>FA Captain posts a thread on /tg/
>that sudden paranoia that it might be your battery commander

>>42951182
>udden paranoia that it might be your battery comm


hahah. Nah. Command comes... early next year. Just a staff weenie for life. So, totally know everything right? I think I've been doing this... once every six months? for 3 years.

I just remember being a young GM, trying to make military campaigns in HS, and doing all sorts of dumb shit that "seemed" military, in my games.

>>42951214
You with real artillery or rockets, sir?

>>42951265
I must confess, I currently serve in the rockets. I was a PL of 119s.
And proud to be, but... alas,
HRC.

>>42951096
>Army CPT
how does it feel to be directly inferior to the marines in every way

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>>42951096
Eyy Six, I remember one of your threads a long long time ago.

Disgruntled recce guy here. Will offer anything I can.

>>42951417
At first I rebelled. And thought this was utterly false, work of propagandists.

Then I read MCDP-1 and learned the truth. But we all have a part to play, even if it isn't nearly as smart or cool.

>>42951433
Howdy. Long time no see.

>>42951453
Could you explain how Marines are better than army? I'm genuinely curious. I have a friend in the army and he thinks it is just the hottest shit ever and that army does everything better than every else. It pisses me off.

>>42951570
I don't know about the high and mighty world of the commissioned, but at the ground level it's largely the same crap.

Though the Marines have done a bit better than the army in terms of decisions about uniform and equipment.

>>42951570
Sure.
The Marines, for a lot of reasons, have better members. Everything in the Army, doctrine wise, looks like it's written by committee, then passed through the worst corporate lawyers. Like its afraid to actually say anything.

People generally, achieve what is asked of them. In the Army, we ask/expect very little out of people. Treat everyone like children. Marines, are much better than this. An example...

Every time you give an order, you are supposed to describe the "Task" and "Purpose"

ex: Attack and secure the bridge, in order to create a crossing that allows our division tanks to advance across the river.

What's more important here? the task? or the purpose?

The army has a very cleanly defined list of tasks. Pick which one you want. easy. Purposes? No idea. We have no list. We dont teach you how to write one. Just... go with it. Marines, they do it right. At the lowest level, sure.... "Marine, flip that goddamn car over." and it will get done. No questions. But going up the food chain, over all.. much smarter. And that filters down. They also just have higher expectations of their marines... which recruits rise to... or get washed out. It's not simply, "they're smaller, so they can afford to be better." that cheats the real reason behind it. They treat Marines like what they're supposed to be.... goddamn killers.

>>42951771
>insert SKATEPAT comic here
>inb4 it really happens
>inb4 army is mad jelly

>>42951096
Holy shit, Cap'n Six is back. Last time I saw you here was a year and a half ago now.

Hows it hangin? More importantly, whatcha playin?

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>>42951787
for you

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>>42951787
The ultimate warrior.

>>42951789
Howdy, Howdy. Things are good. In the time since, all my parents died and my wife left. So its me, a bag of pretzels, a six of tall boys, and a pack of camels with the internet tonight.

Currently, I got lured into a Werewolf game. But it's pretty fun. I barely know the system for shit, but I'm a decent DM, and they keep wanted me to run more games.. so, success.

I'm setting up a second game, that will probably utterly fall apart. I think WEG, or SAGA star wars, set in the fringe. Big inspiration from the Wire, and that new show NARCOS. Rebels are all ideological moron terrorists. Imperials are bumbling colossus. Hutt lords run shit right. And everyone is someones victim.

Hows you?

>>42951853
>SAGA star wars
if you do it online I can guarantee you myself and one other player

>>42951096
What army?

What do you think of the Griffon mortar carrier from WH40k? Is it just a waste of space, or does it make sense especially for urban or mobile warfare?

Do lighter artillery vehicles make sense for air assault troops or is it better for them to have man-portable artillery and air support?

What role can artillery fulfill in today's insurgent wars, considering the need to avoid civilian deaths and collateral damage?

What areas are still better suited to howitzers and other traditional artillery rather than missiles or drone weapons?

>>42951853
D&D, as per the usual, but thanks to an interested group of friends, I'm also running for a Dresden Files RPG.

The Item of Note: Jesus's Temple Whip

The BBEG: a fallen god of a greedy nature

Things went boom.

>>42951853
>Hutt version of NARCOS
That sounds frigging great, actually.

>>42951096
Hey OP here's a question. Let's say my players are inserted into a warzone to help one of the sides and they decide to help by killing enemy commanders. How big of a blow would it be if an enemy unit lost their commander at say the regimental level?

Would regiment command have a forward HQ? If so how far from the front lines, and how heavily defended might it be?

>>42951886
I had a few online games I wanted to run:

1) Star Wars COMPForce Assault. Pretty much life in the Empire's Waffen-SS, immediately before, then interestingly post endor.

2) All this MGS shit got me amped up. I'd love to do a America 1986 civil war. Like, america broke up in the 30s... and You're defenders of the Republic of Cascadia. Against the Soviet Socialist Republic of California and the Mormon Theocracy of Desert.

>>42951951
>Republic of Cascadia. Against the Soviet Socialist Republic of California
But that's what it's like in Oregon in real life

I still would totally play it.

>>42951888
Airborne troops can definitely benefit from air-dropable vehicles. Gives them some more teeth and go-power when they get on the ground. Of course, they're also another resource hog.

Indirect is always useful no matter the type of fight.

>>42951888
Mortar carriers are extremely useful everywhere. Look at the Israeli Merkava.. they put a mortar on every fucking tank. When tasked to support Infantry, they can do a magnificent job. In the current US army, we still have the M113 mortar carrier, and the Stryker mortar variant. 120mm bitches.

airborne vehicles are always great. Look at the German weasel. Anytime you can put shit on tracks or wheels so you dont have to carry it, it is superior. Always a go.

In the modern era? Artillery can do plenty. Modern American Artillery has a few precision rounds which can hit within 3 meters of your target. Look up "Excalibur". Though its a bitch to set up. Or even, the PGK fuses. We can get very accurate. But avoiding civilian deaths and collateral damage is just a tactic. You can also go Mongol on it. Look for a paper written by Van Creveld, on two types of counter insurgency. One of the longest running insurgencies in the world, the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka, met an end by Artillery.

here is the difference between howitzers or precision stuff. (which howitzers can do). Price. a 105mm high explosive round costs $100. A precision weapon? $100,000. So, you get your artillery battery, to shoot... oh, 36 of them. Great effect. Super cheap. Howitzers... in a high intensity combat environment need room to move. They shoot, then unass immediately. Because radar can find your point of origin. Then someone else shoots counter battery against you. So its like, "Shoot, move. Setup, shoot." repeat.

>>42951939
>How big of a blow would it be if an enemy unit lost their commander at say the regimental level?
>Would regiment command have a forward HQ? If so how far from the front lines, and how heavily defended might it be?

Depends on the Army. A middle eastern army? It would be all the difference. Where the Regimental boss, is more like a crime boss running a small army. A german army in WW2? Pft. No big deal. everybody understood the commander's intent from the get go, and doesn't need him around to achieve it.

So its really about the culture of the force. Do they wait to be told? Do they want to be there? Do they want to fight? Do they understand implied tasks, when assigned a mission? If they're independently minded, then its not a big deal. Maybe more interestingly, and this is thinking about Germany again, or Napoleon... and not the fact that I'm on staff... is kill a staff planner. Who is the real brilliant man in the force. He's lost 4 commanders... and yet... the unit keeps doing great. Look up Manstien/Von Moltke's four types of officers.

And as far as a regimental commander being forward? again, depends on the army. In the US military today, the commander will be at the point of decision. GEN Mattis was famous for being at the front, showing up at a truck, in the middle of the fight fight, "Son!" *clack clack clack* "What do you need? Airplanes?!"

And some are turds. Look at German casualties among the generals in WW2. A lot, comparatively. So it depends on the culture of the force. I hope thats not a shitty answer.

>>42951096
Did you nick name or hear anyone having a nickname for the arty they were operating?

>>42951939
I dont know the type of game you're playing so defense is a weird question.

You have a few types of head quarters. You have a TOC, Tactical Operations Center... A big area, a lot of tents and shit, where all the staff is at. They do a lot of planning there.

and a TAC, a Tactical command post. There is where the commander, and his minimal essential staff go forward. Maybe its only 2 trucks, a map board, and some radios.. with 12 guys providing perimeter security? They deploy this, when there is a mission, forward, for the duration of the mission. Or the TAC jumps, the TOC breaks down, and then catches up, and then the TAC jumps forward again.

>>42952192
As a general thing for weapon systems? not really. Marine's called the old 155mm M198 "God's gun". the old 105mm was called the M102, "One oh Deuce".

But sometimes, people name their individual howitzer something. Which runs the gamut.

So I am DMing a DnD campaign in a sort of Dune meets Cowboys vs Aliens sort of setting where you have the sky people returning to the desert world where the natives are in a sort of old-west style setup. The sky people use technologically advanced (sci-fi) weapons, but are extremely low on supplies (at least insofar as metal to make power armor and support drones and robots). They also have very few soldiers as opposed to the armies of various fantasy races on the ground, but are arrogant in their ability to use technology to wipe out these inferior natives. What sort of weapons would you think such a force would use to cause maximum physical and psychological damage to their opponents? Also what would the logistics be like for a rather small army invading a large, sparsely populated area?

>>42952194

Damn, thanks for answering everything. For what its worth its in a game of Dark Heresy.

So if my players start taking out commanders and their staff at what point does it really impact the course of battle? If a regimental command suddenly went silent what would be the reaction of the higher ups and or fellow regiments? Also what are other prime targets of sabotage for small teams to go after? Would ammo/fuel dumps be relatively close to the frontlines?

Sorry for the mass of questions

>>42952372
psychological damage is way more important. The key is to attack the center of gravity of the invaders. look at Vietnam, afghanistan. Its not about, how many people you kill, its about eroding the will of those who send them. hit and run. "Trading space for time."

Your invaders, if the area is shitty, will probably alamo up. Build huge forward supply areas that are well defended, which they base everything out of. And a few more forward areas, which get regular supply convoys. Attacking the convoys, dries up ability to hold forward bases.

for the small army, logistics is going to be probably cache sites. Someone runs out, stashes something. Someone else does the same. then the attackers go to the cache, arm up, attack, then run.

sorry to run so fast. I've got to be up in 4 hours. If anybody posts anything else, and the thread is around, I'd be happy to hit them all in the morning.

kill.

>>42952372
Considering they're undermanned, I'd assume they're best weapons would be area denial type. Lock their opponents in place and allow their own under supplied forces to have better maneuver capability.

Also, if they're that high tech I'd assume they would want to start pulling resources from the surrounding area. No idea what the space travel times are like in your universe, but waiting months for a resupply would grind that tech advantage to a halt.

>>42952429
Ammo/Fuel/Food..... and communication systems.

Anything that makes the forward element feel... unsecure. Unsafe. in jeopardy. Look at Task Force Smith in Korea. Good army unit out there. North Koreans came in, fucked them up bad. As the American's started to retreat, they started leaving wounded behind. So every man thought, "if I get hurt, i'm on my own. fuck this... i'm out."

And again, the impact, depends on the force. who replaces them? but i'd say, as a rule of thumb, if they're in the middle of an operation... the forces carry on fairly well under the original orders/objective. then when its time to consolidate, okay.. thats fine. but after that... thats when they lose direction/focus... and take a tactical pause. Likely, if confidence is really shaken, pull back to safer area.

