Fort Knox Terrain Matches Europe’s for OPFOR Training

Fort Knox's Terrain Matches Europe's for OPFOR Training by SGT Lany W. Redmond Armor officers will no longer venture untrained into the NTC desert to face Ft. Irwin's legendary OPFOR because they meet and fight Ft. Knox'sown OPFOR during the 12-week Armor Officer Basic Course. The OPFOR training at Ft. Knox comes during a "10-day war" when classroom theory is put to the gritty test of field work and whcn young officers learn just how hard it is to fight - even with blank ammunition. The crucial need for realistic training was instrumental in acquiring the funds and equipment for the OPFOR unit, said Captain Robert Orsini, who commanded the unit at its inception in July 1983. Troop E, 1st Squadron, 12th Cavalry, has 24 M551 Sheridans and M113s with VISMODs resembling Soviet T-72 tanks and BMP troop carriers. The troops wear Soviet-style uniforms with Soviet rank badges equivalent to their U. S. ranks. The Fort Knox OPFOR unit has become so expert in its portrayal of Soviet tactics that it has been seconded by the first-place experts - the 32d Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment, the reknowned OPFOR at Fort Irwin, CA. On 10 May, Colonel Bill Wilson, then commander of the 32d Guards MRR, presented the Fort Knox unit with its colors and named it the 6th Motorized Rifle Battalion. He extended an open invitation to the Knox soldiers to come to Fort Irwin at any time and add to the combat luster of the 32d Guards MRR. The AOB students practice their battle lessons on terrain that closely approximates that of Germany: wooded hills, small streams, gulleys, and some open fields. "You fight like you train," is the maxim, and the AOB and OPFOR units fight determinedly to win on terrain similar to that on which they may someday have to fight to win. The terrain differences between Ft. b o x and Ft. Irwin are not considered crucial because, as one AOB officer remarked, "It's the tactics that count more than the ground." Prior to the formation of the Gth MRB, students fought mock Soviet-American battles with American equipment and tactics. Now, the students face an OPFOR unit that uses Soviet tactics and vehicles closely resembling the real thing. The differences are marked, and advantageous to the students. "We are not just providing an agqressive fight," said Captain Orsini. "We are training them in Soviet tactics." Time and experience have changed the OPFOR's operations. In the past, the Command and Staff Department called the OPFOR shots. Now, the department only tells the OPFOR what type of battle to fight and lets it fight on its own. The OPFOR doesn't spend all its time fighting AOB students, it also provides displays for the annual Armor Conference and is on hand to work with the ROTC basic camp during the summer. Also, trainees in the 1st Armored Training Brigade slated to go to Fort Bragg can gain familiarization on the Sheridan. When engaging the AOB students, the OPFOR runs a variety of olfen-sive and defensive missions, which give the students a definite feel for the speed and force that are basic to Soviet tactics. Captain Stockwell, current commander of the OPFOR, says his troops are not only current in Soviet tactics and maneuvers, they also remain current in their primary MOS skills. This means double training, but the soldiers take it in stride because they see themselves as an elite unit, dedicated to training AOB and senior NCO students at the Armor School. SGT Redniond is the 1-12 Cav's correspondent to Inside (lie Turret, force- for the AbB students to the Fort kkoxpost newspaper. ARMOR - 23