IICptMillerII

The following is taken from a write up I am currently working on for my blog. I figured I would post "episodes" here for some interaction before consolidating it all into one post for the blog. It comes from a playtest I did recently on a community made scenario. The small fight that occurred in the beginning of the battle was too good not to share, and is also a great opportunity to talk a bit about the Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE). I also wanted to provide everyone with a change of pace. The Black Sea forum is soaking up most of the attention around here these days, and I figured a break from that might be appreciated. So without further ado:
Visualized in Combat Mission: Killing an FSE
A Tactical Vignette

The Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE) is one of the most common task organized formations encountered by NATO forces. For the Soviets it is an important tool that helps fix an enemy defender in place and shape the battlefield to allow for a successful attack. For NATO it is the first significant Soviet tactical combat formation encountered and a harbinger for a larger dedicated attack by a motor rifle battalion (MRB). The stakes presented to both sides by the FSE are high for both sides. Initial success in a tactical engagement largely comes down to the success or failure of the FSE.
This vignette features some excellent US Army vehicle reskins, done by S-Tank on the CM Discord. He recolored and upscaled the resolution on every US vehicle in the game, and they look fantastic. They can be downloaded here, or for those of you in the CM Discord, a download link and preview image can be found the mod repository text channel.
Forward Security Element
The Forward Security Element (FSE) is a Soviet task organized formation that is approximately Company sized. It is also known as the Advance Party or Vanguard. It generally consists of a company of motor rifle troops (mounted in either BTRs or BMPs) and a platoon of tanks. The tank platoon is often made up of four tanks instead of the better known three tank platoon organization the Soviets use, because in motor rifle regiments the tank units tended to be plussed up. There is usually at least a battery of field artillery on call for the FSE to call upon and may also have mortar sections/batteries in support as well. The FSE is a fluid formation that can have additional attachments delegated to it, such as engineering units/equipment, air defense artillery, forward observers, and reconnaissance units. Generally speaking, the Soviet FSE is similar in composition to a US Company Team.

(This image doesn't agree with the forum software, so I recommend viewing it in full size in another tab. Apologies for that, a graphic artist I am not)
The primary role of the FSE is to make contact with the enemy and either destroy it if it is of a smaller size than the FSE or fix it in place to give the rest of the battalion time to deploy and attack through the enemy.
To better understand the role of the FSE, one must understand how it fits into the larger Soviet warfighting machine. In simple terms, Soviet tactical formations are like a conveyor belt. Way out in front are the regimental reconnaissance assets, but their primary role is not combat. They are there to make sure what is on the map exists in reality and other non-combat related tasks. The smallest formation is the Combat Reconnaissance Patrol (CRP) which job is to find the enemy. A tripwire if you will. The CRP is followed by the FSE, whose job is to put pressure on the enemy by engaging and destroying him or at least fixing him in place with direct fires. The FSE is followed by the MRB (also known as the Advance Guard) which has the weight in numbers and support to conduct a deliberate attack and keep momentum going. Following the MRB is the rest of the Motor Rifle Regiment (MRR), and behind one MRR is another MRR, etc.
Apologies for the resolution on this, it is a scanned and stitched together image:

There are a lot of good resources out there to learn more about the FSE and how it fits into the Soviet way of war on the tactical level. This video does a nice job of breaking it all down, as does this simple yet informative writeup. Other resources worth checking out are TRADOC Pamphlet 350-16 Heavy Opposing Force, and the Cold War Gamer’s excellent blog. Just a heads up, many of the links on the Cold War Gamer’s blog are no longer active, and I think the owner is no longer keeping up with his blog.
A German Town—A Fighting Withdrawal
For this vignette I am going to be focusing in on a small combat action that occurs during a larger scenario. To help understand why the combat action plays out, I will provide some context.
This fight was the result of me play testing a scenario made by Cousin Hubert (Bartimeus on the CM forums). This scenario is the first of a series he is working on at the time of this writing for a mini campaign. Hubert makes fantastic maps, scenarios, and campaigns, all because he wants to add to the CM community and provide us with quality content. His map making skills alone make him a massive benefit to the community. Anyone familiar with how tedious and frustrating the CM map editor can be will have an even greater appreciation for his work. His AI plans are also very well done too.
He is the creator of two campaigns for Shock Force 2, which can be downloaded here and here. He has also produced some fantastic large maps for Cold War, which can be found here. We are very fortunate to have amazing contributors such as Hubert!
Situation
On the 8th of April the Soviet Union launched a surprise attack on West Germany. Caught by surprise, NATO’s front line has collapsed, and friendly forces are now in full retreat. Communications with higher headquarters is severely deteriorated by enemy jamming and artillery fire, but they were able to inform us that a Soviet formation is headed our way and to pull out when able.
Mission
Fox Company must hold the town until intelligence and logistics personnel have finished loading M35 trucks with gear and sensitive equipment. These trucks are located at the fire station and industrial park and should be loaded and ready to go in approximately 40-50 minutes. Then the entire force must be withdrawn from the battlefield. Fox Company must withdraw as much of its combat power as possible and remain combat effective, as it will likely have to fight its way back to friendly lines. There are two egress routes on either side of the river to the rear of the town.

