One-Four OPFOR: NATO's 'bad guys' stalking Allied soldiers

@DefAviation ES 4·23·2023 · 20:18 0

A very important part of training a military force is learning how the enemy thinks and acts.

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To test the knowledge of enemy tactics, armies from several countries have organized the so-called opposition forces (OPFOR) , which learn these tactics from their rivals to offer a simulated scenario that is as realistic as possible to when developing military exercises. The United States is one of the countries that has most developed OPFORs , both with ground units and with the famous attacking squadrons of its Air Force and Navy.

One of the US Army's OPFOR units is One-Four, the 1st Battalion of the 4th Infantry Regiment, which is permanently based at the Hohenfels Training Camp in southern Germany. This unit was founded in 1812, having participated in several wars - including the two world wars. In 1990 it was assigned the OPFOR mission force in Hohenfels, and its current designation was granted on October 1, 2005. Currently, the Battalion is made up of 400 soldiers divided into four companies , three from riflemen (A, B and C) and one from armored vehicles (D) equipped with 31 M-113A3 OSVs.

Unlike other infantry units in the United States, One-Four regularly uses uniforms other than the regulation ones, having a dark blue daily uniform and using the famous "Tiger Stripe" camouflage during exercises. "From the Vietnam War. Their mission is to play "bad guys" in exercises to test allied soldiers. The NATO YouTube channel published this Friday an interesting report on this OPFOR unit, showing its activity during the Saber Junction 22 exercise that took place in Hohenfels at the end of last summer (the video is in English , you can activate the automatic subtitles in Spanish in the lower bar of the player):

You can see here some more photos about this unit published by DVIDS.

Members of the One-Four during a change of command ceremony in Hohenfels on July 16, 2021, wearing their dark blue everyday uniforms.

One-Four soldiers during Exercise Combined Resolve XV in Hohenfels on February 24, 2021. In the background is one of One-Four's D Company M-113A3 OSV armored personnel carriers.

A One-Four Battalion sergeant stands with Bosnian soldiers during the Combined Resolve XV exercise in Hohenfels on February 23, 2021. The colors worn by the OPFOR soldier on his cap are those of the 4th Regiment insignia of Infantry, in which that Battalion is framed.

One-Four soldiers stand next to two of the Battalion D Company's M-113A3 OSV armored vehicles, during Exercise Combined Resolve XV in Hohenfels on February 23, 2021. The first two soldiers are armed with Soviet Kalashnikov AK-47 rifles and the third with an M-4 carbine.

A One-Four soldier in ambush, armed with a Soviet AK-47 rifle, during exercise Dragoon Ready 23 in Hohenfels on January 29, 2023. This soldier wears the "Tiger Stripe" camouflage "in his uniform.

A One-Four soldier with an AK-47 and the "Tiger Stripe" uniform, during exercise Dragoon Ready 23 in Hohenfels, on January 29, 2023. In the background on the left is another soldier of the One-Four in the dark blue uniform.

Four of the 31 M-113A3 OSV (OpFor Surrogate Vehicle) armored vehicles owned by One-Four D Company during Exercise Combined Resolve XV in Hohenfels on February 28, 2021. These vehicles carry a atypical camouflage in three colors (green, brown and black), with a design different from that used by several NATO countries.

One of the One-Four soldiers in a D Company M-113A3 OSV. Instead of the M-113's classic M-2 Browning heavy machine gun, this vehicle sports a system designator THOUSANDS to simulate firing during exercises.

Another image of the MILES designator of a One-Four M-113A3 OSV. On the soldier's right arm we see the D Company patch: a skull wearing a feathered Indian hat.

The M-113A3 OSVs of Company D of One-Four during the Combined Resolve XV exercise in Hohenfels on February 24, 2021. Many of the operations of this Battalion take place at night, to put Test the alertness of allied units participating in each exercise.

An M-113A3 OSV-T from D Company of the One-Four. This vehicle has been modified to simulate a Russian T-80 tank. Its main gun is equipped with a MILES designator to simulate firing.