>>42952467
The invaders have been living in orbit on space stations waiting for an opportune time to invade, there are no resupplies from home, this is a last ditch assault. They have energy weapons and power for it, but are extremely low on physical supplies. They have fast moving atmospheric craft to supply any insertion points they have with near impunity (unless its intercepted by a dragon or something)

>>42952542
I'd say they should stage all operations from the station if their transports are that efficient... But overall, it seems like they would need some sort of physical ground presence to both hold the ground they capture as well as to begin producing some basic resources to feed the army.

Shitty position for the sky people.

>>42951096
I've been planning an Only War game for a while now, and I'd like your thoughts on how a '20 minutes into the future' modern military would deal with the Imperial Guard. I figure the Guard would need truly incompetent commanders for my opfor to last even a little while, but its 40k, so its kinda expected.

Also, if a Leman Russ weighs 60 tons, how much explosive do you think it'd take to lift one half a meter off the ground?

>>42952025
Are Chimera's something that can be carried by Vultures or Sky Talons?

>>42951096
Hello sir. 1LT FOO(recently regiment personnel off.) here.

Why have the gods forsaken the artillery sir? Also how do you range for rockets? I don't imagine you can fire ranging shots for rockets, so just FFE and hope that you haven't missed by too much of a margin?

I guess it might be different from countryto country.

>>42951433

I must admit, I am very curious about what your job entails mostly. Like I know in theory what recon does but I don't really know much about the how or protocols.

I'm GMing a game where the PCs have had a lot of contact with an NPC who was Recce for the opposition force and I've been kinda quiet on what she mostly did.

I mean, it's LOTW and sodding magical girls but hey, their opposition is very '20 mins in the future' military.

>>42952677
Doesn't that depend on the size and composition of the Guard force?

Is it just 1 regiment? What type of regiment?

Is it a multi-regiment force with Navy air support?

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>>42952937
Keep in mind that I was modern era recce. A poor imitation of old school lrrp snake eater types.

Are you asking more about mission and operation types, or more about protocols and tactics and shit?

>>42953093

Both, though more the latter.

And well, 20 mins into the future. They are very modern recce too (Even if they are still stunned by the amount of nature that other planets have due to their own world being an acid rain hellhole)

I wasn't really expecting a story about the time you had to go fight a Lightning-Controlling Sadist.

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>>42953172
Generally speaking insertions were all done at night either by helicopter or we hitched a ride with another unit and skulked away during a "security halt". Operated in small lightly armed teams that didn't really have much in the way of combat capability. Moved pretty much solely at night with minimal noise and light signature. Found a nice hole to sit in come daytime, even if we had to dig it ourselves. Usually had everything on our kit blacked out or taped up to reduce visibility and we painted every part of our skin that was exposed. I used to get acne like a mother fucker from all the paint.

Carried tons of radios, HF/SatComs as well as thermal imaging, high powered binos/digital cameras and laptops we could use to remotely upload imaging and real time video. Had devices we could use to tap into UAV/ISR platforms and watch their feeds in real time.

Speed and stealth was pretty paramount in everything we did despite all the shit we carried. At first sign of contact, sop was usually to cause as much commotion as possible hoping the enemy thought you were a much bigger element, and peeling the fuck out to pre planned points with various re group and distress points in case shit really went bonkers. Documents/radios and that shit had to be destroyed or zeroed out as well. Did tracking/counter tracking and shit as well during movements.

Getting picked up was either by a helicopter from an lz we set up. Or at a pre planned vehicle point where we'd leave out some sort of symbol for the receiving unit to find and know we were there.

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Military fa/tg/uys, is the type of food you get to eat important for your morale?

>>42953464
I'm not even military and I can tell you fuck yes it is what are you smoking

>>42953429

Very interesting. Thanks.

Sounds stressful as hell but also very cool.

I'll remember that with the NPC.

>>42953464
It is for you as a civvie? It's kind of a human thing regardless of trade.

I'm a British Army medic myself.

>>42953549
For more characterization type stuff... Guys were all very close knit and it was rough inserting new people into teams. The type of unit fostered independence and self-reliance more than a usual infantry unit. Everyone needed to know everyone else's job and know the mission up and down. Our command gave us a lot of leeway in how we did things and we often had to play back and forth games when squadron caught wind of our shenanigans and promptly banned certain things.

Also did lots of training with urban recce/hide sites as well as small boat operations. Usually referred to ourselves as low rent seals. Urban stuff was always interesting because of the shit ton of challenges and opportunities present in a built up environment when doing recce.

>>42953612

Interesting. Due to the nature of the character/world they are from they are much more experienced with Urban Rece than Rural.

The characterization stuff is very cool. I'll be sure to remember that for her. The Leeway and Shenanigans seems about right so far with how I've been running her.

She started as an enemy and her response to them finding her was 'Fuck, on go all the local drones I can get my hands on for distraction...and out I go'.

Assuming something like Bigdog takes off, or something similar that effectively could act as a pack mule for smaller infantry groups over bad terrain. Who would get first dibs on them, and what sort of stuff would they carry? Would they carry basics, or facilitate the carrying of heavy additions that normally wouldn't be considered?

>>42951096
I'm STing a game of Scion and one of my players has a five man squad of Army Rangers. My question is what would the military backlash be if that squad was identified while the players are doing their crazy godling quests?

This is a bit of an odd question and I don't really expect an answer for it but asking anyway.

So part of basic strategy, dating back to even Sun Tzu, is "never assault a city unless you absolutely have to"

So how long would one have to besiege a modern city for them to capitulate? I know that the Germans were close to starving out Leningrad within about two years or so.

>>42953658

I see Big Dog mostly as a pack mule for light infantry types. He'll be carrying mortar parts, mg tripods and other non immediate essential stuff.

Maybe a beefed up Big Dog could be fitted with a 60 or 90mm mortar and could act as a self stabilizing mortar platform for troops. Freeing up dudes to carry more ammo or other shit.

>>42953713

Leningrad was under partial supply though, over the frozen lake, despite the German's best efforts.

And it could well be a function of morale, equipment, and the importance of the city. A big cities only got a few days worth of food in it. A military garrison unit might have brought quite a bit of their own supplies with them, though. And if the enemy isn't going to treat them well, or they suspect that they won't treat them well, then that's a strong disincentive.

>>42953655
A lot of urban recce is just learning how to move through an urban environment silently and making the building you're in look unoccupied.

Creating artificial shadows with cloth, setting up early warning traps, building non-obvious antennas and all that.

>>42953713
It depends. Is the city able to resupply? The Berlin Airlift provided the city with supplies for over a year. Sure it used 40% of the cargo planes of the world's largest airforce but its still doable. And how willing is the leadership/military of the city to capitulate? There's little to suggest Stalin would have allowed Leningrad to surrender to the Germans, even with mass starvation.

>>42953713
Depends on a lot of things, like how determined the defenders and population is, what their supply situation is, what the numbers are, etc.

On a related note, the SK military expects to take Pyongyang in around 50 days after cutting the city off with an horizontal armored thrust. We've done warganes about the matter and the math supports this.

>>42953836
What are the odds China tries to pull a Berlin Airlift through denied airspace just out of hubris?

What are the odds our own news media eats us alive for shooting down "humanitarian aid"?

>>42951951
>Republic of Cascadia
I've never seen one of your threads and I love the shit out of you.

Also I am planning on enlisting in about six months because I want to work on helo engines for a few years before testing into warrant officership. Any advice on getting through boot/getting well on with my crew and WOs so I can get good references when it's my time?

>>42953658

Any unit without armour/transport would have them regularly, because they are a way of increasing platoon load whole reducing soldier load. All the kit that they will not immediately need in a firefight, but want to have, goes on the dog. So basically any standard infantry unit will have them.

SF units won't have them until they are as reliable as a human, and even then probably not. They're too loud, too distinctive, and too hard to destroy the evidence if it has to be abandoned. That is not worth the extra carrying capacity.

Most vehicle-based units, cav and artillery, will have no need because vehicles do that job better already. Medics don't need them because they need bigger vehicles for casevac since treating on-site is always just damage control. The non-frontline units don't need them since they can just use vehicles.

So the only unit I can see using them aside from infantry is combat engineers. Engineers have far more jobs than they can carry the tools for, and they can't always bring a vehicle. Especially if they're doing route clearing, mine clearing, or building a transport route, having something that means they don't have to physically carry all the tools from the truck is very helpful. Christ knows I would have had an easier time of things if I had a bigdog to lug the hydrapack around.

>>42953883
>getting through boot
Shut up. Meet the standard.

>getting on well
Shut up. Be the standard.

That's about it. Also, don't volunteer for anything.

>>42951433
What's the de facto ROE concerning unconfirmed plain-clothed insurgents in a potentially hostile populated area versus the de jure ROE?

>>42953914
Going to have to explain to me what you mean by being the standard without volunteering for anything. I was under the impression that one becomes the standard by being the absolute best at what they do. Wouldn't volunteering get me more practice with my shit?

>>42953925
As recce? ROE is don't fuck with anything unless fucked with first. And then you puff up as big as you can and skedaddle.

If you're talking about some dude spotting you as you're skulking about, you pretty much have to pack it in and skedaddle. Report it up and see if they want you to continue.

Regardless, you make accurate note and description of everything you see. Determine the kind of traffic in and around areas. Rough estimates of person counts. Type of persons in the area. What they wear. What the "normal" looks like etc...

>>42953875
I dunno for the Americans, but I'm definitely going to accidently shoot down what I'm going to mistake for enemy heavy bombers because fuck communists. I know the Americans care about their self image and whatnot, but I doubt that we'll have that luxury after mass mobilization, transition to a wartime economy,etc.

>>42953944
It's a half joke and half serious. If you're good, then assholes and incompetents are going to either want to have you do their work for them or saddle you with mountains of bullshit.

Know your job and don't let others make you do theirs.

>>42953999
This. If youre too good, they'll pile on more work for you. This is actually considered as an efficient use of available resources, but I doubt you'd like that.

>>42953999
What would you suggest be the best way to handle incompetents? Tell them to do it themselves or SHOW them how to do it themselves? My common sense would tell me the latter, but I've done some jobs where that just hadn't worked out.

>>42953974
I meant more in the sense of when you fire/run and when you don't, and also in the general sense of things, not just as a recce. I know accidents happen with normal infantry in sticky situations, but is the general practice looser, like the suspicion of the presence of a weapon, or is it as tight as the regulations go: not before a shot goes off?

>>42954025
Some or all of it you may not be able to escape/fix. That's just the nature of the military.

Do what you can, and always make sure to at least get partial credit.

>>42954025
Dude, they'll outrank you. You dont do shit but suck it up and do it.

>>42954025

If they're genuinely trying, help them. There will be fuckwits in every training establishment. If they actually try, and it takes them longer, get them up to speed. Most military training is designed so that you have to learn to drag up the lowest common denominator as a group because you need to be able to do that as a soldier. Eventually you'll find out if they are slow to catch on or actually incapable. If they're slow then they're just going to be more work. If they're outright incapable, they keep fucking up the same thing, or they make dangerous mistakes, leave them to fail.

For people who are just lazy or shit ,fuck them. They can step up or step out.

Basically, they fall into two categories. People who you can drag up with you, and people who drag you down with them. Help the former, fuck the latter off.

>>42954069
I was assuming you meant my equals would be trying to dump shit on me, not my superiors.

