Opposing force

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

China

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

France

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^[1] and in the centre d'entraînement aux actions en zone urbaine (CENZUB, Urban Operations Training Centre).^[2] Declassed AMX-30 tanks were used to simulate Soviet T-72s,^[1] until 2018.^[3]

Japan

Further information: Tactical Fighter Training Group (JASDF)

United States

 

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:

• The National Training Center or NTC at Fort Irwin, California—home unit is the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (the Blackhorse)^[4]
• The Joint Readiness Training Center or JRTC at Fort Johnson, Louisiana—home unit is the 1st Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment (the Geronimos)^[5]
• The Joint Multinational Readiness Center or JMRC (formerly known as the Combat Maneuver Training Center or CMTC) at Hohenfels, Germany^[6]—home unit is the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment (Separate) (the Warriors)

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.^[7]

Several state defense forces have served as OPFOR units when training with the National Guard. The California State Guard,^[8] the Georgia State Defense Force,^[9] and the New York Guard^[10] have provided OPFOR services to their respective National Guard counterparts. In 2018, the Georgia State Defense Force established the OPFOR Battalion^[11] to assist National Guard Soldiers with pre-deployment training.

Gallery

•  
  49th Royal Tank Regiment Matilda II with swastika and Iron Cross markings to denote opposing force status during an 1941 exercise in Dover.
•  
  Dutch soldiers of 11 Pantserinfanteriebataljon Garderegiment Grenadiers wearing mohawk-style additions on their helmets to denote opposing force status.
•  
  New Zealand Defence Force soldier denoting opposing force status by wearing Desert Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM) in a temperate environment.
•  
  Scene from a simulated Royal Marines beach landing during the 2009 Bournemouth Air Festival; "opposing force" Marine is bareheaded and wears Desert DPM, "blue force" Marines in the background wear berets, camouflage face paint, and woodland DPM.
•  
  Royal Marine "opposing force" members during a 2016 assault demonstration; they wear Tropentarn uniforms and soft hats while the assaulting "blue force" Marines would be wearing MTP uniforms with Mk 7 helmets.
•  
  A sniper from the French CENZUB opposing force wearing a blue-and-gray version of Camouflage Central-Europe.
•  
  51st Fighter Wing airman denoting opposing force status by wearing his Battle Dress Uniform back to front (note the contrast of the uniform with the Individual Integrated Fighting System vest that is also being worn).
•  
  4th Infantry Regiment soldiers wearing United States Army opposing force uniform (Battle Dress Uniform in black with olive 'OPFOR' shoulder title)
•  
  An OSV replicating a Soviet BMP at NTC, Fort Irwin, CA
•  
  US Marines using a former Soviet MT-LB vehicle as part of the OPFOR during an exercise
•  
  Michigan National Guard OPFOR wearing tiger stripe camouflage uniform and carrying a simulated RPG-7.
•  
  OPFOR rank insignia mimicking the Soviet style (used during the Cold War)

Notes

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

1. "CENTAC/5e régiment de Dragons" [CENTAC/5th Dragoon Regiment]. Batailles & Blindés (in French). No. Hors Série 24. 2014. pp. 52–55. ISSN 1950-8751.
2. "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.
3. 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).
4. "Brave Rifles OPFOR dominates at NTC".
5. "Paratroopers refine war fighting skills at the Joint Readiness Training Center".
6. . Archived from the original on 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
7. Wellfare, John. "Exercise Crocodile '03: You win some, you lose some". Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper.
8. . 1st Battalion (MP), 2nd Brigade (Civil Support), California State Military Reserve. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
9. Seay, Howard. "Operation Roughrider Cold". Heads up. 11 (1). Georgia State Defense Force: 3. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
10. Mendie, Ubon (31 March 2009). "N.Y. Guard 'Brings the Fight' to Fighting 69th". Guard Times Magazine. p. 36. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
11. "OPFOR Battalion". Georgia State Defense Force. Retrieved 2019-12-10.

Further reading

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Opposing forces.

• (discusses the United States Army OPFOR units and post-Cold War changes to OPFOR.)
• The Circle Trigonists (Aggressors), a summary of the opposing force Aggressor used by the United States Army from ca. 1946–1978