Coop - Rogue Patriot - Tactical Planning

War Stories
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1

Map: Isla Abramia
Time: 0100
Weather: Storms
Host: [user avatar=“https://assets-cloud.enjin.com/users/12591864/avatar/small.1526326563.jpeg” name=“Dachi”]12591864[/user]

OPORD

I Situation:

2 hours ago Brigadier General Francis "Frank" Hummel, USMC Special Operation Command with men loyal to him attacked and took control of a top secret Government research facility located on a remote island in Abramia. The General has taken the guards and scientists working there as hostages and is threatening to kill hostages if his demands are not meet. They have also secured several missile systems used for testing and say they have armed them with VX gas agent and if attacked we launch them at the nearest population centres.

Friendly Forces:

[indent][list]
[] Seal Team 6
[] Reaper (CAS/Transport)[/list][/indent]

Assets:

[indent][list][] 4 x Speedboats
[] 6 x Assualt boats
[] 1 x UCAV Sentinel (2 x GBU-12)
[] 1 x V-44 X Blackfish
[] 1 x AH-99 Blackfoot
[] 1 x UH-80 Ghost Hawk
[*] 1 x F/A - 181 Black Wasp
[/list][/indent]

Enemy Forces:

[indent][list]
[] Special Forces Infantry.
[] Expected to fight hard and well but small in number. Very well equipped.
[/list][/indent]

Civilians:

[indent][list]
[*] Both Civilian and Military Hostages on site.
[/list][/indent]

II Mission:

Neutralise the missile/VX sites and rescue the hostages.

III Execution:

Commander’s intent:

[indent][list]
[*] Stealth insertion is key to maintain surprise to ensure the hostage safety and prevent missile launch.[/list][/indent]

Movement Plan:

[indent][list]
[*] Insertion via Boats, Helo or Helo para drop down to Comd Seal Team 6.[/list][/indent]

Fire Support:

[indent][list]
[*] Reaper CAS on Station.[/list][/indent]

IV Administration / Logistics:

Resupplying

[indent][list]
[*] Resupply in base.[/list][/indent]

Reinforcements:

[indent][list]
[] At predesignated times, reinforcements will be sent out of the base in smallest transport vehicle which can hold reinforcements
[] Upon insertion to the AO, reinforcements should stick together until regrouping with the main force in the AO[/list][/indent]

Area of Operations:

UAV Imagery:

Enemy Forces:

Marine Recon

2

Questions:

  1. Will they shoot the hostages (and/or launch the missiles) as soon as they discover any attempt to rescue them?
  2. What kind of missile systems have they captured? Vehicle-mounted (maybe those two rectangles on the areal photo) or stationary (like those in The Rock)?
  3. Does the nerve agent arm en-route or is it already armed on the site? This decides on whether we can simply blow up the launchers or whether we must kill their operators.
  4. Can we use CAS to wreck the launchers should we fail to reach the castle in time to rescue the hostages?
  5. What’s the approx. size of the enemy force? Do they have patrols beyond the castle?
  6. What is our gear? Do we have silencers?
3
  1. There is a danger they could do either but the priority is to stop them launching the missiles into populated areas.
  2. They have vehicle platforms that have been converted into static testing launchers.
  3. It is armed on route and is safe to neutralise with explosives.
  4. You can use whatever is at your disposal to neutralise the missile systems.
  5. They have a Company worth of men throughout the facility. Thermals of the island showed some static OP’s and light standing patrols.
  6. You have silencers, TL’s have Lasers, NVG’s, Explosives, Plt Sgt has Laser Des and Plt Rifleman has UAV Terminal.
4

Think this calls for careful coordination so that the launchers are targetted by drone asap, but holding fire until an attempt is made to rescue the hostages. In a perfect scenario, we would neutralize the missile operators and liberate the hostages simaltaneously, before retreating and leveling the compound with reaper.

The drone pilot should also be aware to turn off their colision lights, which are on by default… as I learned. And fly blind, extra high relying on laser designation from the ground. The enemy may not have AA installations or armour but they may have stingers.