>>42954066
>>42954083
So help who I can, if someone sinks even with help then tough shit, they sink, and make sure that if someone stands on my shoulders to get the job done, make sure at least someone above me is aware that I took part.

Otherwise don't be an obnoxious ass, I assume. Be good, but be good and humble.

>>42951096
Which is your favorite Imperial Guard regimental type? Which do you feel would be the most effective in a conventional combat against the US Army?

>>42954063
We did have sops as to how to react when compromised/potentially compromised. But honestly, shit was really up to the individual recce teams. You didn't have an lt or captain to turn to for guidance. It's just you and 3-5 other dudes.

If we had a "soft" or non violent compromise and could leave quietly we would. If you thought it was gonna be a donnybrook, you usually had claymores as well as fire sectors placed and you tried to be as unappealing of a target as possible.

>>42952677
Interesting. I am also curious what it'd take a modern-ish army to stand its ground versus an IG regiment. Obviously, I don't consider the scenario where they outcannonfodder the guard.

Wow, military Q&A thread on /tg/. Guess I'll hop in on this too.

If anyone has any questions about the navy or intelligence community, feel free to ask.

>>42954139
Probably a scout regiment like the Tanith Ghosts, operating within a civilian population.

>>42954275

I imagine intelligence is mostly just sifting through data in order to find something useful?

How do Intel guys generally consider the boots on ground part of the military?

>>42954275
Every met a CIA spook who wore a hawaiian shirt on the job?

>>42954275
What's it like being so incredibly pointless and gay?

>>42954318
Yeah, for the most part it's sifting through stuff. Depending on what your exact job is, it can also be collecting that intelligence, through whatever means you're trained to.

One of the things most people don't realize is that the US' IC have a metric shitton of civvies that're either government employees or contractors. We mostly view the boots on the ground as the entire reason we do the job, giving them the intel they need to complete the job well.

>>42954335
Never met anyone from the CIA, honestly. Plenty of NSA guys do that, though it just may be from the area I'm in.

>>42954357

How much work do you do with groups like the NSA/FBI/CIA or is Military Intelligence a bit more compartmentalized from them?

>>42954349
No clue, I can actually go to bed at night thinking I've done well.

>>42954368
Mostly work with NSA, military intelligence is pretty well integrated with them to the point where your boss could be a civvie. Really gets kinda weird after a while.

Haven't worked with FBI/CIA, but that's because FBI is mostly focused on internal issues, and the CIA does HUMINT which I want no part of.

>>42954273
>>42952941
>Doesn't that depend on the size and composition of the Guard force?
Lets assume that the defense army has the numbers on IG. And the composition is a healthy mix of everything. Airborne, navy, special forces, artillery, armour.

>Is it just 1 regiment? What type of regiment?
>Is it a multi-regiment force with Navy air support?
Just one mechanized regiment with a cocky colonel who rushed to beat the planet into submission at one fell swoop. Has its own armoured units and air support.

>>42952875

MLRS is called in on an entire grid square. No need for refinement there!

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>>42954398
>wants no part of HUMINT

It can be fun if done right I think.

>>42954398

HUMINT?

But yeah, thanks for that. >>42952937 here, again pondering NPCs in the game I run.

One of the big thorns in the PC side is a not!NSA spook with a personal vendetta with the Military PCs Who might be working to cause there be Casus belli for a war with a hostile but not actively at war minor nation

>>42954369
You really are a navy intelligence guy if you think you've done well.

>>42954424
>wanting to ever go outside my cubicle
Though yeah, it's certainly an interesting thing. I kind of find network operations more my forte.

>>42954429
Er, sorry. Human Intelligence, either getting or making informants. Probably interrogations too.

>>42954445

Ah, I see.

That makes a lot of sense. As opposed to troop movements and shipment details and such that doesn't involve direct interaction with people.

>>42954474
HUMINT is basically the cornerstone of the whole F3EAD targeting process that the U.S. developed.

Vital for those spooky spook types that are doing low intensity stuff. Assumedly like you not!NSA npc.

>>42954275
What are you going to do about China building new islands around the world and claiming them?

>>42954474
Yeah, depending on how you got the information troop movements could be communications intelligence (listening in to them saying it), image intelligence (literally seeing it from overhead images, or anything really), open source intelligence (newspapers found out and published it), electronics intelligence (certain emitters, either for radars/radios, fire control systems... Lots, actually, they all have certain wavelengths that can tell you intel)

>>42954494
Go within 10-12 nautical miles of the Spratelys and show our dicks to them.

>>42954488

F3EAD? I can find what it stands for but I'll admit I don't know a whole heap about it.

And yeah, not!NSA NPC is mostly doing Human Intelligence. The big thing I've had is that she's officially a Diplomatic Envoy and her department uses that to observe and make assessments and make contacts during diplomatic trips And occasionally assassinate people. She's gone rather off the reservation but her department has critically little oversight, which is making the situation worse.

>>42954505

That is really, really cool. I'll definitely remember that for both her and the not!FBI NPC. Yeah, this game is a bit of an interdepartmental clusterfuck with the PCs being military and there being not!CIA working cross-plans from not!FBI and another planet's Military Intelligence With a few people in each having gone off the reservation.

>>42954398

What is the differences between the various Alphabet Agencies? I've never been clear on how they differ in america.

>>42954505
I always love reading about the real high end IMINT stuff. Where dudes are taking grainy ass photos of buildings from 70k feet up, measuring the length of the shadows and reflection and telling you what kind of building it is.

>>42954544
CIA usually deals with stuff outside the country and is integrated into DoD. FBI is primarily a CONUS law enforcement agency and rarely steps outside the border.

>>42954534
Yeah, no problem man. Campaign sounds fun!

>>42954544
Small things, mostly doing with areas of specialty. CIA is focused on getting intelligence from people, one way or the other, NSA is mostly signals intelligence from foreign nations, with electronics intelligence and network operations thrown in for good measure. FBI is purely internal, but they get and give intelligence to everyone else. There's a lot of information sharing in the IC (was actually a lessons learned from 9/11) so they blur sometimes.

>>42954576
Agreeing with this, though NSA is better integrated into DoD I'd say. Otherwise yeah.

>>42954552
I still love ELINT. The stuff you can find out from what people have a habit of ignoring is really interesting.

>>42954576

And the NSA and ATF?

Man, you guys have a lot three letter names.

>>42954603
NRO is another one that doesn't get thrown out as much.

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>>42954534
It's pretty much a fancy title for utilizing all the intelligence sources to develop targets. Then striking those targets and using information gathered from that to develop new targets. From a tactical doorkicker perspective, it's a very kinetic planning process.

I always liked Hex from Jormungand as a "duty bound-but rapidly leaving the reservation" spook. And of course the hands on branches of the spooky letter agencies are always fun to fantasize about.

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>>42954612
Man... of all the three letter agencies to not fuck with. NRO seems like the blackest.

>>42954600

>Yeah, no problem man. Campaign sounds fun!

Thanks. The players seem to be having fun.

Though I think only one of them was expecting 'Magical Girl Starfleet' to involve so much political clusterfuckery and non-'Cackling about superweapons' opposition.

A big thing I've been trying to have is that no one is just Evil. Even the lady who has gone far off the reservation is more traumatized and really lacking oversight/mental health care than evil for the sake of evil. Someone she cared about got caught in what she believes was a politically motivated terrorist attack...so she's trying to organize Casus Belli on that planet even if she needs to fake it or cause serious collateral damage to her own planet in the process. Most of the actual people on both sides are doing their job or trying to serve their planet. They just don't line up with the PCs or are willing to write things off as acceptable casualties that the PCs are not.

One of the big opponents they ran into was working off bad intel, not even really opposed. He was involved in a rescue raid on what he THOUGHT was the PC's faction's version of Gitmo...it was not. It was a research center for their technology but no people were held there

...and I'm rambling. Sorry.

>>42954661

How black are we talking?

>>42954661
>that patch
Yeah, I'm very glad right now I've never interacted with anyone from there.

>>42954695
Deep black. They're satellite intelligence tech wizards.

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>>42954695
Like MGS Patriots black. They provide all the data and info the other three letter agencies use. They donated some old satellite telescopes to NASA and NASA was like "Where the fuck did you get this tech?" .

>>42954745
>>42954751

Big on the 'You have no data security'?

I'll admit, I have never heard of these guys ever.

>>42954751
"The Devil You Know"

>>42954761
They have a public .gov web page and a wikipedia page. What they do is more or less public knowledge and enshrined in hollywood (though usually without their name attached). It's the nitty gritty of their technology and what intel it gathers that's top secret.

>>42954799
Yeah, I've seen a few reports from who I assume was the NRO. Crazy stuff, man.

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>>42954799
>>42954761
And that's what makes them more fearsome than other agencies. It's all very clean and out in the open. Nobody has to do any black bag work. They already know what they want to know.

>>42954840
>>42954751
>>42954661

Seriously, HYDRA is starting to look a bit understated in the logo department right now.

>>42954857
Leave it to the people who spend all day in windowless rooms to come up with great logos.

To continue the artillery theme of the thread, I'm a Marine artillery officer. Been a Platoon Commander, Fire Direction Officer, and I'm currently a Company Fire Support Officer with a grunt unit. Any questions, ask away

>>42954840
"Never Before, Never Again"

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>>42954857
Hey man, the worst logo is probably the simplest one...

>>42954908
it says "Great Bear" in case any of you needed help with that

>>42954683
I'm with the other guy. I'd like to read more write ups of your campaign. As much as people tend to hate military/black ops campaigns, I love it when done with a little dash of creativity.

>>42954869
What's the proper procedure for requesting artillery support? Who can do it? Is there some sort of authentication? How is it decided when to give support and when to refuse?
Also, how would an example artillery support request look like?

>>42955062
Request goes from the observer to the Fire Direction Center to the gun crew.

Usually something like "You this is Me, Fire Mission x type", followed by a target description and requested fires. At that point, the FDC can either go with what you requested or overide you and send something else or cancel the mission.

Generally you can shoot a mission off of a known point. Whether that be yourself, a pre planned point and a few other methods.

>>42955062
To call in a fire mission, the observer calls either the Battalion Fire Direction Center (FDC) or the Battery FDC, depending on if the battalion is centralized or decentralized (basically, is the battery directly supporting a specific unit, or is the battalion determining which battery gets what fire mission). From there, he sends his Call for Fire (CoF). After the battery or battalion has processed his mission, they give the observer the Message to Observer (MTO). The battery is then clear to shoot the mission providing the mission is approved (which I will explain in the second to last paragraph)

Anyone who knows how to use a radio can call for artillery. While there is a proper format for it that observers use, an untrained observer can call for artillery as well, the FDC just has to walk him through the steps.

There is no authentication needed. The radios that we use are encrypted and switch frequencies and channels so often that they can't really be hacked like back in the day. However, for Danger Close missions (anything inside of 600m from the nearest friendlies) the observer must transmit the ground commanders initials.

Deciding when to give support and when to refuse depends on a lot of things. Aside from collateral damage and ROE concerns, the Battalion or Regiment Fire Support Team (B/RFST) looks at what friendlies are nearby, if there's any air on station or moving across the Gun-Target Line (GTL). Basically, will the fire mission provide to great a risk of hitting friendlies to shoot? This requires coordination with multiple assets, like the infantry commander, any assets he has, such as tanks, if there'a any Recon/MARSOC teams in the area, coordination with the Air Officer, and so on.

A sample request consists of three transmissions and looks something like this:

1) Observer: Steel Rain, this is Apache. Fire for effect, over.