Enemy
An entire Soviet motor rifle battalion and all its supporting assets can be expected to attack us.
Troops
I am in command of a heavy combined arms company team, Fox Company. It consists of two tank platoons equipped with M60A2 Starships (the second platoon of tanks is due to arrive in approximately 5 minutes), and two mechanized infantry platoons mounted in M113A1s. In addition, I have a few support assets on hand, such as a self-propelled mortar platoon (three M125 mortar carriers, which provides all of my indirect fire support for this fight), two heavy machine gun teams (dismounted .50 caliber machine guns), two M150 ATGM carriers, three M48 Chaparral SAM tracks, and 8 M35 supply trucks. The company headquarters (CPT Duvauchel) along with the company FSO is present.
Terrain
A small town on a riverbank rests at the southern border of the map. There is single road bridge in the town that crosses the river, though there is also a railroad bridge and a dam that cross the river as well. North of the town are some plowed fields, a farm, a small inn, and light forests. A single MSR runs from North to South into the town down the middle of the map, and a railroad parallels the MSR on the West side of the map. The terrain elevation undulates slightly with approximately +/- 20m of change.
The weather is less than ideal. It is misty out, which reduces visibility. It is early morning and thus low light, further hindering visibility. The ground is damp, which increases the chance of vehicles bogging and becoming immobilized. There is a medium strength breeze blowing from the North.
Of note for this vignette, there is a small raised and wooded area just North of the town along the Western map edge. It is a forward position with good concealment and good sightlines (given the conditions) overlooking the terrain the Soviets are likely to attack across to get to the town. To its immediate South is a gentle decline that provides a covered route for friendly forces to fall back into the town. It is the ideal location to get early warning on Soviet movements and to conduct a delaying action. This is where our combat action will take place.



The Plan
The larger plan is to use the tanks and infantry to defend the town long enough for the M35s to be fully loaded, then to have everyone collapse back to the rear and take the Southern most exit point and leave the field. The infantry are dug into the buildings, tanks and M150s are in keyhole positions, and the mortars and Chaparrals are in the rear, standing by.
2nd platoon led by 2LT Tassin is occupying the forward position. Their task is simple: disrupt the enemy and fall back. The Soviets must conduct a movement to contact. They know we are in the town, but they do not know the specific layout of our defense. The opening phase of this battle will have the Soviets attempting to shape the battlefield in their favor. This simply means they want to discover where my defenses are while also establishing advantageous positions for themselves that support the attack going in. By disrupting the Soviets ability to shape the battlefield in their favor, I make my overall defense easier and I buy precious time for the supply trucks to load up and get out.
To accomplish this, 2nd platoon will occupy the forward position and lay low. This will allow them to ambush the Soviets if the Soviets bypass the forward position (Engagement Area Primary) or deny the Soviets the forward position while attritting the enemy at the same time (Engagement Area Secondary). If either of these engagements are successful it will hurt the Soviets early, giving me a crucial advantage and a nice time cushion.

The men of 2nd platoon are dug in. They have foxholes (as well as a handful of dummy positions) just inside the tree line along the Southeastern edge of the woods. They are equipped with the infamous (for its questionable reliability) Dragon ATGM, the venerable M72A3 LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) M60 GPMGs, M16s and hand grenades. The platoons 4 M113s are waiting along the Southern tree line, ready to mount up the infantry for a mad dash back to friendly lines after engaging the enemy.
2nd platoons’ initial positions:

The men of 2nd platoon occupying their fighting positions. The men are keeping low (‘Hiding’ in CM parlance) to keep from being seen:

Instead of being dug in near the tree line facing North, 3rd squad is further back in the woods. They have taken up position in a ditch along a dirt road and are covering an opening in the forest. If the Soviets decide to attack these woods and take the position (which I anticipate) this small opening is an ideal killing ground:

The M113’s, ready to mount up and haul ass:

One engagement. Let the Soviets stumble into our positions, knock off as many as we can in the initial engagement, then break contact and fall back.
Up next is the fight itself!

The following is taken from a write up I am currently working on for my blog. I figured I would post "episodes" here for some interaction before consolidating it all into one post for the blog. It comes from a playtest I did recently on a community made scenario. The small fight that occurred in the beginning of the battle was too good not to share, and is also a great opportunity to talk a bit about the Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE). I also wanted to provide everyone with a change of pace. The Black Sea forum is soaking up most of the attention around here these days, and I figured a break from that might be appreciated. So without further ado:
Visualized in Combat Mission: Killing an FSE
A Tactical Vignette

The Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE) is one of the most common task organized formations encountered by NATO forces. For the Soviets it is an important tool that helps fix an enemy defender in place and shape the battlefield to allow for a successful attack. For NATO it is the first significant Soviet tactical combat formation encountered and a harbinger for a larger dedicated attack by a motor rifle battalion (MRB). The stakes presented to both sides by the FSE are high for both sides. Initial success in a tactical engagement largely comes down to the success or failure of the FSE.
This vignette features some excellent US Army vehicle reskins, done by S-Tank on the CM Discord. He recolored and upscaled the resolution on every US vehicle in the game, and they look fantastic. They can be downloaded here, or for those of you in the CM Discord, a download link and preview image can be found the mod repository text channel.
Forward Security Element
The Forward Security Element (FSE) is a Soviet task organized formation that is approximately Company sized. It is also known as the Advance Party or Vanguard. It generally consists of a company of motor rifle troops (mounted in either BTRs or BMPs) and a platoon of tanks. The tank platoon is often made up of four tanks instead of the better known three tank platoon organization the Soviets use, because in motor rifle regiments the tank units tended to be plussed up. There is usually at least a battery of field artillery on call for the FSE to call upon and may also have mortar sections/batteries in support as well. The FSE is a fluid formation that can have additional attachments delegated to it, such as engineering units/equipment, air defense artillery, forward observers, and reconnaissance units. Generally speaking, the Soviet FSE is similar in composition to a US Company Team.

