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Opposing force

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This article is about a military term. For the game, see Half-Life: Opposing Force.
The term "opposing force" is occasionally used to refer to a genuine military foe. This article is concerned only with its use in simulated conflict.

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

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

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

Units

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Canada

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The Canadian Armed Forces has OPFOR units from the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre.[1]

China

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Further information: 195th Combined Arms Brigade (People's Republic of China)
Further information: 66th Brigade (People's Republic of China)

France

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In the French Army, a FORAD (FORce ADverse, enemy force) is used to train the army, in both the centre d'entraînement au combat (CENTAC, Combat Training Center) of Mailly-le-Camp[2] and in the centre d'entraînement aux actions en zone urbaine (CENZUB, Urban Operations Training Centre).[3] Declassed AMX-30 tanks were used to simulate Soviet T-72s,[2] until 2018.[4]

Japan

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Further information: Tactical Fighter Training Group (JASDF)

United States

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

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

Various US military installations or major units have their own local versions of opposing force used for training exercises. The joint Australian–US military exercise "Crocodile '03" featured an Australian-led opposing force in which soldiers from a range of Australian units worked together with a US Marine Corps contingent.[8]

Several state defense forces have served as OPFOR units when training with the National Guard. The California State Guard,[9] the Georgia State Defense Force,[10] and the New York Guard[11] have provided OPFOR services to their respective National Guard counterparts. In 2018, the Georgia State Defense Force established the OPFOR Battalion[12] to assist National Guard Soldiers with pre-deployment training.

Ranks

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Officer ranks
Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers
  Aggressor Army
(1953–1962)[13] 		                       
Marshal General of army General of corps General of division General of brigade Colonel Commandant Major Captain Lieutenant Sub-lieutenant Warrant officer
  Aggressor Army
(1962–?)[14] 		                       
Marshal General of army General of corps General of division General of brigade Colonel Commandant Major Captain Lieutenant Sub-lieutenant Warrant officer
Rank group General / flag officers Senior officers Junior officers
  Aggressor Air Force
(1953–1962)[15] 		                       
Air marshal General of air General of air army General of air corps General of air division Colonel Commandant Major Captain Lieutenant Sub-lieutenant Warrant officer
  Aggressor Air Force
(1962–?)[16] 		                       
Air marshal General of air General of air army General of air corps General of air division Colonel Commandant Major Captain Lieutenant Sub-lieutenant Warrant officer
Other ranks


Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
  Aggressor Army
(1953–1962)[17] 		              No insignia
Sergeant major Staff sergeant Senior sergeant Platoon sergeant Section sergeant Corporal Senior private Private
  Aggressor Army
(1962–?)[18] 		              No insignia
Sergeant major Staff sergeant Senior sergeant Platoon sergeant Section sergeant Corporal Senior private Private
Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
  Aggressor Air Force
(1953–1962)[19] 		              No insignia
Sergeant major Staff sergeant Senior sergeant Platoon sergeant Section sergeant Corporal Senior airman Airman
  Aggressor Air Force
(1962–?)[20] 		              No insignia
Sergeant major Staff sergeant Senior sergeant Platoon sergeant Section sergeant Corporal Senior airman Airman
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Notes

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

References

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  1. ^ https://www.ceaa.gc.ca/052/details-eng.cfm?pid=32878 [bare URL]
  2. ^ a b "CENTAC/5e régiment de Dragons" [CENTAC/5th Dragoon Regiment]. Batailles & Blindés (in French). No. Hors Série 24. 2014. pp. 52–55. ISSN 1950-8751.
  3. ^ "Dans la ville fantôme de Jeoffrécourt, les armées étrangères simulent la guerre" [In the ghost town of Jeoffrécourt, foreign armies simulate war]. Le Point (in French). Agence France-Presse. 8 May 2016.
  4. ^ Lagneau, Laurent (17 October 2018). "Le 5e Régiment de Dragons se sépare de ses derniers chars AMX-30 Brenus" [The 5th Dragoons Regiment separates from its last AMX-30 Brenus tanks]. opex360.com (in French).
  5. ^ "Brave Rifles OPFOR dominates at NTC". 28 June 2018.
  6. ^ "Paratroopers refine war fighting skills at the Joint Readiness Training Center". 6 September 2011.
  7. ^ "Army.mil". Archived from the original on 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  8. ^ Wellfare, John. "Exercise Crocodile '03: You win some, you lose some". Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper.
  9. ^ "OPFOR". 1st Battalion (MP), 2nd Brigade (Civil Support), California State Military Reserve. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  10. ^ Seay, Howard (8 May 2015). "Operation Roughrider Cold". Heads up. 11 (1). Georgia State Defense Force: 3. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  11. ^ Mendie, Ubon (31 March 2009). "N.Y. Guard 'Brings the Fight' to Fighting 69th". Guard Times Magazine. p. 36. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  12. ^ "OPFOR Battalion". Georgia State Defense Force. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  13. ^ FM 30-101 Aggressor The Maneuver Enemy 9-23-1959. Department of the Army. 1959. p. 13. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  14. ^ FM 30-101 Aggressor: the Maneuver Enemy. Department of the Army. 1962. pp. 10–11. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  15. ^ FM 30-101 Aggressor The Maneuver Enemy 9-23-1959. Department of the Army. 1959. p. 30. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  16. ^ FM 30-101 Aggressor: the Maneuver Enemy. Department of the Army. 1962. pp. 28–29. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  17. ^ FM 30-101 Aggressor The Maneuver Enemy 9-23-1959. Department of the Army. 1959. p. 21. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  18. ^ FM 30-101 Aggressor: the Maneuver Enemy. Department of the Army. 1962. p. 30. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  19. ^ FM 30-101 Aggressor The Maneuver Enemy 9-23-1959. Department of the Army. 1959. p. 31. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  20. ^ FM 30-101 Aggressor: the Maneuver Enemy. Department of the Army. 1962. p. 30. Retrieved 5 August 2021.

Further reading

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