2) Grid PU 1234 5678, over

3) Infantry Platoon in the open, HE/VT, over

(Cont.)

>>42955062
>>42955163
After each transmission, the FDC radio operator repeats back what was said. He then gives the MTO once the mission has been processed. This consists of the unit to fire, number of volleys per gun, any changes that may have been made by the FDC (such as shell/fuze combination) and the Target number. So, to continue our example the MTO would look something like this:

MTO: G, 3 rounds, Target Number AB 1911

Also, tripping to avoid confusion for replies

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>>42951096
Which touhou would you most like to pat on the head?

>>42955096
>>42955163
>>42955178

That is all really interesting.

>>42955042

It's SORTA a military/black ops campaign. A lot of the opposition has been in that area though it's also a lot of 'The PCs are in the wrong place at the right time'. They are cadets at a military academy that got themselves dragged into stuff way above their pay grade.

The basics of the politics that are causing this clusterfuck are as such:

The TSAB is a coalition of planets that have grouped together in order to prevent magical apocalypses after one caused the end of the last major galactic superpower. They work on non-magical weaponry disarmament, trade and neutralization of magical threats (Left behind tech from previous civilizations, massive disasters etc)

Hyperion is a planet that works very little with magic and a lot with more conventional tech as a result of the last galactic superpower kicking the ever loving shit out of them when they started to get a magical research program of note. They are, understandably, a bit defensive over it.

The TSAB has offered Hyperion a place in the TSAB-protected planets. This would greatly improve the situation economically and allow for importing of teraforming technology to help repair the damage that was done to the ecosystem by the shit kicking a couple of hundred years ago. However, this would require them to give up their non-magical (Aka: All of it currently) military forces and rely on the TSAB navy for protection. Many believe that would involve them losing any ability to claim Autonomy and would make them little more than a puppet of the TSAB. As a result, they rejected it and have put themselves in a Cold War situation with the TSAB.

>>42955335

They see themselves as the America to the TSAB's Soviet Union...when they are closer to Afghanistan to the Soviet Union power-wise.

There are people on both sides working with and against each other. Some members of the TSAB believe that they should take over the planet for the good of the people living on it regardless of the government's opinion. Some believe they should offer a gradual disarmament rather than the demanded instant one. Some members of Hyperion believe the loss in Autonomy would be made up for in the economic and diplomatic gains. Many believe that Hyperion has never bowed to a bully before and they will not now.

The PCs have gotten stuck in a lot of situations where various groups are making power plays over the situation. In particular, Aynfean and Mneme.

Aynfean is a member of the not!NSA for the TSAB and has gone completely off the reservation. She was in a relationship with a previous Hyperion diplomat who was working for a peaceful resolution to the situation. He was assassinated by hardline members of his own government working to prevent it and replaced by a more hostile to the TSAB diplomat. As a result of seeing him gunned down before her, she's decided that if Hyperion would do this to him it would be better if the damn planet burned. She's working to cause diplomatic incidents and organize clashes that will turn the Cold War hot.

>>42955348


Mneme is her counterpart from Hyperion and is critically misinformed about the situation. She's working with Aynfean without realizing that she's been played and that the 'leaked' reports of TSAB military power are heavily doctored and has come to the conclusion that the TSAB is a paper tiger that Hyperion could easily handle. She's working towards a war because she believes it will demonstrate Hyperion's comparable power and force the TSAB to back off and treat them as an equal. She's a fanatical patriot who believes that anything is justifiable as long as it serves Hyperion. She's the one who had Aynfean's beau assassinated as she judged him to be damaging Hyperion's political situation and little more than a tool for the TSAB to get it's claws into their country.

As a result, the PCs are trying to work hard to expose the two spies and prevent either side from escalating it to a full war as while it's not in doubt the TSAB would win it would be a lot of lost lives as Hyperion is not going to surrender to another magical superpower after the last time and thier own military is perfectly set up to make any attempt to pacify the planet an utter clusterfuck (Cloned supersoldiers that indiidually outclasses anything but the best TSAB mages...but are significantly weaker than TSAB ace mages).

The TSAB has the biggest, nastiest toys but Hyperion has a fanatical, replaceable, skilled infantry force that is very well set up for guerrilla fighting and capable of massacring soft TSAB targets.. It's not going to be bloodless or quick if it starts.

>>42955178
What's the target number needed for?

>>42955521
It's to keep your mission distinct from all the others being shot by the battery or battalion. Basically, once you get that target number, you use it to call in to the battery. So if you need to adjust where the rounds are impacting, repeat the mission, end it early, whatever, you just call in that target number. So say AB 1911 needs to be repeated because not enough of that infantry platoon was taken out. You call the unit over the radio and say "AB 1911, repeat, over." The firing agency now knows exactly what target you're talking about. So if you have called in other targets at the same time, or another observer has missions running, it avoids confusion

>>42954661
>Their patch is goddamn cthulhu eating the earth.

So I plan on running something sorta like shadowrun but with governments over corporations (And no elves and whatnot). About how should I portray some organized crime syndicate that is generally fears and professional by criminal standards, just getting removed/disappeared by some unknown government special force?

>>42955661
>fears
*feared

>>42955563
Huh we just say "Same distance(or 20 Left, Reduce 50 or whatever), FFE" and be done with it. All our target numbers are always preplanned, you see.

>>42951096
Ok bla bla working on not!Egypt setting with undead.

If you have an ancient army what role would undeads occupy?
1. Mindless undead
2. Intelligent that still have the same personality before death.

Archers, infratry, spec ops, scouts?
Other creatuve ways to use them on battelfield?

What about a modern setting?

>>42954857
Some of it is probably a deliberate gag.

>>42955713
>numbers
Mindless undeads are probably 2-3 times the number of live soldiers

Intelligent ones are 1/100 of living soldiers.

Could you link a book or resource about a recent conflict?
something from the past 40 years.

A good book you think is accurate, intresting and a good read.

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>>42955887
Completely different anon here, adding to the question, I saw pic related in a store, is it good?

>>42955673
Who is "we" just out of curiousity?

We have pre-planned targets as well. However, targets of opportunity or what have you are given target numbers on a "first come, first serve" basis since it's obviously a little difficult to predict who will call in what as far as targets of opportunity go.

For these, batteries are assigned a target number block of 100 numbers. The battalion also has a target number block for pre-planned targets. It tends to make everything a lot easier. There have been times where I was processing multiple missions in the FDC at once and if someone had just given me adjustments without the target number, i wouldn't have known which target they were talking about.

>>42954661
I was thinbking it was a joke patch untill I read wikipedia...

Maybe they keep disinformation on wikipedia to llok cool...
But dman.

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So long as all the armchair generals are here,

Let's assume That the Scottish colony in Panama survived, but wasn't profitable enough to stave off the conditions that led to the act of union in 1707. The British empire now controls "Caledonia" starting in the early 18th century.

How does this change the landscape of power in the short to mid term, does this have any impact on British policy in Asia?

Would the British have any interest in SA with Panama firmly within their control?

>>42956523
ROKA, sorry for not making that clear.

What we do basically is we put other FOs on hold and concentrate on one mission at a time. When the current fire mission is overruled by battalion(for ToT or perhaps another FO calls in final protective fire), the mission is abandoned and you have to call up a new mission when the battery is available again.

So the FDC doesn't have to process multiple missions, but I guess we have a risk of neglecting certain AOs.

>>42957410
Gotcha. We'll put missions on hold if another mission has higher priority, but after the higher priority mission gets shot, we'll go right back to shooting the lower priority mission

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So, questions about support weaponry (LMGs, RPGs, etc.) at a squad level:

What determines who in a squad gets to lug them around?

Are they assigned specifically according to squad's task or are they standard issue for that member?

Specifically for LMGs/SAWs: What sort of tasks do members equipped with them fulfill?

>>42954411
Now see, I was going the opposite way, that the IG had numbers and the defenders had the home-field advantage and some swankier tech as standard.

I always figured that a single regiment wouldn't be enough for a planet, even if that planet is mostly wilderness. My plan was to have the Imperial Navy drop the guard elements on the planet then fuck off to another sector to counter another threat to the general crusade. Just that the planet had spent years and years fearing an invasion from the stars and Imperial Intel said "Naw, they'll totally welcome us as the Emperors servants, they're humans after all. We'll just pick up their first tithe, get these units some R&R, and continue on with the crusade. What could go wrong?"

>>42954941
>betty

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>>42958059

Army doctrinal organization for a standard 9-man infantry squad includes two SAWs, each assigned as the heavy stick of a 4-man fireteam. The determination on who gets one is typically made by both the squad leader and the platoon leader/platoon sergeant based on physical capability, marksmanship, and overall competence (you don't give your fuck-ups your most casualty-producing weapons).

In combat, the SAW gunner's role is to provide suppressive fire so the other members of his fire team can maneuver. If they take contact, his whole job is to identify where the enemy is shooting from, and send more bullets toward them than they can return. Essentially, he's the guardian angel for the rest of his team, since without him, everybody else is stuck with their faces in the dirt.

Now, that's just for squad-level. At the platoon level, an infantry unit typically has one squad designated as the Weapons Squad, and this squad follows a very different organization. First and foremost, they're carrying heavier firepower, typically M240 machine guns. Usually there are three of these guns, each wielded by a two-man team (one to carry the weapon, the other as ammo-bearer and assistant gunner). The leader of the Weapons Squad is typically the most experienced squad leader in the platoon, because he's got responsibility over most of the platoon's firepower.

The weapons squad rarely travels as a single unit; each of the guns are tasked according to the mission. They'll be attached to whichever squad is going to need additional firepower, placed wherever they need to be in order to support the platoon's maneuvers or wherever they need to be in order to maximize damage dealt to the enemy. This is all planned out in advance by the platoon leader and the weapons squad leader according to the former's vision and the latter's expertise.

>>42958059
May as well chime in before off to bed.

Weaponry we'd issue as mission specific most of the time, what is a factor is how the individual has qualified on a weapon at a very basic level.
Another factor is who can lug that stuff around and still remain effective, most people have varying levels of fitness and strength, while some people can easily tote around something for a simple patrol. When you get into indian country and have to carry it for 10-14 days + all your other shit, that weeds out the weak so to speak.
Most often I'd delegate to the opinion of my NCO's of personnel performance, they'd provide best-fit and I'd sign out on the sections weapons.

With automatic weapons like the SAW's, they basically form a sections firepower, which in turn joins up with the platoons firepower
Rifleman of course are important in terms firepower, but as fearsome as modern assault rifles are, the machinegun at a section and platoon level is still most important for suppression, long range fire and extended periods of engagement.
Plus they're just plain fucking scary.
No one likes their position being hosed down, so they'll respond accordingly (or die) and that leverage's your other tactical options once the enemy's behaviour is established.

>>42958059
Generally speaking, GPMGs and LMGs are doled out as standard issue to certain members of a squad /platoon. There's a number of ways to go about choosing who gets them... You can give them to your most experienced junior enlisted, because they'll have the tactical and technical maturity to best employ them. Or you can give it to the guys most able to effectively carry them.

LMGs serve as a squad level base of fire and mass casualty producing weapon. Giving a squad sized element the theoretical capability to conduct fire and maneuver. GPMGs do the same thing, at a platoon level. Giving the platoon much more reach in what it can engage.

Grenade launchers work about the same way, and rockets are a case by case situation unless you're dealing with something like a recoiless rifle were you usually have 2 or 3 dudes assigned to operate it.