(This image doesn't agree with the forum software, so I recommend viewing it in full size in another tab. Apologies for that, a graphic artist I am not)
The primary role of the FSE is to make contact with the enemy and either destroy it if it is of a smaller size than the FSE or fix it in place to give the rest of the battalion time to deploy and attack through the enemy.
To better understand the role of the FSE, one must understand how it fits into the larger Soviet warfighting machine. In simple terms, Soviet tactical formations are like a conveyor belt. Way out in front are the regimental reconnaissance assets, but their primary role is not combat. They are there to make sure what is on the map exists in reality and other non-combat related tasks. The smallest formation is the Combat Reconnaissance Patrol (CRP) which job is to find the enemy. A tripwire if you will. The CRP is followed by the FSE, whose job is to put pressure on the enemy by engaging and destroying him or at least fixing him in place with direct fires. The FSE is followed by the MRB (also known as the Advance Guard) which has the weight in numbers and support to conduct a deliberate attack and keep momentum going. Following the MRB is the rest of the Motor Rifle Regiment (MRR), and behind one MRR is another MRR, etc.
Apologies for the resolution on this, it is a scanned and stitched together image:

There are a lot of good resources out there to learn more about the FSE and how it fits into the Soviet way of war on the tactical level. This video does a nice job of breaking it all down, as does this simple yet informative writeup. Other resources worth checking out are TRADOC Pamphlet 350-16 Heavy Opposing Force, and the Cold War Gamer’s excellent blog. Just a heads up, many of the links on the Cold War Gamer’s blog are no longer active, and I think the owner is no longer keeping up with his blog.
A German Town—A Fighting Withdrawal
For this vignette I am going to be focusing in on a small combat action that occurs during a larger scenario. To help understand why the combat action plays out, I will provide some context.
This fight was the result of me play testing a scenario made by Cousin Hubert (Bartimeus on the CM forums). This scenario is the first of a series he is working on at the time of this writing for a mini campaign. Hubert makes fantastic maps, scenarios, and campaigns, all because he wants to add to the CM community and provide us with quality content. His map making skills alone make him a massive benefit to the community. Anyone familiar with how tedious and frustrating the CM map editor can be will have an even greater appreciation for his work. His AI plans are also very well done too.
He is the creator of two campaigns for Shock Force 2, which can be downloaded here and here. He has also produced some fantastic large maps for Cold War, which can be found here. We are very fortunate to have amazing contributors such as Hubert!
Situation
On the 8th of April the Soviet Union launched a surprise attack on West Germany. Caught by surprise, NATO’s front line has collapsed, and friendly forces are now in full retreat. Communications with higher headquarters is severely deteriorated by enemy jamming and artillery fire, but they were able to inform us that a Soviet formation is headed our way and to pull out when able.
Mission
Fox Company must hold the town until intelligence and logistics personnel have finished loading M35 trucks with gear and sensitive equipment. These trucks are located at the fire station and industrial park and should be loaded and ready to go in approximately 40-50 minutes. Then the entire force must be withdrawn from the battlefield. Fox Company must withdraw as much of its combat power as possible and remain combat effective, as it will likely have to fight its way back to friendly lines. There are two egress routes on either side of the river to the rear of the town.

Enemy
An entire Soviet motor rifle battalion and all its supporting assets can be expected to attack us.
Troops
I am in command of a heavy combined arms company team, Fox Company. It consists of two tank platoons equipped with M60A2 Starships (the second platoon of tanks is due to arrive in approximately 5 minutes), and two mechanized infantry platoons mounted in M113A1s. In addition, I have a few support assets on hand, such as a self-propelled mortar platoon (three M125 mortar carriers, which provides all of my indirect fire support for this fight), two heavy machine gun teams (dismounted .50 caliber machine guns), two M150 ATGM carriers, three M48 Chaparral SAM tracks, and 8 M35 supply trucks. The company headquarters (CPT Duvauchel) along with the company FSO is present.
Terrain
A small town on a riverbank rests at the southern border of the map. There is single road bridge in the town that crosses the river, though there is also a railroad bridge and a dam that cross the river as well. North of the town are some plowed fields, a farm, a small inn, and light forests. A single MSR runs from North to South into the town down the middle of the map, and a railroad parallels the MSR on the West side of the map. The terrain elevation undulates slightly with approximately +/- 20m of change.
The weather is less than ideal. It is misty out, which reduces visibility. It is early morning and thus low light, further hindering visibility. The ground is damp, which increases the chance of vehicles bogging and becoming immobilized. There is a medium strength breeze blowing from the North.
Of note for this vignette, there is a small raised and wooded area just North of the town along the Western map edge. It is a forward position with good concealment and good sightlines (given the conditions) overlooking the terrain the Soviets are likely to attack across to get to the town. To its immediate South is a gentle decline that provides a covered route for friendly forces to fall back into the town. It is the ideal location to get early warning on Soviet movements and to conduct a delaying action. This is where our combat action will take place.



