CINCU, Romania -- In war there is always us and them: the good guys and the bad guys. But during military training exercises, there is a need for bad guys, or at least for people who can act as the bad guys.
How does the Army fill that need? It uses its own soldiers.
At its major training centers, the military has entire units dedicated as "opposing forces," or OPFOR; at smaller training venues and exercises, however, the unit being evaluated often assigns a team or section from its own organization to serve as the enemy.
Exercise Saber Guardian 16, which is taking place through Aug. 7 at the Romanian Land Force Combat Training Center, relies on OPFOR to test the combat readiness of the U.S. and nine other NATO and partner nations.
At the center of the tactical evaluation is the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team from the Idaho Army National Guard. For the role of OPFOR, the 116th CBCT chose its Montana Army National Guard team with Companies B and D, 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment.
"This is kind of neat for our unit," said 1st Sgt. Mathew Kemp, Company D, 1-163 Infantry. "This is the first time the National Guard has been asked to conduct Saber Guardian as the OPFOR, and for them to call on the state of Montana it means a lot to us. It makes us proud."
As part of the training, the BLUEFOR (the "good guys" are referred to as "blue forces") moved through the Romanian military testing grounds within the surrounding farming area around Cincu, Romania. Their mission was to find and engage the OPFOR during situational training exercises.
On this particular day, Delta Company was the OPFOR, and they had a very specific job. Put simply, they had to establish positions and wait for the BLUEFOR to come to them.
"The OPFOR's job is to ensure that the training objectives and collective tasks for the BLUEFOR have been met and they are adequately trained," said Master Sgt. Harley Lysons, the operations noncommissioned officer for 116th CBCT.
One company against a battalion is like a modern day David vs. Goliath. The Soldiers knew they would be outnumbered, so they set out before dawn to find the most strategic ambush positions.
"We want to replicate the three-to-one combat power advantage that you want when you engage the enemy, so the BLUEFOR is always numerically superior, which means we have to be creative," said Kemp.
Sgt. Daniel Crocker, Company D, 1-163 Infantry wore a smile as he prepared to head out to the lanes.
"We need to find a defensive position, preferably one that overlooks the most likely avenue of approach," he said. "And then we wait for them to get into the kill zone. Once that happens, we lay on the hate."
To maximize their effectiveness, the OPFOR chose a ridgeline with a commanding view of the valley below. In the early morning hours a thick blanket of fog covered the valley, but they knew the fog would quickly burn off. They used the time they had to hide their vehicles.
"Ridgelines are great for being able to see the whole battlefield," observed Spc. Jeff Martin, Company D, 1-163 Infantry. "However, everyone can see you as well, so we have to hide in the tree line and use branches and mud to camouflage our tanks."
After hiding their vehicles, the Delta Company Soldiers continued to wait for their enemy, the good guys, who might never come. Yet they waited. Such is the life of the OPFOR.
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