>>42957338

Looking at the UK experience in Belize they'd probably still keep their interest fairly small scale, particularly as India was always the big money making game for the Empire.

Still, the possibility of Britain simultaneously doing the Suez Canal and Panama Canal together can't be discounted, that'd be the kind of top level strategic and rent-gaining bauble that'd make the pound signs flash in the Foreign Office's eyes.

>>42951951
>COMPForce
Pretty cool. Speaking of MGS, I actually thought about running a not foxhound campaign set in star wars. KRATHOUND, all kinds of "weird" special operations people put together in one imperial commando squad. The phase zero darktrooper/half cyborg man with a vibroblade, Slugthrower katarn (probably a backstabbing bothan), clones galore of force users, and so on.

>>42951782
I read that and I still don't understand the distinction, nor what you're trying to get at.

>>42951096
>Field Artillery
>not 11b

Just a radio call away from the action huh. Watch your joes plug in those grids, then off to the mess hall for a hot lunch.
Spend the evening reading a book, then an hour or so in the computer room sending emails to your family. Stop by the toc before bed to live the action vicariously through an 11b NCO that stopped in with his squad for refit.
Get a solid 6-8 hours and a shower, repeat.

Congrats on being a glorified pog. Nice of you to come on to /tg/ and pretend youve been in the shit. I lived outside the wire in 06 and 07. I dont like you, your mos, or what youre doing. Have a left-handed salute. Airborne, Sir.

>>42954275
>If anyone has any questions about the navy or intelligence community, feel free to ask.
>navy

How do you feel about the PLAN having longer-range missiles than the USN nowadays? Like, Harpoon vs YJ-18?

>intel
Do you guys train for insurgency operations in case places like Guam, Okinawa or Hawaii get overrun & occupied? Do you have leave-behind units and opplans? Caches?

>>42954661
SCS and The Activity are the blackest of the black.

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>>42960072

The big differences between the Marines and the Army are in the logistics of the two branches. The Marines are built to be fast-response and high-intensity, while the Army is geared to be more methodical. What this means in practical terms is that the Marines are generally the first to get boots on the ground and start wrecking shit, while the Army hits with greater numbers and more materiel, but with a bigger wind-up. The Marines have the Navy to get them where they need to go, and thus are able to reach crisis areas ready to fight, with offshore artillery and airpower to support them. The Army generally relies on the Air Force as their transport and support and fields heavier equipment, which requires more time to get rolling than simply dumping a bunch of guys off a ship.

Individually, Army grunts and Marine grunts are pretty much the same. The Marines maintain slightly stricter physical standards, and generally have a crazier, more gung-ho mindset, but that's more related to the different branches' roles than any sort of "superiority." Marines HAVE to be adrenaline-charged and kinda bloodthristy, because they're going to be getting in close with the enemy with great frequency.

>>42960632
Thanks, that's clear.

>>42960232

Jesus fuck man. Calm the fuck down. If that's your criteria for hating him you have to hate 75% of the Army, which hey feel free to. Totally your volition but I don't recall OP sitting up there bragging about shit he hasn't done. He explained exactly what his position was, where that put him in our structure and is providing information based on that. As a side note of course he got all those things he's got a commission.

Now the sad thing is that I cannot actually tell if you're a troll or not. On the one hand you sound way to fucking hooah about this and on the other I have met people who act like you and who give a bad name to everyone else. Try adding something to the conversation for a change you fuckstick.

>>42960232

Not OP, but I'm British Arty. Life for FOOs/FSGs is pretty shitty, patrol bases are hardly comfortable places to spend six months. Everyone takes the piss but gets kind of thankful when the FAC calls in a show of force.

I mean yes we're not as ally as some I work with like to believe but we hardly sitting in an air-conditioned container unit.

We aren't fucking RAF.

>>42960232
>11b
>shitting on POGs who make your job possible

>>42960232
>11bitch
What? Not man enough to go 18?

When crunchies smack talk artillery, they deserve to be over run on some shitty hill.

I mean that seriously.

19C

>>42960311
Late response (I had to go to work) but eh. Long range missiles mean nothing if they can't find a target. It's not like we don't have any countermeasures whatsoever against missiles (CIWS, chaff, electronic warfare) it's also that our DDGs can take a bit of a pounding before they're outright sunk (compartmentalization is key here).

As for the other question, I personally don't, no one I know does but it wouldn't surprise me. Most of the people I work with honestly are cubicle warriors, analyzing whatever intel we get to make reports for decision leaders who would make those plans.

>>42960232
>assblasted slick sleeve fuzzy detected

>>42962477
>cav officer defending the honor of arty
Now I feel kinda bad for calling your guys "drooling retards".
Wait. No I don't. That was one specific guy I used that one for, because he couldn't figure out how to give proper adjustments.

>>42965020
Eh there are a lot of brothers who are completely brainless until they are wasted. I think it has something to do with the days when we could let the horse do the thinking.

Besides, a cav zero doesn't depend on you cannon cockers as much as a crunchy zero, he generally commands some real guns of his own.

Not to say my 105 was the equal of a 155, but it still isn't a toilet paper roll taped to the bottom of a spit shooter.

>>42953995
>>42953995
>Americans
>mass mobilization

Feh. Good luck with THAT under a neo-Democrat Senate.

>>42967013
Oh yeah, it's just annoying trying to shoot for a guy during a training exercise who can't figure out to tell us how many meters you want the point of impact to move, in the direction you want it to move.
If we're off by fifty meters to the observer's right, then he should call back an adjustment of LEFT fifty.
We had to correct that same mistake on like five fire missions in a row. Yeah, we were there to support their training, but they HAD attached fisters who should have squared him away.
Thinking about it now, I guess I should be more mad at those fisters, actually.

>>42967668
What you actually needed was a terminal enlisted to show him the L ┘ thing with his thumb and forefinger.

>>42968112
It's not that he didn't know left from right.
It's that our shot would land a bit off to the right side (let's keep using 50 meters because it's a good round number), and he'd call back "right 50", because for some reason he kept thinking "you were 50 to the right", when what we WANT in that situation is a correction of "left 50", as in "move your point of impact 50 to the left".
It's an easy mixup to make if you've had no previous training on how to do a call for fire. It's just frustrating that he KEPT doing it.

>>42951096
A couple things OP, if you have a moment:

1st; when roleplaying someone from military when interacting with a civilian, what are , say, 3 important details to capture?

2nd; how well do different military organizations interact? say air force with army for example? I guess to take it deeper, how might a tank operator interact with a Designated marksmen or sniper or something like that? Are there stereotypes associated with the different jobs and organizations?

>>42968350
I can help a bit with Army at least.
Look up a list of MOSes.
It's a two digit number and a letter.
The number is series, the letter is the specific MOS within that series.
11 is Infantry.
12 is Engineers.
13 is Field Artillery.
19 is Cavalry (note: from everything I've seen, not being cav myself, tankers refer to themselves as "armor" and fucking hate scouts).
91 is maintenance (mostly mechanics).
31 is Military Police (everybody hates "MPs" as an organization, but tends to get on okay with individual MPs).
B is usually the "main" MOS of a series (11B is Rifleman, 13B is cannon crew, 31B is your basic MP) but not always (tankers are 19K, 19B is an officer MOS, tank world is weird), other letters can be damn near anything.

>>42968350
In reverse order,

There are literally thousands of stupid little service rivalries that change details every year or two, and unless you want to mimic the armed forces of my (by now outdated) experience, you can follow this simple guideline: Quality marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen will give everyone who isn't exactly the same as them shit, for fun. Shitty ones mean it. Someone who had a life changing experience with a ______ might not give _____ shit after, but that generally involves great stress and near death.

One gold plated exception is combat arms and medics/corpsmen. You accidentally pick on a corpsman in a bar full of Marines infantrymen, and your platoon sergeant will be collecting you from the hospital for your next muster. Similarly if you pick on a medic in a cav bar or an 11bravo bucket and dipping gourd. Ironically, it tends to be mostly cherry infantrymen who make this mistake.

When role-playing a soldier to a civilian, you should remember that the soldier is supposed to put on a unified face to outsiders. His interactions with the civilian might be 150% officer caused ratfuck in his eyes, but he will never admit this or portray this to an outsider unless he's very disenfranchised. Like willing to risk punishment to show his displeasure disenfranchised. He will also feel that the civilian has no concept of his own hardship, so he's not going to care about minor inconvenience, though really fucked situations might elicit sympathy.

Note that really fucked situations are things like mass starvation, not that his road block is keeping you from your own son's bris.

He will generally also be really bored, and if he isn't, it's because he's got a gun pointed at you.

American soldiers also love children, even the edgelords who joke about toddler bombs generally have candy or pencils to give to kids if they can manage it.

Really stupid soldiers might be more willing to blab, but they will be Velcro shoes retarded.

>>42960632
Thanks, that's a good explanation. Also I am a huge 40k kick right now but I can't help but chuckle at comparing Imperial Guard and Space Marines similarly. Reading the army/marine distinction makes me think someone had a boner for the Marines and exaggerated the fuck out of them and left the army exactly the same.

Now, do you think I could get a short simple version of the other three branches? Especially national Guard, I really don't understand what they are.

Oh, one other thing. What's up with the "I'm no sir, I work for a living" thing that lieutenants do? Isn't sir just a catch-all term for men superior to you?

>>42968195
It's not about correcting him, it's about making his error humiliating by pretending everyone thinks he didn't know left from right.

>>42968859

What makes someone join the MPs? Wanting to be in the military but also really hating soldiers?

>>42968895
Sir means he's an officer. Lieutenants are officers, you'll get that line from sergeants mostly.

National Guard is the part-time army. Air National Guard is the part-time Airforce. Guard units vary wildly in effectiveness, the only ones you want to count on for anything are the ones from states that touch Canada. The Red Bulls out of Minnesota, in particular are better to work with than many of the real army brigades, not just in my experience but also according to every Marine I've ever heard talk about the Anbar Awakening. In comparison, any Nasty Girls from Texas can just pull their lower lip over their head and swallow.

Airforce controls fixed wing aircraft that take off from land, the land based nuclear deterrent, and most of the space stuff.

Navy controls the ships and naval aviation, mostly, the Marines also have naval aircraft (the Navy's Army's Air Force goes the joke), and a few ships that are Navy crewed and Marine commanded, and of course the Coast Guard has done ships of their own too.

>>42968967
Some people just have a boner for rules and petty power.

But yes, nice application of a joke that was old before my grandfather was born.

>>42968967
You, yes you, E-1 PVT Joe Snuffy, can give a ticket to a fucking COLONEL (if you actually catch him doing something ticketable).

>>42969119
>But yes, nice application of a joke that was old before my grandfather was born.

Glad you realized it was a joke.

>>42968967
In the Aust Army, the MP's where used a lot overseas for things like civilian law enforcement/liaison for local laws, detention and interrogation of prisoners, dog handling, forensics and investigation. All the little odds and sods of what regular police do, actually having to crack Pvt Pleb over the back of the head while being pissed or something was a really rare occurrence. Got to remember a full time army has a lot of discipline and the ranks tend to make sure that people are prevented from fucking up, before the fuck up actually occurs and will generally in-house deal with infractions and discipline long before the MP's arrive... hopefully.