The Plan
The larger plan is to use the tanks and infantry to defend the town long enough for the M35s to be fully loaded, then to have everyone collapse back to the rear and take the Southern most exit point and leave the field. The infantry are dug into the buildings, tanks and M150s are in keyhole positions, and the mortars and Chaparrals are in the rear, standing by.
2nd platoon led by 2LT Tassin is occupying the forward position. Their task is simple: disrupt the enemy and fall back. The Soviets must conduct a movement to contact. They know we are in the town, but they do not know the specific layout of our defense. The opening phase of this battle will have the Soviets attempting to shape the battlefield in their favor. This simply means they want to discover where my defenses are while also establishing advantageous positions for themselves that support the attack going in. By disrupting the Soviets ability to shape the battlefield in their favor, I make my overall defense easier and I buy precious time for the supply trucks to load up and get out.
To accomplish this, 2nd platoon will occupy the forward position and lay low. This will allow them to ambush the Soviets if the Soviets bypass the forward position (Engagement Area Primary) or deny the Soviets the forward position while attritting the enemy at the same time (Engagement Area Secondary). If either of these engagements are successful it will hurt the Soviets early, giving me a crucial advantage and a nice time cushion.

The men of 2nd platoon are dug in. They have foxholes (as well as a handful of dummy positions) just inside the tree line along the Southeastern edge of the woods. They are equipped with the infamous (for its questionable reliability) Dragon ATGM, the venerable M72A3 LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) M60 GPMGs, M16s and hand grenades. The platoons 4 M113s are waiting along the Southern tree line, ready to mount up the infantry for a mad dash back to friendly lines after engaging the enemy.
2nd platoons’ initial positions:

The men of 2nd platoon occupying their fighting positions. The men are keeping low (‘Hiding’ in CM parlance) to keep from being seen:

Instead of being dug in near the tree line facing North, 3rd squad is further back in the woods. They have taken up position in a ditch along a dirt road and are covering an opening in the forest. If the Soviets decide to attack these woods and take the position (which I anticipate) this small opening is an ideal killing ground:

The M113’s, ready to mount up and haul ass:

One engagement. Let the Soviets stumble into our positions, knock off as many as we can in the initial engagement, then break contact and fall back.
Up next is the fight itself!

The following is taken from a write up I am currently working on for my blog. I figured I would post "episodes" here for some interaction before consolidating it all into one post for the blog. It comes from a playtest I did recently on a community made scenario. The small fight that occurred in the beginning of the battle was too good not to share, and is also a great opportunity to talk a bit about the Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE). I also wanted to provide everyone with a change of pace. The Black Sea forum is soaking up most of the attention around here these days, and I figured a break from that might be appreciated. So without further ado:
Visualized in Combat Mission: Killing an FSE
A Tactical Vignette

The Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE) is one of the most common task organized formations encountered by NATO forces. For the Soviets it is an important tool that helps fix an enemy defender in place and shape the battlefield to allow for a successful attack. For NATO it is the first significant Soviet tactical combat formation encountered and a harbinger for a larger dedicated attack by a motor rifle battalion (MRB). The stakes presented to both sides by the FSE are high for both sides. Initial success in a tactical engagement largely comes down to the success or failure of the FSE.
This vignette features some excellent US Army vehicle reskins, done by S-Tank on the CM Discord. He recolored and upscaled the resolution on every US vehicle in the game, and they look fantastic. They can be downloaded here, or for those of you in the CM Discord, a download link and preview image can be found the mod repository text channel.
Forward Security Element
The Forward Security Element (FSE) is a Soviet task organized formation that is approximately Company sized. It is also known as the Advance Party or Vanguard. It generally consists of a company of motor rifle troops (mounted in either BTRs or BMPs) and a platoon of tanks. The tank platoon is often made up of four tanks instead of the better known three tank platoon organization the Soviets use, because in motor rifle regiments the tank units tended to be plussed up. There is usually at least a battery of field artillery on call for the FSE to call upon and may also have mortar sections/batteries in support as well. The FSE is a fluid formation that can have additional attachments delegated to it, such as engineering units/equipment, air defense artillery, forward observers, and reconnaissance units. Generally speaking, the Soviet FSE is similar in composition to a US Company Team.

(This image doesn't agree with the forum software, so I recommend viewing it in full size in another tab. Apologies for that, a graphic artist I am not)
The primary role of the FSE is to make contact with the enemy and either destroy it if it is of a smaller size than the FSE or fix it in place to give the rest of the battalion time to deploy and attack through the enemy.
To better understand the role of the FSE, one must understand how it fits into the larger Soviet warfighting machine. In simple terms, Soviet tactical formations are like a conveyor belt. Way out in front are the regimental reconnaissance assets, but their primary role is not combat. They are there to make sure what is on the map exists in reality and other non-combat related tasks. The smallest formation is the Combat Reconnaissance Patrol (CRP) which job is to find the enemy. A tripwire if you will. The CRP is followed by the FSE, whose job is to put pressure on the enemy by engaging and destroying him or at least fixing him in place with direct fires. The FSE is followed by the MRB (also known as the Advance Guard) which has the weight in numbers and support to conduct a deliberate attack and keep momentum going. Following the MRB is the rest of the Motor Rifle Regiment (MRR), and behind one MRR is another MRR, etc.
Apologies for the resolution on this, it is a scanned and stitched together image:

