the RTUs, a realistic look as to what they may see on the battlefield,\u201d said Sgt. 1st Class Todd Teuling, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the OPFOR during exercise Northern Strike 24-1, a winter training exercise hosted by the Michigan National Guard at Camp Grayling Maneuver Training Center and the Alpena Combat Training Center in late January.<\/p>\n

During the exercise, elements of the Army\u2019s 5th Special Forces Group operated with close air support from Air Force and Michigan Air National Guard units while Michigan Army Guard units provided mortar and helicopter support.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Special Forces Soldiers had to plan and fight against the opposing forces, made up of Soldiers from Michigan Army Guard units.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe work with the RTU\u2019s leadership and kind of get an idea of what they want their Soldiers to see,\u201d said Teuling. \u201cWe work together to plan \u2014 how many OPFOR, what kind of weapons and what kind of simulated pyro or explosives they want them to see, and they want their Soldiers to react to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though the training scenario may be planned out \u2014 such as the RTU conducting a raid or an assault on target area \u2014 the Soldiers on the ground must plan for the mission and then react to the opposing forces\u2019 tactics and movements as the scenario unfolds.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast night we were just doing a roving patrol,\u201d said Teuling. \u201cWe kind of knew where were; the intent was to do a patrol and then to go attack them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teuling\u2019s team then moved in to where they thought the Special Forces team was positioned.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur OPFOR was in the woods with them and almost right on top of them, coincidentally,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was just kind of perfect. And then they attacked them [using blank ammunition] and the RTU did exactly what they were supposed to do and got the training they wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just as the Special Forces Soldiers must shift in response to the OPFOR\u2019s action, their supporting elements must also do the same.<\/p>\n

For Soldiers with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard, that may mean firing illumination rounds during a night mission before shifting to other types of rounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Special Forces guys, they’re on an objective or they’re maneuvering somewhere. They think they see something hundreds of meters in front of them. They’re not sure what it is. [They can] call in for illumination rounds,\u201d said Staff Sgt. Alex Reams, a squad leader with the unit. The illumination rounds would then allow the observer on the ground to assess the situation and relay a follow-on fire mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives the observer the option and the ability to see what’s on the ground and to then call in an effective fire [mission],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For the mortar teams, that means adjusting quickly to a changing situation. It may mean firing illumination rounds first, and then moments later following up with high explosive rounds on specific target areas.\u00a0Making those adjustments can be taxing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stress in the scenario is knowing that lives depend on your fire missions. Every second counts,\u201d said Sgt. Michael Smith, a mortar team leader with HHC, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment.<\/p>\n

Taking part in exercises like Northern Strike helps strengthen the mortar team\u2019s capabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe proficiency behind it is we train as we fight,\u201d said Smith, adding that planning is a key element to being able to execute a fire mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do we have to do to mitigate and make it as safe as possible for our elements at the end of the day but be as deadly as possible to the opposition?\u201d said Smith.<\/p>\n

Planning is also key for the OPFOR, said Teuling.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to plan months in advance how much blank ammunition we need and how much pyro we need, how many [opposing forces] uniforms we need,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cSo, there’s a lot of planning that goes into it, starts almost a year out before the exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just as much planning goes into each OPFOR mission once the exercise starts, with the opposing forces team often basing their plans off those of the training unit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe build off from what they have to help plan ours so we know where to attack them or where we need to set up so we can ambush them, depending on what the mission or the objectives are,\u201d he said. The OPFOR Soldiers then take those mission planning and tactical skills back to their home units.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s executing those missions that are one of Teuling\u2019s favorite parts of the exercise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like getting out in the field and being part of the injects, you know, doing the attacks and just seeing how everything plays out and seeing how the RTUs and the Soldiers are reacting,\u201d he said. \u201cEven though it’s simulated, it’s training, you still get a bit of adrenaline going.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sgt. 1st Class Todd Teuling, noncommissioned officer in charge of opposing forces during exercise Northern Strike 24-1, aims an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon skyward in response to a surveillance drone while defending an area against Soldiers with the 5th Special Forces Group during Northern Strike 24-1 at Camp Grayling Maneuver Training Center, Michigan, Jan. 21, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":103818,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=103816"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103819,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103816\/revisions\/103819"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/103818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=103816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=103816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=103816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}