They'll also get dragged in when something gets reported by a local law enforcement, so if Pvt Pleb shoved his foot in the arse of someone he shouldn't have, they'll investigate that with the witnesses/claimants and the soldiers OIC or NCO's.
When I was in Timor they where pretty important for that local-military interaction for us and the locals, who by and large liked us, but where often wary of talking to us, whereas the MP's would often be able to have a lighter, more neutral hand in things.

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>>42968895

There are five branches of the armed forces. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard (yes, the white-and-orange guys get lumped in there, too). The National Guard is a subset of Army and Air Force.

The thing with all of these organizations is they all have an assigned role to play in the grand scheme that is military affairs. The Air Force and the Navy serve to project power across the world, because they're the ones who are in the positions to strike first against threats. They also serve as transport for the Army and Marines, for when boots on the ground are called for. That's the general relationship between the services: the Army and Marines do the hard but necessary work of securing terrain, while the Air Force and Navy support them with firepower and logistics.

Now, as to the National Guard, like I said there's both the Army and Air National Guard. They're basically part-time instead of full-time troops. The requirement, at least in the Army NG, is to drill one weekend a month plus a couple of weeks every summer. Their whole purpose is to serve as a quickly-mobilized force in the event of some stateside crisis or as troops overseas if called for. In fact, NG units were deployed more than active Army units during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's generally a mixed bag as to how well-prepared these units are, though. Some units can be just as high-speed as active Army units, while others can hardly be worth the cost of maintaining them.

And as for that little turn of phrase, it's not lieutenants who say that, but NCOs. This is the age-old stereotype that the sergeants do the real work with the guys while the officers just sit in their offices all day. To a certain extent, this is indeed true. But regardless, it's something every NCO has said to at least one ill-informed private.

>>42969088
>Guard units vary wildly in effectiveness, the only ones you want to count on for anything are the ones from states that touch Canada
Is Plan Crimson still that much of a worry?

>>42969366
I think they've changed it to Operation Maple Dawn.

>>42969281
I think he's talking about the American ones. You know, the guys who kept causing riots when stationed down here?

>>42969409
Yeah, not had much dealing with the US MP's, even when I was stationed in the US.
I know they're not well regarded by regular's

>>42969366

Speaking as a Guardsman who could hunt Canadian moose from his window, it's a combination of well-established practice, recent experience, and general mindset. You've generally got some really old NCOs in these units--guys who were in the active service during the 90's and such--as well as veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who provide solid guidance and experience to their lower enlisted. In the best units, this is reflected in a very strong professional pride, which colors everything else they do.

To whoever can answer, who would be held responsible in the event of US civilian deaths caused by stolen US military hardware if the thieves are able to pass the blame onto the military or a terrorist organization? My Delta Green cell needs to know.

>>42968859
>19 series
>cav
>not armor
u fukken wot m8

>>42969695
I'd need more clarification to answer that.

Did the thieves get caught in any way, or are known to be in the area?
How do they intend to frame another organization?
What nearby military units are in the area?
What scale hardware are we talking about? Weapons? Tanks? A Nuke?

>>42951096
>army captain.
You could not possibly be more worthless. Kill yourself you fucking shit stain. Before your ineptness and glory hogging gets good men killed.

>>42969708
19 is armor, 19c is cav. Dude got it wrong, not a biggy.

>>42969695
If a soldier lost his kit but reported it immediately, he's unlikely to face official sanction for it's later misuse (unofficially? The SNCOs in his unit are going to smoke him until the edge of death). If a depot gets straight up robbed, no one is going to get in trouble. If the missing equipment isn't properly reported, the people who are supposed to be responsible for it are going to Leavenworth.

>>42969695

Every piece of equipment in the military has a piece of paper attached to it. It would not be difficult to track down exactly where the ordnance went missing from, unless the thieves also did some literal magic to generate a false trail.

It is standard practice for officers, upon taking command of their units, to perform a detailed inspection of their units' equipment to ensure that they actually have everything that the paperwork says they do. If any of that equipment is going to leave storage, someone has to sign for it. In the case of weapons, they're stored in a goddamn vault.

Of course, this all applies to units in garrison. Individual weapons could certainly be stolen while in-country if security is lax enough. Equipment is generally most vulnerable while being transported overseas. But even then, it's going to be pretty quick and simple to learn what went missing and where.

>>42969734
Here's your reply, man.

>>42969528
The quiet work ethnic of the far northern states is well suited to soldiering.

A good old boy from the south can be melted down and reformed into shape, but guard units aren't the tools for that.

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>>42969734
Still mad about not getting the medal of honor?

>>42969730
They found out about some alien brain parasites taking root in a hospice care center and decided the best course of action was to pull some strings with the CDC to get the place quarantined, shoot everyone inside, then track down anyone who wasn't working that day and kill them too since they had no way of knowing who was or wasn't infected. Total deaths were something around 40-50 once all was said and done. Weapons were small arms stolen from a nearby National Guard barracks. A few non-DG CDC members were at the quarantine but the cell got in with fake IDs and hazmat suits, nobody saw their faces or got legitimate names. The deaths outside the quarantine were staged home invasions.

>>42969899
How were the weapons disposed of?

>>42969926
Stored in a Green Box a few states away. I assume the major liability here would be shell casings left at the scenes?

>>42969899
Sounds like it would be a case of a shooting at the hospice, with a huge manhunt going for evidence and the shooters.
If the weapons are traced back to the NG, but reported as missing, then it will be seen as a huge act of terrorism and the unit will be under investigation for a long fucking time, with maybe a scapegoat thrown under the bus or two, and confined to life in military prison.
If the weapons were returned, then you'd likely see a cover up on the civilian side while the unit goes dark for the investigation, which would turn up not enough evidence, leaving the whole investigation at square 1 again.

>>42969899
>Weapons were small arms stolen from a nearby National Guard barracks

In that case, they'd need guns with which to start, some high-explosives or other measure to get into the weapons vault, and a hell of an escape plan to evade the literally dozens of alarms which would be getting sent out to local law enforcement as well as higher command if they tried to pull this.

Even if they somehow magically waltzed in and took the weapons without any of the above occurring, it wouldn't do jack shit as a framing effort, since all the Guard would have to do is show that, hey, these weapons were stolen from us right before all this shit went down, and here's the paperwork and testimony to prove that.

Even putting that aside, however, the commander of said Guard unit would be held responsible for the loss of the weapons, as would the supply NCO in a more minor capacity, but both probably wouldn't be formally charged unless they were somehow proven complicit in the theft.

Good OP, what is it like being an army doc? Are they in clinics and offices most of the day, or are they bored out of their mind?

>>42969954
Matching ammo to a gun is actually very hard, IRL isn't CSI, unless there's a defect, you can probability narrow it down to model, but it's very hard to determine which M4. Back in the mid 00s, a captain that was alleged to be a wife beater was fragged in an exercise, killed by someone on his side of the exercise who took off his BFD and loaded live rounds instead of blanks.

They narrowed it down to 10 Joes based on weapon type and location, but never made anything stick, because they couldn't prove it was any specific rifle.

No, in your scenario, the armory will find evidence of break in and fill out some paperwork , the credentials will be determined to be false, and no one from the armory will be punished.

You did just destroy your CDC contact, however, that dude is donesky.

>>42969784
>>42969792
>>42970014
>>42970020
Interesting. Thanks you guys.

And I actually had no idea about the weapons vault thing. It was a quickly put together plan on the PC's end so I ended up handwaving a few things and going by movie logic when they went to steal the guns. I'll keep that in mind for future attempts though, that's the kind of thing you can get a whole session out of.

>>42952058
Does that not slow down the rate of fire significantly if you have to shoot, uncamp, recamp, shoot?

>>42970088
Make sure that the people they pulled strings with are no longer available as resources. That kind of direct action destroys assets like that.

>>42970102
Compared to just burning barrel life in a permissive environment? Sure.

But compared to getting counterbatteried to death, your rate of fire shooting and scooting increases substantially.

>>42970081
>>42970124
>You did just destroy your CDC contact, however, that dude is donesky.
Oh yeah, he's toast. Dude had no idea what he was really getting himself into either. I think they're gonna try to get him set up somewhere out of the country as a consolation.

>>42970052
Still curious about this if any good army/navy/air force anons are still around.

>>42970138
>Not digging artillery shelters with meter thick sandbag roofs wherever you go

>>42970300
>Thinking that will save your battery from radar aimed counterbattery fire.

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RCAF guy here, if anyone has any rotary or fixed wing questions.
I love five star hotels and full Per Diem. One trip, we had to share rooms and we bitched. I'm soft as fuck and not ashamed to admit it. Enjoy the dirt and filth, army fags.

>>42970275

Well, I'm certainly not an Army doctor, but I've had the requisite shots in the ass and small-talk with them.

Stateside, an Army physician's job is pretty similar to a civilian doctor's. The major posts all have at least one hospital, and several support clinics. Patients come in, the doctors diagnose and treat them, and send them on their way. It's just in their case, their patients are almost exclusively soldiers and their families. Hell, a lot of Army doctors are simply that: doctors who joined the Army and got a free commission out of the deal.

What constitutes "safe" cover? If you're being shot at, what should you hide behind and what should you not hide behind?

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>>42970389

There is no "safe cover." There is "cover" and there is "concealment." The former is anything which will stop bullets; the latter is simply that which prevents the enemy from seeing you.

Exactly what objects fall into which camp is an exceedingly broad topic, but generally, the thicker a material is, the better cover it makes. Rocks, tree trunks, armored vehicles all provide cover, whereas underbrush, grass, and your dad's pickup are only good for concealment.

>>42970332
Implying that getting caught in the open while trying to drag 8 inch towed howitzers around is any more survivable.

But of course, it was a joke my self-propelled friend.

>>42969899

Long story short is that the only way weapons get out of an armoury is by a straight-up paramilitary assault on the armoury, some Snake Eater grade sneakery, or most likely because the Q-system at the base is hopelessly corrupt. There are many examples of quartermasters who have sold shit right out of army stores, even out of armouries, and they get away with this by casually encouraging minor crimes among their junior staff. The ones who play along they encourage because if they play along they get more neat toys and 'it's not that bad', and if they fuck up, they can be reported and court-martialled and they panic under threat too hard to realise that the entire Q-store would be fucked in the ass if they got reported. Anyone who they scope out and realise won't play along they encourage them to go elsewhere (you'd be great as infantry, try it!) and if that won't work, bully them out.

The thing is, the reason there are lots of stories is that basically they always get caught in the end, unless the entire base from the lowliest grunt to the fucking CO is in on the grift, and even then, someone will find out.

And the big way they find out is if they find weapons from the armoury outside the armoury and off the paper trail.

With guns used in a major criminal massacre or terrorist event, there is a ten billion percent chance that the entire q-store is going to have the worst day ever or indeed possible.

Am I too late to ask a naval question?

>>42970889
No, not at all.

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>>42970996
Good, my question is with the maturation of laser technologies will laser defense systems make gunships relevant again by nullifying missiles?

>>42971055
Depends on how good the laser system turns out being. Can in deal with a dozen, two dozen missiles coming in at once? How long does it take to actually "kill" an inbound missile?

If it can do the above well, then yeah I'd say we can, though it's likely going to be railguns instead of gunpowder weapons, the Navy's already got a working prototype that they're gonna stick on a ship soonish.

>>42971129
I was thinking Something like a laser CIWS.
And we'll see about the rail guns, they have a nasty habit of shaking themselves apart, and heating up.

Personally I think railguns would be better suited on submarines, they would have a whole vessel devoted to their purpose and when needed to strike a target they surface, fire, and slink away.

