Opposing force
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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
[edit]Canada
[edit]The Canadian Armed Forces has OPFOR units from the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre.[1]
China
[edit]France
[edit]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[2] and in the centre d'entraînement aux actions en zone urbaine (CENZUB, Urban Operations Training Centre).[3] Declassed AMX-30 tanks were used to simulate Soviet T-72s,[2] until 2018.[4]
Republic of Korea
[edit]Japan
[edit]United States
[edit]
There are three major training centers that utilize home-based OPFOR units for the US Army:
- The National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California—home unit is the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (the Blackhorse)[5]
- The Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Johnson, Louisiana—home unit is the 1st Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment (the Geronimos)[6]
- The Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC)—formerly known as the Combat Maneuver Training Center (CMTC)—at Hohenfels, Germany[7]—home unit is the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment (Separate) (the Warriors)
Over time, the Army has patterned the OPFOR units after real or imagined opponents and given them various fictional names, even though the US Army denies any resemblance.
"Circle Triagonists" - patterned after the Wehrmacht from 1947-1978.[8]
"Krasnovians" - patterned after the Soviet Red Army from 1978-1990 at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin.[9]
The People's Republic of Pineland - a make believe foe for Army Special Forces candidates to face in their final test.
The Island of Aragon - an invasion scenario for troops to play out at the US Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
Attica - a crisis to handle at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
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.[10]
Several state defense forces have served as OPFOR units when training with the National Guard. The California State Guard,[11] the Georgia State Defense Force,[12] and the New York Guard[13] have provided OPFOR services to their respective National Guard counterparts. In 2018, the Georgia State Defense Force established the OPFOR Battalion[14] to assist National Guard Soldiers with pre-deployment training.
Ranks
[edit]Officer ranks
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Other ranks
[edit]| Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Circle Trigonists Army(1953–1962)[19] |
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| Sergeant major | Staff sergeant | Senior sergeant | Platoon sergeant | Section sergeant | Corporal | Senior private | Private | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Circle Trigonists Army (1962–1978)[20] |
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| Sergeant major | Staff sergeant | Senior sergeant | Platoon sergeant | Section sergeant | Corporal | Senior private | Private | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Krasnovian Army (1978–present)[citation needed] |
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| Sergeant major | Senior sergeant | Sergeant | Junior sergeant | Corporal | Private | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Circle Trigonists Air Force (1953–1962)[21] |
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No insignia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sergeant major | Staff sergeant | Senior sergeant | Platoon sergeant | Section sergeant | Corporal | Senior airman | Airman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Circle Trigonists Air Force (1962–1978)[20] |
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No insignia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sergeant major | Staff sergeant | Senior sergeant | Platoon sergeant | Section sergeant | Corporal | Senior airman | Airman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Often, the colour of the epaulette shows what specialisation the particular OPFOR soldier has. Green is worn by everyday soldiers, red by fusiliers, and blue by airborne forces.
Gallery
[edit]-
49th Royal Tank Regiment Matilda II with swastika and Iron Cross markings to denote opposing force status during a 1941 exercise in Dover. -
Dutch soldiers of 11 Pantserinfanteriebataljon Garderegiment Grenadiers wearing mohawk-style additions on their helmets to denote opposing force status. -
New Zealand Defence Force soldier denoting opposing force status by wearing Desert Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM) in a temperate environment. -
Scene from a simulated Royal Marines beach landing during the 2009 Bournemouth Air Festival; "opposing force" Marine is bareheaded and wears Desert DPM, "blue force" Marines in the background wear berets, camouflage face paint, and woodland DPM. -
Royal Marine "opposing force" members during a 2016 assault demonstration; they wear Tropentarn uniforms and soft hats while the assaulting "blue force" Marines would be wearing MTP uniforms with Mk 7 helmets. -
A sniper from the French CENZUB opposing force wearing a blue-and-gray version of Camouflage Central-Europe. -
51st Fighter Wing airman denoting opposing force status by wearing his Battle Dress Uniform back to front (note the contrast of the uniform with the individual integrated fighting system vest that is also being worn). -
4th Infantry Regiment soldiers wearing United States Army opposing force uniform (Battle Dress Uniform in black with olive 'OPFOR' shoulder title) -
An OSV replicating a Soviet BMP at NTC, Fort Irwin, CA -
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Michigan National Guard OPFOR wearing tiger stripe camouflage uniform and carrying a simulated RPG-7. -
OPFOR rank insignia mimicking the Soviet style (used during the Cold War) -
T-72M1 used by the 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion, 1st Marine Division of US Marines at Camp Pendleton during Kernel Blitz 1997 exercise
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Notes
[edit]- ^ Photo was taken during Operation Cajun Fury with one of the many training exercises that take place at Joint Readiness Training Command (JRTC).
References
[edit]- ^ "Archived - Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre (CMTC) Opposing Force (OPFOR) Facility". Archived from the original on 2016-12-07.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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).
- ^ "Brave Rifles OPFOR dominates at NTC". 28 June 2018.
- ^ "Paratroopers refine war fighting skills at the Joint Readiness Training Center". Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. 6 September 2011.
- ^ "Army.mil". Archived from the original on 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
- ^ TREVITHICK, JOSEPH (July 23, 2014). "The U.S. Army Once Created a Whole Alternate History For Its War Games". Medium. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ Brown, David W. (Feb 12, 2025). "5 Fictional Countries Where the U.S. Army is Trained to Fight". Mental Floss. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
- ^ Wellfare, John. "Exercise Crocodile '03: You win some, you lose some". Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper.
- ^ "OPFOR". 1st Battalion (MP), 2nd Brigade (Civil Support), California State Military Reserve. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ Seay, Howard (8 May 2015). "Operation Roughrider Cold". Heads up. 11 (1). Georgia State Defense Force: 3. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ Mendie, Ubon (31 March 2009). "N.Y. Guard 'Brings the Fight' to Fighting 69th". Guard Times Magazine. p. 36. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- ^ "OPFOR Battalion". Georgia State Defense Force. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- ^ FM 30-101 Aggressor The Maneuver Enemy 9-23-1959. Department of the Army. 1959. p. 13. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ FM 30-101 Aggressor: the Maneuver Enemy. Department of the Army. 1962. pp. 10–11. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ FM 30-101 Aggressor The Maneuver Enemy 9-23-1959. Department of the Army. 1959. p. 30. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ FM 30-101 Aggressor: the Maneuver Enemy. Department of the Army. 1962. pp. 28–29. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ FM 30-101 Aggressor The Maneuver Enemy 9-23-1959. Department of the Army. 1959. p. 21. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ a b FM 30-101 Aggressor: the Maneuver Enemy. Department of the Army. 1962. p. 30. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ FM 30-101 Aggressor The Maneuver Enemy 9-23-1959. Department of the Army. 1959. p. 31. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
Further reading
[edit]
- 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