5

Simple plan but might work:

  1. Use the UAV early on to recon around the objective area

  2. Give DMT the laser designator

  3. Drop DMT via paradrop at DMT OW South West of the objective

  4. Have CAS on standby

  5. Insert the main infantry force by boat at WP1 marker, still using the UAV feed to check for patrols

  6. Move through waypoints in cover as close to the compound as possible

7a. If the compound can be breached quickly & effectivily, DMT takes out sentinels circled in yellow if confirmed via UAV feed or by DMT themselves & infantry moves in

8a. Plant explosives at the launchers & enter the bunker before detonating

9a. Progress through the tunnels as far as possible without being detected before setting of the charges & clear the compound as quickly as possible

6b. If the compound cannot be breached effectively, DMT uses the laser designator to mark the lauchers & CAS takes them out

7b. Infantry main force breaches the compound & clears the tunnels, hopefully some hostages will still be alive

There is probably a better way, here speed & force are of the essence to prevent casualties.

6

Be wary of hinging the plan on attempting to fulfil objectives without causing an alarm, they will be well guarded. Any firefight we must assume will result in the death of the hostages and an accelerated launch sequence. And the drone cannot be used to spot enemy patrols. The clouds will be too dense… It is a storm. The best and safest method of insertion will be by boat. And we may have to go in blind, unless we can use long range optics on a craft from just under the cloud layer, far offshore, or a tiny darter.

Instead of trying to remain in stealth, we should accomplish our rescue ASAP, and instead of planting explosives on the launchers we should merely sabotage them as we simaltaneously breech and rescue the hostages.

The LZ you suggest is far too dangerous too. .the bay is in direct view of the compound and lighthouse, which we can almost guarentee are occupied by sentries. Far better to give the island a wide berth and land on the north/west side amongst the rocks. Forest concealment is abundant on the western side too. Don’t forget we are fighting special forces… they will have night vision most likely, and will probably see the laser designator.

Reaper’s munitions might be precise but are not exactly surgical, remember the potency of the bombs. There will be colateral damage and lots of it. They are a last resort only. We may decide against their use entirely. At first we really must be tactful, simply shooting out the tyres to destabilize the launch platform, destroying them after evacuating the hostages as to not draw attention to ourselves or accidentally level the buildings containing hostages. We can retreat fast with the hostages, bring in a chopper once the area is clear, and when the chopper is clear we drop the bombs designated by dmt, and dmt makes its way back to the boats.
In summary: 1 Sabotage launchers, 2 Rescue Hostages, 3, Evac from site, 4 Destroy launchers.

7

Pulling this off will need much higher levels of cooperation and speed than we usually exhibit on ops, so I would suggest a flatter command structure, smaller teams, good decentralization and strict communication discipline with minimum delays in the critical part of the mission.

Since getting spotted will likely trigger missile launch and hostage killing, just as destroying the missiles from air would trigger hostage killing, we need to do both at the same time, perfectly synchronized.

Destroying the missiles
Have a GBU12-equipped predator ready and in the air, on loiter some 3-5km away from the AO. Have a spotter team in position with laser designator ready. When shit hits the fan for any reason (order or alarm), use the drone to deliver doom and fire on the launchers - you should have at least two minutes, which is enough to turn the predator around, laser-lock-on and drop the bombs, assuming skilled operator.

In addition, have a special unit on the ground (details follow) that would plant explosives on the missile launchers should the situation allow it. It’s better to have the bombs miss and C4 finish the job than to not have the C4.

Finding and freeing hostages
Have a secondary "darter" drone 500m up, in a static position or loitering the area, serving as primary means of movement coordination, observing enemy combatant behaviour, the patrol paths they usually take, their equipment, etc. Prepare a plan of attack, using at least 2 teams, to infiltrate the compound and locate the hostages (if not found by the drone), all guided by the "darter" drone operator to avoid enemy patrols.

Support by DMT is possible, but exercise caution as the enemy force likely has regular radio checks, thus avoiding detection altogether is preferred.

The primary objective would be to guide the hostages to safety (don’t forget body search, handcuffs and ducttape, SWAT tactics, you can’t trust anyone). The secondary objective would be to plant explosives on the launchers.