>>42971055
Two things,

First, will the tracking systems ever be able to realistically deal with over 100 inbound?

Second, will they be able to deal with sea skimming inbounds that use low observable features and decoys in a robust jamming environment?

I think that robust missile defense is possible, that detection systems will make it so that even low observable missiles have trouble reliably avoiding interception, and ballistic or hypersonic missiles become obsolete.

This is awesome because naval gunnery, but horrible because it will be the death of MAD.

And the death of MAD is the rebirth of Great Power War.

>>42971181
Yeah, laser CIWS is likely what we're going to end up with here in the real world. There's already the Ponce in the Arabian Gulf, and supposedly that's what it's effective against, as well as drones and FAC/FIACS.

>railguns would be better suited on submarines
Eh, I can see it, but the whole idea of surfacing a sub to attack doesn't sit well with me. They're always safer under the water. I guess it doesn't matter much though if you're striking at targets, what, 100 nmis away.

>>42971243
>And the death of MAD is the rebirth of Great Power War.
It was always dead, pond the earth to dust, you can wipe the land clean of life, but with out infantry you cannot hold, full scale nuclear war was always a theory no one would go that far because all would be lost, and so there were proxy wars and skirmishes until we reached the point where we just ignore the power at our fingertips in favor of upholding the status quo. For the moment.

>>42971243
>>42971306
One would argue that a laser CIWS would also make shells obsolete, but one would be ignoring the difference between the casing of a missile and a shell.

>>42971324
No, I mean real great power war, the F22s in Iraq wiping the Russians from Syria's sky, M1s rolling through Poland to shut down Donbas, the encirclement of Pyongyang, a amphibious invasion of the ROC by the PRC, real great power war.
>>42971379
A 64mJ rail gun can accomplish a lot with just KE.

>>42971553
It would be beautiful, and short.

Yes I know about the wonders velocity does to KE. I mean people will argue that a laser can intercept a shell fired by a naval gun, which if you've seen one dissected is rather unlikely.

>>42971595
Ah, yeah, you're taking old dumb steel and TNT shells.

Yeah, them and dumb bombs just have too much steel around the filler for heating to initiate them prematurely.

>>42971605
People don't appreciate the simplicity of the old ways, they aren't learning from Donetsk.

Also just a thought of mine but isn't camoflauge rather pointless for standard infantry?

>>42970376

I've heard there is actually a lot of trouble with getting qualifications transferred to civilian ones when you retire. Is that true?

>>42971651

It's not going to actually keep someone fully concealed but even a seconds hesitation is enough to make a difference and most other infantry don't spot via heat.

>>42971701
Perhaps in first contact but during a sustained engagement in close quarters(which is a large part of modern combat) that argument losses wait, even if were only considering by eyesight.

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So how long till 90% of ground troops are replaced by drones of various sizes and movement modes.

Like seriously niqqa get on this sci-fi shit.

>>42951096
What is the current doctrine and practices about prisoners of war in your country? Do they exist, under which denomination, are first class soldiers treated the same as officers, are they under a special regimen, etc.

>>42972399
Humans are perfectly sized for action in buildings and cities, and, compared to modern robotic systems, are able to operate for long periods of time between refueling and are fairly inexpensive. They have excellent navigation systems, particularly at the tactical scale. They can, more easily than a robot, distinguish friend from foe. And above all, they produce themselves instead of requiring a competitive bid or, god forbid, a sole source vender.

>>42971735
As a veteran of falujah I can honestly say you are full of shit.

During a prolonged engagement camouflage on an individual soldier becomes more important because you need to conserve ammo so you are actually more likely to take an extra half second to consider whether that is a protrusion from a building or a person in very similar colored brown robes.

If you are wearing the correct color for the environment it can mean many times the difference between who shoots first and if you spot the dude or not.

This isn't a video game where you go around pouring hundreds of rounds into anything vaguely human shaped. Especially with non combatants around. Which they always are in close quarters engagements (this pretty much always means cities/villages).

>>42969324
I just don't get the apprehension to being called sir. It reminds me of 30 year old women being mad when someone calls them ma'am.

>>42973464

That's actually an apt comparison. It's really just a stock phrase by this point; privates aren't supposed to address an NCO as "sir", so the NCOs have crafted a certain standardized response for when they do.

>>42974390
Different anon here, so instead of "sir," then they really should just call them "sargeant," I'm assuming?

Also, what's the general opinion of soldiers regarding PMCs? Is it different across all the branches of the army?

>>42974655

Yes. An NCO is to be addressed as "Sergeant." That term applies quite a ways up the chain of command, in fact. Once you start hitting the senior NCO ranks, however, like Master Sergeant and such, it becomes customary to address them by their full title. God help the private who fails to address a Sergeant Major as "Sergeant Major." I understand that the Marines are different, though; they actually do address their NCOs as "Sir," which is likely where the confusion originates.

The thing with any "general opinion" regarding anything in the Army is that there's liable to be a thousand different ideas making it up. I personally haven't had any direct experience with PMCs, but the opinion of some NCOs I trust was "fuck those guys." As in, their presence would be tolerated, if mostly ignored, but if they ever whistled for help, they sure as hell weren't going to get it from us.

>>42974655
As an outsider looking in, lot of the US troops resented their pay scale, but you've also got to understand that those guys get into the business knowing there's no medical support, benefits or anything else if they get fucked up on the job
Most of the ones I met on US bases in Iraq and Afghan where pretty much general duties kinds of guys, cooks, technicians, vehicle operators and the like. Actual, armed numbnuts being mercenaries where pretty rare, though I'd also put my vote in >>42974734 of 'fuck those guys' if it came to a choice between say, doing my job and having to drag some truck drivers out of the shit because they got lost.

As far as combat effectiveness goes, I'd rate them fairly low, most are well trained and come from military backgrounds, but I wasn't convinced they'd have much group cohesion if they got properly in the shit. Kind of at the level of militia or police force training I guess, they know how to shoot, take cover and the like, but in terms of of responding to things like an ambush, IED strike, target designation or a cohesive withdraw... yeah, wouldn't stake my life on it. Some people in a panicked state or extreme stress environment tend to hose off rounds like its going out of fashion and might mistake friendlies while doing it, or they'll become useless and go hide somewhere nice and dark.

That's just my 2c, other's have found them very useful.

>>42970353
In the event of surviving being shot down, how well off do you think you'd be of making it back home?

That being said, what's your bird, fly boy?

Can you generally give advice on how to write drill instructors/mentors/just the kinda person expected to actually MAKE, rather than just command/be a soldier(s)? Also any written manuals you're allowed to share, can be about drilling or any other kind of conduct/maneuvering etc.

>>42951096
What's the little cigarette lightery looking thing that pops out of the right side of M16 and M4 variants?

>>42974734

It's the Air Force that call their NCO corps by sir... because they call everyone sir.

Having worked mixed-force ops, it took some of the Airmen a few tries before learning not to call Army or Marine NCOs by 'sir'.

>>42953093
These guys are no doubt pretty good, but damn if their hairstyles don't make them look like total fuccbois.

>>42975379
There's dozens of field manuals available for free online (they are not classified, and are in the public domain because they were created by the government).

>>42975387
Little round thing, sticks out at an angle from the right side of the receiver?
That's the forward assist. You smack that bitch to make sure the bolt is fully seated.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_assist

>>42972399
Cool as it is, how is that thing going to be able to conceal itself at all?

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>>42972888
Key words 'correct colors'.
Also I believe 'pouring hundreds of rounds into anything vaguely human' is US military doctrine, it's the step before calling in artillery, air support or flanking.

>>42975813
You know that almost all militarizes have suppressive fire incorporated into their doctrine's even America's right?

What do you do if you run out of ammo during extended patrol/reconnesaince mission?
Appreciate the fact that if you had to start shooting frequent enough to run dry you're probably fucked anyway, but out of sheer curiousity - is it permitted to swap your gun to the enemy's in the event ammo types differ? Or you need to carry both empty and looted guns back to the base?

Okay here's a question.

I'm planning on making a Tank-based quest, what are essentials I should know about tanks? what are tanks with good crew capacity? (For RP sheneanigans). What are good instances that can be based on tanks (I heard in WWII germans tank crews were given chocolates laced with anfetamins so they could last the night driving without sleeping)

>>42978034
What tech level?

>>42978034
>(I heard in WWII germans tank crews were given chocolates laced with anfetamins so they could last the night driving without sleeping)
Both Allied and Axis forces made heavy use of amphetamines as a stimulant for their troops.

>>42971324
Your understanding off what MAD actually means is garbage. MAD is about the inevitable destruction of the kinds of infrastructure needed run a wartime economy and commands armies over continental distances.

It is not and never was about genocide, conflating MAD with mutual genocide is civilian absurdism.

>>42978203
I was thinking modern tech, maybe something Post WWII?

>>42954857
The NROL-55 patch launched yesterday is much less spooky imo

>>42951096
Any advice for playing or encouraging the playing out of stress from constant danger in games? I want to run a game of players being guerillas but from the perspective of how horrifying the constant threat of capture or death could be.

>>42974734
I just don't understand that rule. I call my boss sir, I call my professors sir, I call my grandfather sir, I call police officers sir, I call my doctor sir, I call cashiers sir, I call the city bus driver sir, I call people I'm holding the door for sir. What makes sergeants different?

Is it like that pretentious English professor who insists on being called Dr. Anon, instead of Professor Anon?

>>42975403
I don't get it. It really irritates me actually. 'sir' is just polite, is it not?

>>42983048
>>42983080
It's just customary at this point.

>>42983117
I guess I just need to stop being a sperglord about it. I thought I wouldn't be the only autist who it bothers. The answers were all great though.

Frivolous bump.

>>42983080

Somehow, the commissioned officer corps seized exclusive rights to the title of "sir" many generations ago. Or maybe some NCOs didn't like being called the same thing as those guys who don't work for a living. Whatever the reason, addressing an NCO by their title is the way anyone shows respect. Even a commissioned officer will do so if they're being hyper-professional about it.

>>42951853
>Things are good. In the time since, all my parents died and my wife left. So its me, a bag of pretzels, a six of tall boys, and a pack of camels with the internet tonight.

I appreciate both your style and pragmatism. I don't have a great understanding of any given ops being strictly a civilian so even attempting to portray a context or character is difficult to do and feel correct. Like you said, I think it'd be a bunch of dumb shit I'd think up not even close to reality.

So here's my question: could you explain the basic steps to be executed for a squad-base ground operation? For example, you're commanding your basic unit of (X) people with a group of roughly 30 armed hostiles, say 5+ miles away or more than a bit outside your standard range in a terrain like >>42951433. Lightly forested plains. So
Task: explain execution of task described above.
Purpose: grant an understanding of military tactics and mental/physical approach.

Also, this thread is cool. You have singlehandedly increased the quality of my browsing experience.

>>42951096
Just out of curiosity, are you stationed in Fort Sill? I had a grandfather who was an XO of a battalion of SPGs.

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>>42986652

As he says in the OP, Butcher6 is Field Artillery, and field artillery doesn't operate in "squads." In fact, with all due respect, for him, engaging a large group of enemies amounts to "wait for a call for fire, oversee the operations of the FDC in acquiring the target and calculating everything for the battery to engage the enemy, then waiting as the guns thump and the forward observer calls in any adjustments or a mission complete damage report."

If you're asking for an infantryman's perspective on things, though, I could provide. I'll need a bit more detail on this scenario, though.