There are a lot of good resources out there to learn more about the FSE and how it fits into the Soviet way of war on the tactical level. This video does a nice job of breaking it all down, as does this simple yet informative writeup. Other resources worth checking out are TRADOC Pamphlet 350-16 Heavy Opposing Force, and the Cold War Gamer’s excellent blog. Just a heads up, many of the links on the Cold War Gamer’s blog are no longer active, and I think the owner is no longer keeping up with his blog.
A German Town—A Fighting Withdrawal
For this vignette I am going to be focusing in on a small combat action that occurs during a larger scenario. To help understand why the combat action plays out, I will provide some context.
This fight was the result of me play testing a scenario made by Cousin Hubert (Bartimeus on the CM forums). This scenario is the first of a series he is working on at the time of this writing for a mini campaign. Hubert makes fantastic maps, scenarios, and campaigns, all because he wants to add to the CM community and provide us with quality content. His map making skills alone make him a massive benefit to the community. Anyone familiar with how tedious and frustrating the CM map editor can be will have an even greater appreciation for his work. His AI plans are also very well done too.
He is the creator of two campaigns for Shock Force 2, which can be downloaded here and here. He has also produced some fantastic large maps for Cold War, which can be found here. We are very fortunate to have amazing contributors such as Hubert!
Situation
On the 8th of April the Soviet Union launched a surprise attack on West Germany. Caught by surprise, NATO’s front line has collapsed, and friendly forces are now in full retreat. Communications with higher headquarters is severely deteriorated by enemy jamming and artillery fire, but they were able to inform us that a Soviet formation is headed our way and to pull out when able.
Mission
Fox Company must hold the town until intelligence and logistics personnel have finished loading M35 trucks with gear and sensitive equipment. These trucks are located at the fire station and industrial park and should be loaded and ready to go in approximately 40-50 minutes. Then the entire force must be withdrawn from the battlefield. Fox Company must withdraw as much of its combat power as possible and remain combat effective, as it will likely have to fight its way back to friendly lines. There are two egress routes on either side of the river to the rear of the town.

Enemy
An entire Soviet motor rifle battalion and all its supporting assets can be expected to attack us.
Troops
I am in command of a heavy combined arms company team, Fox Company. It consists of two tank platoons equipped with M60A2 Starships (the second platoon of tanks is due to arrive in approximately 5 minutes), and two mechanized infantry platoons mounted in M113A1s. In addition, I have a few support assets on hand, such as a self-propelled mortar platoon (three M125 mortar carriers, which provides all of my indirect fire support for this fight), two heavy machine gun teams (dismounted .50 caliber machine guns), two M150 ATGM carriers, three M48 Chaparral SAM tracks, and 8 M35 supply trucks. The company headquarters (CPT Duvauchel) along with the company FSO is present.
Terrain
A small town on a riverbank rests at the southern border of the map. There is single road bridge in the town that crosses the river, though there is also a railroad bridge and a dam that cross the river as well. North of the town are some plowed fields, a farm, a small inn, and light forests. A single MSR runs from North to South into the town down the middle of the map, and a railroad parallels the MSR on the West side of the map. The terrain elevation undulates slightly with approximately +/- 20m of change.
The weather is less than ideal. It is misty out, which reduces visibility. It is early morning and thus low light, further hindering visibility. The ground is damp, which increases the chance of vehicles bogging and becoming immobilized. There is a medium strength breeze blowing from the North.
Of note for this vignette, there is a small raised and wooded area just North of the town along the Western map edge. It is a forward position with good concealment and good sightlines (given the conditions) overlooking the terrain the Soviets are likely to attack across to get to the town. To its immediate South is a gentle decline that provides a covered route for friendly forces to fall back into the town. It is the ideal location to get early warning on Soviet movements and to conduct a delaying action. This is where our combat action will take place.



The Plan
The larger plan is to use the tanks and infantry to defend the town long enough for the M35s to be fully loaded, then to have everyone collapse back to the rear and take the Southern most exit point and leave the field. The infantry are dug into the buildings, tanks and M150s are in keyhole positions, and the mortars and Chaparrals are in the rear, standing by.
2nd platoon led by 2LT Tassin is occupying the forward position. Their task is simple: disrupt the enemy and fall back. The Soviets must conduct a movement to contact. They know we are in the town, but they do not know the specific layout of our defense. The opening phase of this battle will have the Soviets attempting to shape the battlefield in their favor. This simply means they want to discover where my defenses are while also establishing advantageous positions for themselves that support the attack going in. By disrupting the Soviets ability to shape the battlefield in their favor, I make my overall defense easier and I buy precious time for the supply trucks to load up and get out.
To accomplish this, 2nd platoon will occupy the forward position and lay low. This will allow them to ambush the Soviets if the Soviets bypass the forward position (Engagement Area Primary) or deny the Soviets the forward position while attritting the enemy at the same time (Engagement Area Secondary). If either of these engagements are successful it will hurt the Soviets early, giving me a crucial advantage and a nice time cushion.

