Soldiers impersonate insurgents to train deploying troops

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Houx | Two opposing forces role players interact with members of the Joint Service Training Operations, Team 2 during a training exercise, Aug. 25, 2008, at Contingency Operating Location Warrior at Camp Atterbury. While role playing, the OPFOR poses challenges and simulates threats to mobilizing units to help train and prepare them for their deployment.  

CAMP ATTERBURY, IN, UNITED STATES

08.26.2008

Story by Spc. Elizabeth Houx 

Camp Atterbury Indiana

By Spc. Elizabeth Gorenc
Camp Atterbury Public Affairs

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - "Vehicle coming from the north!"

Soldiers guarding the front gate of a training site at Camp Atterbury called out an approaching car to warn the rest of the Soldiers on guard. The warning call was quickly followed by the car's description.

The men inside of the car stared down the Soldiers. They slowed down as they approached the entry point, eyeing each man in uniform.

Suddenly, the men inside the car opened fire on the Soldiers and the training site they were guarding, forcing the Soldiers inside the gate to react quickly and return fire on the "terrorists".

The "terrorists" here are opposing forces, or OPFOR, role players and their job is to provide theater-specific preparation to help fellow Soldiers train for deployment.

"We have a serious mission, but we also have fun with it," said Staff Sgt. Nicholas Dombe, an OPFOR role player. "There's also a great satisfaction in knowing that we not only like our jobs, but we are preparing Soldiers to better do what we just did overseas."

It is Dombe's job – along with the 27 other Soldiers in the 1st Battalion, 335th Infantry Regiment, 205th Infantry Brigade – to test the battle skills of service members deploying from Camp Atterbury.
"We create environments where Soldiers learn how to deal with and defeat things like roadside improvised explosive devices and vehicle born improvised explosive devices, said Dombe.

The OPFOR role players try to create the most realistic simulations possible. They use real pyrotechnics, such as explosives, and modified weapons. They forego the clean-cut, shaven Army appearance and dress as native citizens from Iraq or Afghanistan. They also speak very little, if any, English to the mobilizing units.

To more efficiently train Soldiers, Sgt. Vince Goheen, an OPFOR role player, said the OPFOR group fills in wherever needed.

"We work at Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, depending on what the units are training on and where they need us," said Goheen.

Goheen said that they go to such great lengths to help units because OPFOR Soldiers are usually fresh off of deployment and have the latest knowledge of what to expect overseas.

"OPFOR is designed for people coming back from theater to extend what we just did to the next group going overseas," said Goheen.

Along with dressing and acting the part, Sgt. Brian Sheridan, another OPFOR role player, said that the group takes any and all opportunities to teach servicemembers to observe security and be responsible while completing missions.

"We want to create motivation for the mobilizing Soldiers to do the correct thing," said Sheridan. "If they leave a vehicle door unlocked, or something or someone unsecure, we will do what we can to make sure they don't do something like that in theater."

To prove their points, the OPFOR group has been known to capture translators and equipment left unattended.

"If you are getting ready to complete a mission or are leaving after a mission and realize that you are missing a vital person or piece of equipment, at least you can get it back over here and will be more aware not to do it [overseas]," he said.

Sheridan said that the importance of the OPFOR training extends past teaching lessons to actually forcing people to employ them.

"We are beneficial to the mobilizing units because we are usually the last people they see before they deploy," said Sheridan. "By simulating opposing forces, we make them go through and utilized everything they learned in their pre-mobilization training."

Sgt. 1st Class Mike Boykin, the OPFOR non-commissioned officer in charge, said that when the group is not creating obstacles and causing mayhem for mobilizing Soldiers, they operate as a typical infantry unit.

"We try to do regular Soldier training like going to the ranges when we have time in between missions," said Boykin.

It is this Soldier training that Boykin attributes the success of their missions.

He said that combat experience and ability to attend military schools creates an environment where role players can be professional, knowledgeable and safe while getting the most effective simulations and training to the mobilizing units.

"We are always training each other with what we learn through military schools and our experiences overseas," said Boykin. "There is always a unit training to mobilize, so we are always out on missions supporting them. In order to make sure we do the best we can for them, we make sure we stay on top of the latest training and knowledge."

• Date Taken: 08.26.2008
• Date Posted: 09.03.2008 15:26
• Story ID: 23169
• Location: CAMP ATTERBURY, IN, US