>>42976713
In a word, yes- pick up what you can and shoot back.
When it comes to the weapons status, if you can't take your own weapon back, it should be destroyed to avoid capture by the enemy and likewise, the enemy's weapons should also be rendered inoperable if they cannot be brought back.
(Of course carrying an enemy weapon has its problems in that you might accidentally be mistaken for them)

2nd tour of Afghan, we'd been tasked a lot of times to locate and destroy enemy weapons caches around the place, which was kind of interesting to see about 4 generations of weapon systems dating back to the 1900's to the present, but also nerve wracking in that they'd leave a lot of ordinance lying around which could brew up at any moment. 99% of it we'd C4 on the spot if it was safe and possible to do so.

>>42951417
How does it feel to know that your legend is based on your ability to get yourself killed by being stupid?

>YUT YUT! Let's show those army grunts that we're harder than they are!
>YUT YUT! Let's start our next raid by barreling down the MSR as fast as we can with white lights on!

>YUT YUT! Let's cause a bunch of ruckus as any clearance operation does!
>YUT YUT! Now make the guys that EVERYONE AND THEIR FUCKING MOTHER SEES walk back to the COP!
>YUT YUT! We took casualties again! This just shows that we get deeper in the shit than those dog faces!
>What do you think about this, Devil Dog's?
>After careful consideration, we have determined that OORAH! SEMPER FI!... Devil Dog... Yut... Yut.
>YUT YUT! Sounds fucking good, men! Execute!

Just shut the fuck up, cherry... or boot? Isn't that what you fuckers call your new guys.

>>42951782
Also, sir?

Shut the fuck up and quit being a dumbass.


xoxoxoxoxo


An enlisted man with not a single fuck to give anymore.

>>42975813
Yeh there is a difference between suppressive fire with machine guns (used rarely in cities in modern wars since they aren't really conventional and therefore don't have the sheer numbers going into each skirmish) and regular fire and maneuver Which is much more efficient and leaves a hell of alot less collateral damage. Fire and maneuver is what is used regularly.

>Key words 'correct colors'.
No shit retard. You are the only person I have ever talked to that apparantely thinks people try to camouflage themselves with the incorrect colors. "Oh I need to match that brown bush I'm gonna wear white" I'm pretty sure you are the only one to think like that.
Then again the army has some weird ads blue fucking cammies that doesn't camouflage shit so maybe you aren't.

Either way I'm gonna assume you are just trolling now due to the idiocy of your past post and general negative statements rather than using actual information or argument.

>>42978034
>making a quest.

You worthless fucking faggot piece of shit. Go back to fucking /a/

>>42992082

Boot.

>>42992196

I think the blue cammies are for evening cityfight but that's just a guess based on vaguely once hearing something like that. Never seen them used.

Do you know anything about PMCs? General size, level of training, disposition - basically I want to know if (on average) they're another color of a proper military, decent security, a bunch of dangerously loose cannons in anyone's hands, or easy cannon fodder.

I know it's a kind of out there question - PMCs don't seem to get mentioned much in the history books or the media, and the last I read of them was an account during the Balkan wars.

>>42953464
Adding on to this question, I have a friend newly in the military who told me that vegetarian MREs taste better than regular ones. Any confirmation on that, or just general preference on food?

How much leeway is given in scavenging and using equipment? From the simple using an enemy gun, to somehow miraculously managing to capture a vehicle or heavier weapons. I'm mostly wondering if it would be a logistics headache.

>>42992478
If the big guy was willing to bend over for sensitive vegetarian palates, wouldn't want to offend them, now would he?

>>42992478
Yeah, the vegetarian ones are pretty fuckin' great. Or, at least they were while I was in.

The spicy vegetarian pasta was one of my favorites in basic.

>>42986652
Swedish marine here. I do recon, security, amphibious operations and light infantry tasks. I'll try to answer your question even if it leaves a lot of variables open that would change the approach- in these cases I'll just make an assumption.

I'll make some initial assumptions.
1) The enemy is consists of a platoon of qualified combatants.
2) They are not completely unaware of the risk of being attacked.
3) To hit a prepared enemy of a platoons size without unecessary casualties and risks I'd want to have a company behind me.
3b) Amphibious rifle company with recon and support attached.

The first step would be recon. The way to do this would be dependent on how we know where and how many the enemy are. Standard would be to insert a recon patrol or several, depending on the size of the terrain and the terrain itself. You do not want to have an abundance of recon patrols active, it increases the chance of getting caught and if your recon gets caught the enemy will prepare for an assault by spreading out, digging in, sending out their own recon, etc. This can transform your mission from somewhat easy to almost impossible depending on the competence of the enemy.

Once the recon patrol(s) locate and identify the threat, access routes and preliminary combat positions the rifle company will plan its' attack with marching orders, access routes, alternative plans if contact is made before the attack plan can be enacted, gathering points on the way, the actual plan of attack and what every platoon will do once the assault starts. The recon will also have supplied pre-prepared points of artillery in the terrain which will be complemented by the company command and the fire control officer. cont>

>>42954603
NSA is covered here
>>42954600

The ATF is literally just a nationwide police force specializing in alcohol, tobacco, and firearms.

>>42992779
The platoons will then transform this into orders to their squads that might be vague or detailed depending on how well trained they are. Less trained soldiers cannot hold a long and complex plan in memory, they are better off being command-controlled by their officers and NCOs. Then the company will do a regular march (depending on vehicles, terrain, enemy recon (patrols, air, civilian sympathizers) until they reach the distance at which the enemy might detect them. There they will preferably do a stealth insertion until they reach what we call 'storm distance', the distance in cover at which you are secure from the friendly artillery and/or are in cover behind your fighting positions. If they cannot do a stealthy insert they will change from 'marching style' to 'combat style', to put it easy and begin, with an as high speed as possible, move into storm distance while maintaining security by fire and maneuver.

Assumption: The enemy did not detect either the recon patrols or the advancing rifle company nor the mortar platoon setting up.

Once at 'storming distance' the rifle company will, if it can without detection and the terrain permits, set up parts of or its' whole support platoon. These can be mortars, heavy MGs, general purpose MGs. These will be the base of fire that initiate the assault and hopefully do the most amount of damage and then suppress the remaining enemy. Recon patrols already in the terrain might at this time either just lie and observe and correct the mortar fire or prepare their own attacks at angles other than the rifle company to confuse and divide the enemy defense or cut off retreat/reinforcement routes.

Once mortar and support elements are in their fighting positions and the assault elements are ready the attack will begin. Mortar will rain on the enemy position and the support elements will engage with machine gun and rifle rifle.cont>

>>42992841
If it goes well this will force the enemy to take cover and engage the support elements to either try to counter-suppress them and take them out either by superior direct fire or by maneuvering their own rifle sections to assault them. This is the time to let loose your dogs of war and assault with your assault elements. They will try to attack from the newly established 'flank' of the enemy, so that they come in on the 'side' of what your support sees. Mortar will cease (or shift, if the enemy is grouped over a large area). The assault elements will start advancing towards and finally into the enemy position while the support elements will continually suppress, kill and shift their fire to maintain their effect while freeing up sections of the enemies position to be assaulted. This will continue until the full enemy position is taked. The assault elements will then take beyond the enemy position and occupy a perimeter. Reserve assault elements will secure the former enemy position, administer aid to your own and enemy combatants and process potential prisoners. Depending on if you assaulted the enemy either to kill it or to secure the terrain you might move your support elements and rifle elements to secure and prepare defense of the area and the recon to give you advance warning of an enemy counter-attack. You will probably want to not occupy the former enemy position straight away if they have artillery, they might, if they are heartless, bomb it as soon as they are notified that it is lost and the fight is hopeless.

If you just attacked the enemy to kill them you will, as soon as you can, prepare a march back. The enemy will know where you are and can make hell for you during an extended stay or delayed march home.

This is a textbook-example without any complications whatsoever but I hope it sheds some light on the basics of assaulting an enemy platoon position with your own superior force. cont>

>>42992888
Feel free to ask me questions or throw in complications to force me to adjust the plan.

This made me want to try a new type of quest thread, a 'Wargame' thread with a game master that supplies a situation and then reactions to the 'blue force' moves and, if possible, a separate 'red force' quest that acts accordingly with the game master simply passing what the other side discovers and judges out combat outcomes. What do you guys think?

>>42992898
Addition, I will post with the name 'Swedish Marine' in the future of this thread. Some background on me.

I've served as a medic in the armoured forces while I was conscripted then I joined up when we transformed to a professional force. I worked for one and a half year in the Life Company, one year as a squad leader, that was 50% MOUT, 50% parade. Then I changed to the marines where I've worked for two and a half years as a radioman, medic, MG and Carl Gustav gunner, rifleman, squad second in command and squad leader. My company has a lot of mixed assignments but we focus on securing and defending coasts and, if we have to, delay in the same area. My unit does a lot of security, recon, defense and light infantry combat.

>>42992539
Use is a bit iffy, some of us where cross trained in the use and care of standard ex-sov era weapons, but the majority of armed forces aren't. So you don't really want untrained troops shooting off systems they don't understand for fun and giggles.
In most cases, you bring back an enemy weapon system, its deactivated and put in storage on your base, maybe they'll do a bit of forensics on its origins and the like if they think its of some importance. But no, you won't be trading in your issued systems for another one... mostly because you'll be mistaken for the enemy and probably shot by accident :)

Depending on the system, some of them might get used full time or as long as the ammo lasts. Stuff like the DShK and KPV we'd press into service due to a shortage of our own heavy machineguns, so they'd end up on perimeter duty for secondary coverage and the like, never pressed into service on our vehicles or taken into the field. Had a mate in the Rangers early on in Afghan that also used them quite a bit when they captured a stockpile and didn't have enough .50's to go around.
Generally its a bit of a shit as you need a qualified armourer to tick it off as being safe to use, but hey, can never have enough big arse machineguns!

>>42992934
No one has ever covered this during my five years in the Swedish armed forces but we're only allowed to use weapons we are trained in so go figure. However, if we were in a war and, either after or in the middle of a fight, found something that I was comfortable with (most machine guns) that we needed I wouldn't hesitate for a second to take it. Nor to take enemy hand grenades, general equipment or just service rifles and ammo if we were short. My officers wouldn't berate me for it either if I had good cause. The job goes first.

>>42992957
Yep its not standard for most military to cross-train on enemy systems.
But if it comes down to desperation they'll get pressed into service in a war footing or combat situation. In Iraq we happened across a lot of Iraqi army bulldozers and put them to good use on more than one occasion.

>>42992539
While >>42992934
Covered this pretty well, I feel I should mention that in a permissive leadership environment (like Iraq, prior to 2007) where higher wasn't meddling with the Joes too harshly so long as objectives were being met, people did a lot of fooling around with captured infantry weapons, for fun.

This is why you can find that picture of that Marine clearing houses with a PPSH and stuff like that.

Because guns are fun and novelty is fun, so novel guns are really fun.

They've kinda squashed that since, though.

So since we've covered the basics of calling for artillery support earlier in the thread, what about calling for airstrikes? Is it pretty much the same way?

And should we archive this thread on suptg? There's a lot of good shit in here for reference.

>>42954552
I'm studying remote sensing and photogrammetry - you can get shit load of data from grainy bw photo.
Our prof once showed us a process of getting contour data from low light bw photo that contains a lot of reflections.
It was mind blowing.

>>42954941
What's up with the initials on the moon's surface here?

I can make out RDG, ROV, SLS, AL, and what might be DJ.