The men of 2nd platoon are dug in. They have foxholes (as well as a handful of dummy positions) just inside the tree line along the Southeastern edge of the woods. They are equipped with the infamous (for its questionable reliability) Dragon ATGM, the venerable M72A3 LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) M60 GPMGs, M16s and hand grenades. The platoons 4 M113s are waiting along the Southern tree line, ready to mount up the infantry for a mad dash back to friendly lines after engaging the enemy.
2nd platoons’ initial positions:

The men of 2nd platoon occupying their fighting positions. The men are keeping low (‘Hiding’ in CM parlance) to keep from being seen:

Instead of being dug in near the tree line facing North, 3rd squad is further back in the woods. They have taken up position in a ditch along a dirt road and are covering an opening in the forest. If the Soviets decide to attack these woods and take the position (which I anticipate) this small opening is an ideal killing ground:

The M113’s, ready to mount up and haul ass:

One engagement. Let the Soviets stumble into our positions, knock off as many as we can in the initial engagement, then break contact and fall back.
Up next is the fight itself!

The following is taken from a write up I am currently working on for my blog. I figured I would post "episodes" here for some interaction before consolidating it all into one post for the blog. It comes from a playtest I did recently on a community made scenario. The small fight that occurred in the beginning of the battle was too good not to share, and is also a great opportunity to talk a bit about the Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE). I also wanted to provide everyone with a change of pace. The Black Sea forum is soaking up most of the attention around here these days, and I figured a break from that might be appreciated. So without further ado:
Visualized in Combat Mission: Killing an FSE
A Tactical Vignette

The Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE) is one of the most common task organized formations encountered by NATO forces. For the Soviets it is an important tool that helps fix an enemy defender in place and shape the battlefield to allow for a successful attack. For NATO it is the first significant Soviet tactical combat formation encountered and a harbinger for a larger dedicated attack by a motor rifle battalion (MRB). The stakes presented to both sides by the FSE are high for both sides. Initial success in a tactical engagement largely comes down to the success or failure of the FSE.
This vignette features some excellent US Army vehicle reskins, done by S-Tank on the CM Discord. He recolored and upscaled the resolution on every US vehicle in the game, and they look fantastic. They can be downloaded here, or for those of you in the CM Discord, a download link and preview image can be found the mod repository text channel.
Forward Security Element
The Forward Security Element (FSE) is a Soviet task organized formation that is approximately Company sized. It is also known as the Advance Party or Vanguard. It generally consists of a company of motor rifle troops (mounted in either BTRs or BMPs) and a platoon of tanks. The tank platoon is often made up of four tanks instead of the better known three tank platoon organization the Soviets use, because in motor rifle regiments the tank units tended to be plussed up. There is usually at least a battery of field artillery on call for the FSE to call upon and may also have mortar sections/batteries in support as well. The FSE is a fluid formation that can have additional attachments delegated to it, such as engineering units/equipment, air defense artillery, forward observers, and reconnaissance units. Generally speaking, the Soviet FSE is similar in composition to a US Company Team.

(This image doesn't agree with the forum software, so I recommend viewing it in full size in another tab. Apologies for that, a graphic artist I am not)
The primary role of the FSE is to make contact with the enemy and either destroy it if it is of a smaller size than the FSE or fix it in place to give the rest of the battalion time to deploy and attack through the enemy.
To better understand the role of the FSE, one must understand how it fits into the larger Soviet warfighting machine. In simple terms, Soviet tactical formations are like a conveyor belt. Way out in front are the regimental reconnaissance assets, but their primary role is not combat. They are there to make sure what is on the map exists in reality and other non-combat related tasks. The smallest formation is the Combat Reconnaissance Patrol (CRP) which job is to find the enemy. A tripwire if you will. The CRP is followed by the FSE, whose job is to put pressure on the enemy by engaging and destroying him or at least fixing him in place with direct fires. The FSE is followed by the MRB (also known as the Advance Guard) which has the weight in numbers and support to conduct a deliberate attack and keep momentum going. Following the MRB is the rest of the Motor Rifle Regiment (MRR), and behind one MRR is another MRR, etc.
Apologies for the resolution on this, it is a scanned and stitched together image:

There are a lot of good resources out there to learn more about the FSE and how it fits into the Soviet way of war on the tactical level. This video does a nice job of breaking it all down, as does this simple yet informative writeup. Other resources worth checking out are TRADOC Pamphlet 350-16 Heavy Opposing Force, and the Cold War Gamer’s excellent blog. Just a heads up, many of the links on the Cold War Gamer’s blog are no longer active, and I think the owner is no longer keeping up with his blog.
A German Town—A Fighting Withdrawal
For this vignette I am going to be focusing in on a small combat action that occurs during a larger scenario. To help understand why the combat action plays out, I will provide some context.
This fight was the result of me play testing a scenario made by Cousin Hubert (Bartimeus on the CM forums). This scenario is the first of a series he is working on at the time of this writing for a mini campaign. Hubert makes fantastic maps, scenarios, and campaigns, all because he wants to add to the CM community and provide us with quality content. His map making skills alone make him a massive benefit to the community. Anyone familiar with how tedious and frustrating the CM map editor can be will have an even greater appreciation for his work. His AI plans are also very well done too.
He is the creator of two campaigns for Shock Force 2, which can be downloaded here and here. He has also produced some fantastic large maps for Cold War, which can be found here. We are very fortunate to have amazing contributors such as Hubert!
Situation
On the 8th of April the Soviet Union launched a surprise attack on West Germany. Caught by surprise, NATO’s front line has collapsed, and friendly forces are now in full retreat. Communications with higher headquarters is severely deteriorated by enemy jamming and artillery fire, but they were able to inform us that a Soviet formation is headed our way and to pull out when able.
Mission
Fox Company must hold the town until intelligence and logistics personnel have finished loading M35 trucks with gear and sensitive equipment. These trucks are located at the fire station and industrial park and should be loaded and ready to go in approximately 40-50 minutes. Then the entire force must be withdrawn from the battlefield. Fox Company must withdraw as much of its combat power as possible and remain combat effective, as it will likely have to fight its way back to friendly lines. There are two egress routes on either side of the river to the rear of the town.