If both of these are completed without alerting the enemy, the ground teams exfiltrate and the predator drone gets into position for bombing, but awaits explosive charge detonation and releases bombs only if the effect is insufficient. If any of the objectives trigger the alarm, the predator drone immediately moves into position and ground teams have to exfiltrate ASAP.

8

it doesn’t say in the assets list we get a darter, but if we did have one we can also use it to laser designate for the reaper, and it would be very difficult to spot from just underneath the cloud layer at a high-ish altitude. They could probably coordinate strikes across the entire island with the reaper for the dramatic finale.

9

I might be going way too deep into this but it is really a tough nut to crack.

We are opposing a large SF unit and a highly competent commander. Greatest difference wouldn’t be made in fighting ability but tactics and clever use of the battlefield. Since we are dealing with a company sized unit the whole island is small enough to have decent OP-s and patrols all around it to observe most insertions. Not to even mention the small peninsula. Luckily it’s been only 2 hours.

On insertion methods:

  • Para-drop is out due to weather mostly but also because it is highly visible to anyone on the island. Suicide run or extremly low opening would be the most likely ways around the obviousness of it.
  • Air insertion is bad for similar reasons but would be doable if we found a nice gap in their patrol routes and OP points otherwise it is dependent on blind luck. Even with the storms the helo noise might be easily recognizable to SF unit and vehicles visible from the hills.
  • Naval insertion is visible also but the most stealthy one out of current options. Best bet would be to find some hard to observe place to insert to.

Currently all insertions are highly dependent on luck. I wouldn’t want to depend on enemy being just lazy with OP-s and patrols. Thus I would like to ask for additional intel (IF photo of the whole island. Mentioned to exist in the OPORD) or insertion sub (this is as good a justification for that thing as I have ever seen). Either could ease the creation of a secure insertion point allowing for more successful stealth approach.

Otherwise we can only study the map trying to find places hard to cover with observation and hope for the best. Some of these spots will most likely be reinforced with mines. Since its only 2 hours it wouldn’t be more than a claymore or two they dropped on their first patrol round but we are not opposing amateurs here. They would’ve thought of the insertion methods we are thinking of as well and considered countering them and covering their blind spots.

Another point would be to consider what is the actual main objective of the mission and what is the side objective. Destruction of the missiles or the hostages. Since HQ hasn’t decided it the commander needs to for the what-if situations. If the alarm is raised prematurely whether to level the compound with air support or to delay it in hopes of saving the hostages even at the cost of the missile launches. Not deciding between them most likely will result in the failure of both. Who thought you get moral dilemmas in arma? As harsh as that might sound doing both would be hard at the best of days but we are opposing SF with highly competent commander and are bad at stealth missions.

10

If the UAV feed isn’t usable, maybe CAS can perform some recon. There is a no fly zone marker on the map but it only seems to refer to the actual objective location so maybe an aerial recon of the rest of the Island with a helo is possible without triggering some form of retaliation.

I also think insertion by boat is the safest option but dropping DMT directly on site, while risky, can help gather intel faster.
For the insertion location, I’m afraid that landing at a spot too far away from the objective might make things even more difficult. We might run into a patrol while being still some distance away from the Asylum & thus accelerate the launch process without being able to intervene. I do realize landing too close is dangerous but if we can have intel on enemy spotters & patrols provided by DMT, the UAV or CAS, we might identify a decent location.

Regarding the laser designation, it would still be a good last resort if we can’t get close enough to plant explosives. The enemy will spot the laser but CAS should have time to act before the missiles can be launched. It will surely trigger hostage execution but I feel like stopping the missile launch is the top priority.

If we want to accomplish both objectives, we will have to get close & personal, being able to engage & eliminate targets before they can retaliate. The enemy company is split between the guys on the surface & the guys in the bunker so if we are fast enough, we may be able to kill everyone topside before they realize what is happening. Hopefully radio contact between the surface & the inside of the bunker is not easy to establish.

11

Here’s an idea:

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  1. we perform long-range surveillance of the landing site and try to determine enemy position and movement. (5-10 min)

  2. land on the beach NE of the objective. this location’s terrain features provides the best cover/distance-to-obj ratio IMO. This allows for rapid movement towards the objective using terrain as cover. (10-15 min)

  3. security line is established along the ridge. UAV will be utilized from this point on to scout the area beyond the ridge. All necessary stealth measures should be taken to avoid detectiong and/or loss of the UAV. PLT and support elements will stay at this position. Only one assault element will be used to reduce chance of discovery. (5-10 min)

  4. assault element moves down the hill along whichever path deemed viable (this is the tricky part where the exposure is the greatest). Once assault element reaches the circled position (a depression with excellent cover), the remaining elements prepare for covering fire. (15 min)

  5. assault element advances as close as possible to the objective without getting spotted. CAS should be in the air by now and ready to strike. (2-5 min)

  6. once discovered, support elements will unleash rapid suppressive fire onto the visible enemies at the objective while advancing into positions closer to the objective in order to cut off any attempts at reinforcement.

Some additional points:

  1. The assault team will prioritize missile launchers over anything else, so giving them extra AT launchers might be a good idea. ARs (if there are any) should be given to support elements.
  2. If anything goes wrong, CAS blows up everything at the objective. If we lose the all the laser guides CAS should just wreck everything on the site.
  3. Hopefully the general is not insane and will try to deal with us first before firing the missiles as a last resort. We must assume that every contact with the enemy reduces the time available. So no itchy trigger fingers and no complaining about the lack of action. We stay quiet until phase 5
  4. I don’t think we’ll have much use of reinforcements until the objective has been captured.
  5. the lighthouse at the objective is a major pain in the ass and care should be taken to move while it’s shining away. This might delay the approach somewhat.
12

I still maintain that the missile platforms themselves do not have to be destroyed until the end of the mission, we need only blow off the tyres to destabilize the launch platform. That way we can maintain stealth until we’re out of there in a perfect scenario. It worked in arma 2

13

I’m not sure. its a little sparse… i’d prefer it if dmt did it alone, or landed on the western side of the island and took the elevation there, and chose an infiltration location for us. Ideally we’d infiltrate by submarine, possibly in the bay itself, but otherwise boats will have to do. I’m wary of going anywhere near the town or roads, i’m wondering if the western side of the compound can be forded as silly as it sounds.

14

I also think it would be a good approach. I could help us establish a momentum & keep it up all the way through the assault. If we advance from too far away & get engaged, we will get bogged down.

15

You can scale the southern side up to the walls but then you’re exposed to multiple towers and no way of entering apart from blowing a hole in the wall. That is less of an issue if we have explosives. The problem remains the approach (swimming).

I don’t think the other side can be forded. Someone should test that… also if you know how detection works while swimming I’d be happy to hear it. But if the detection is the same as walking we are not better of starting from the west side as we can’t shoot while swimming. Also, if we’re spotted while on the other side we have little chance of getting to the objective in time as we’d have to go around to the entrance. The way I see it, the only way we have any chance of saving hostages is to approach from NE.

My idea is that we can swiftly shift into "all guns blazing mode" should everything go south.

16

True… if there’s no entrance that side we’d be forced to make a loud entrance… and i’d rather go guns blazing (suppressed) from the front. But I reckon we could skirt the wall, hidden, and enter the main entrance without crossing that land bridge which is bound to be a trap.

If you wanted to be really ballsy we could fastrope into the compound itself following a mortar strike, and dmt taking out the sentries, but that would be cocked up xD

17

Some food for thought guys.

  • Zcribe is right you have to decide which objective is your primary and which is your secondary then plan from there.
  • Also some Meta data that was to be a suprise but has already been mentioned there is an underground bunker system to the compound accessed by a bunker entrance in the compound. Also thought for planning you should have this information.
  • Enemy forces are believed to be 50:50 above and below ground.
  • On your request a new thermal image of the entire island will be authorised.

If you have any further requests let me know.

18

Bunker entrance!?

19

Yarp a custom bunker entrance to a custom bunker system created by myself.

20

Could we actually get diving suits and rebreathers? That might be fun and would open up a lot of insertion options?