Enemy
An entire Soviet motor rifle battalion and all its supporting assets can be expected to attack us.
Troops
I am in command of a heavy combined arms company team, Fox Company. It consists of two tank platoons equipped with M60A2 Starships (the second platoon of tanks is due to arrive in approximately 5 minutes), and two mechanized infantry platoons mounted in M113A1s. In addition, I have a few support assets on hand, such as a self-propelled mortar platoon (three M125 mortar carriers, which provides all of my indirect fire support for this fight), two heavy machine gun teams (dismounted .50 caliber machine guns), two M150 ATGM carriers, three M48 Chaparral SAM tracks, and 8 M35 supply trucks. The company headquarters (CPT Duvauchel) along with the company FSO is present.
Terrain
A small town on a riverbank rests at the southern border of the map. There is single road bridge in the town that crosses the river, though there is also a railroad bridge and a dam that cross the river as well. North of the town are some plowed fields, a farm, a small inn, and light forests. A single MSR runs from North to South into the town down the middle of the map, and a railroad parallels the MSR on the West side of the map. The terrain elevation undulates slightly with approximately +/- 20m of change.
The weather is less than ideal. It is misty out, which reduces visibility. It is early morning and thus low light, further hindering visibility. The ground is damp, which increases the chance of vehicles bogging and becoming immobilized. There is a medium strength breeze blowing from the North.
Of note for this vignette, there is a small raised and wooded area just North of the town along the Western map edge. It is a forward position with good concealment and good sightlines (given the conditions) overlooking the terrain the Soviets are likely to attack across to get to the town. To its immediate South is a gentle decline that provides a covered route for friendly forces to fall back into the town. It is the ideal location to get early warning on Soviet movements and to conduct a delaying action. This is where our combat action will take place.



The Plan
The larger plan is to use the tanks and infantry to defend the town long enough for the M35s to be fully loaded, then to have everyone collapse back to the rear and take the Southern most exit point and leave the field. The infantry are dug into the buildings, tanks and M150s are in keyhole positions, and the mortars and Chaparrals are in the rear, standing by.
2nd platoon led by 2LT Tassin is occupying the forward position. Their task is simple: disrupt the enemy and fall back. The Soviets must conduct a movement to contact. They know we are in the town, but they do not know the specific layout of our defense. The opening phase of this battle will have the Soviets attempting to shape the battlefield in their favor. This simply means they want to discover where my defenses are while also establishing advantageous positions for themselves that support the attack going in. By disrupting the Soviets ability to shape the battlefield in their favor, I make my overall defense easier and I buy precious time for the supply trucks to load up and get out.
To accomplish this, 2nd platoon will occupy the forward position and lay low. This will allow them to ambush the Soviets if the Soviets bypass the forward position (Engagement Area Primary) or deny the Soviets the forward position while attritting the enemy at the same time (Engagement Area Secondary). If either of these engagements are successful it will hurt the Soviets early, giving me a crucial advantage and a nice time cushion.

The men of 2nd platoon are dug in. They have foxholes (as well as a handful of dummy positions) just inside the tree line along the Southeastern edge of the woods. They are equipped with the infamous (for its questionable reliability) Dragon ATGM, the venerable M72A3 LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) M60 GPMGs, M16s and hand grenades. The platoons 4 M113s are waiting along the Southern tree line, ready to mount up the infantry for a mad dash back to friendly lines after engaging the enemy.
2nd platoons’ initial positions:

The men of 2nd platoon occupying their fighting positions. The men are keeping low (‘Hiding’ in CM parlance) to keep from being seen:

Instead of being dug in near the tree line facing North, 3rd squad is further back in the woods. They have taken up position in a ditch along a dirt road and are covering an opening in the forest. If the Soviets decide to attack these woods and take the position (which I anticipate) this small opening is an ideal killing ground:

The M113’s, ready to mount up and haul ass:

One engagement. Let the Soviets stumble into our positions, knock off as many as we can in the initial engagement, then break contact and fall back.
Up next is the fight itself!

The following is taken from a write up I am currently working on for my blog. I figured I would post "episodes" here for some interaction before consolidating it all into one post for the blog. It comes from a playtest I did recently on a community made scenario. The small fight that occurred in the beginning of the battle was too good not to share, and is also a great opportunity to talk a bit about the Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE). I also wanted to provide everyone with a change of pace. The Black Sea forum is soaking up most of the attention around here these days, and I figured a break from that might be appreciated. So without further ado:
Visualized in Combat Mission: Killing an FSE
A Tactical Vignette

The Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE) is one of the most common task organized formations encountered by NATO forces. For the Soviets it is an important tool that helps fix an enemy defender in place and shape the battlefield to allow for a successful attack. For NATO it is the first significant Soviet tactical combat formation encountered and a harbinger for a larger dedicated attack by a motor rifle battalion (MRB). The stakes presented to both sides by the FSE are high for both sides. Initial success in a tactical engagement largely comes down to the success or failure of the FSE.
This vignette features some excellent US Army vehicle reskins, done by S-Tank on the CM Discord. He recolored and upscaled the resolution on every US vehicle in the game, and they look fantastic. They can be downloaded here, or for those of you in the CM Discord, a download link and preview image can be found the mod repository text channel.
Forward Security Element
The Forward Security Element (FSE) is a Soviet task organized formation that is approximately Company sized. It is also known as the Advance Party or Vanguard. It generally consists of a company of motor rifle troops (mounted in either BTRs or BMPs) and a platoon of tanks. The tank platoon is often made up of four tanks instead of the better known three tank platoon organization the Soviets use, because in motor rifle regiments the tank units tended to be plussed up. There is usually at least a battery of field artillery on call for the FSE to call upon and may also have mortar sections/batteries in support as well. The FSE is a fluid formation that can have additional attachments delegated to it, such as engineering units/equipment, air defense artillery, forward observers, and reconnaissance units. Generally speaking, the Soviet FSE is similar in composition to a US Company Team.

(This image doesn't agree with the forum software, so I recommend viewing it in full size in another tab. Apologies for that, a graphic artist I am not)
The primary role of the FSE is to make contact with the enemy and either destroy it if it is of a smaller size than the FSE or fix it in place to give the rest of the battalion time to deploy and attack through the enemy.
To better understand the role of the FSE, one must understand how it fits into the larger Soviet warfighting machine. In simple terms, Soviet tactical formations are like a conveyor belt. Way out in front are the regimental reconnaissance assets, but their primary role is not combat. They are there to make sure what is on the map exists in reality and other non-combat related tasks. The smallest formation is the Combat Reconnaissance Patrol (CRP) which job is to find the enemy. A tripwire if you will. The CRP is followed by the FSE, whose job is to put pressure on the enemy by engaging and destroying him or at least fixing him in place with direct fires. The FSE is followed by the MRB (also known as the Advance Guard) which has the weight in numbers and support to conduct a deliberate attack and keep momentum going. Following the MRB is the rest of the Motor Rifle Regiment (MRR), and behind one MRR is another MRR, etc.
Apologies for the resolution on this, it is a scanned and stitched together image:

There are a lot of good resources out there to learn more about the FSE and how it fits into the Soviet way of war on the tactical level. This video does a nice job of breaking it all down, as does this simple yet informative writeup. Other resources worth checking out are TRADOC Pamphlet 350-16 Heavy Opposing Force, and the Cold War Gamer’s excellent blog. Just a heads up, many of the links on the Cold War Gamer’s blog are no longer active, and I think the owner is no longer keeping up with his blog.
A German Town—A Fighting Withdrawal
For this vignette I am going to be focusing in on a small combat action that occurs during a larger scenario. To help understand why the combat action plays out, I will provide some context.
This fight was the result of me play testing a scenario made by Cousin Hubert (Bartimeus on the CM forums). This scenario is the first of a series he is working on at the time of this writing for a mini campaign. Hubert makes fantastic maps, scenarios, and campaigns, all because he wants to add to the CM community and provide us with quality content. His map making skills alone make him a massive benefit to the community. Anyone familiar with how tedious and frustrating the CM map editor can be will have an even greater appreciation for his work. His AI plans are also very well done too.
He is the creator of two campaigns for Shock Force 2, which can be downloaded here and here. He has also produced some fantastic large maps for Cold War, which can be found here. We are very fortunate to have amazing contributors such as Hubert!
Situation
On the 8th of April the Soviet Union launched a surprise attack on West Germany. Caught by surprise, NATO’s front line has collapsed, and friendly forces are now in full retreat. Communications with higher headquarters is severely deteriorated by enemy jamming and artillery fire, but they were able to inform us that a Soviet formation is headed our way and to pull out when able.
Mission
Fox Company must hold the town until intelligence and logistics personnel have finished loading M35 trucks with gear and sensitive equipment. These trucks are located at the fire station and industrial park and should be loaded and ready to go in approximately 40-50 minutes. Then the entire force must be withdrawn from the battlefield. Fox Company must withdraw as much of its combat power as possible and remain combat effective, as it will likely have to fight its way back to friendly lines. There are two egress routes on either side of the river to the rear of the town.

Enemy
An entire Soviet motor rifle battalion and all its supporting assets can be expected to attack us.
Troops
I am in command of a heavy combined arms company team, Fox Company. It consists of two tank platoons equipped with M60A2 Starships (the second platoon of tanks is due to arrive in approximately 5 minutes), and two mechanized infantry platoons mounted in M113A1s. In addition, I have a few support assets on hand, such as a self-propelled mortar platoon (three M125 mortar carriers, which provides all of my indirect fire support for this fight), two heavy machine gun teams (dismounted .50 caliber machine guns), two M150 ATGM carriers, three M48 Chaparral SAM tracks, and 8 M35 supply trucks. The company headquarters (CPT Duvauchel) along with the company FSO is present.
Terrain
A small town on a riverbank rests at the southern border of the map. There is single road bridge in the town that crosses the river, though there is also a railroad bridge and a dam that cross the river as well. North of the town are some plowed fields, a farm, a small inn, and light forests. A single MSR runs from North to South into the town down the middle of the map, and a railroad parallels the MSR on the West side of the map. The terrain elevation undulates slightly with approximately +/- 20m of change.
The weather is less than ideal. It is misty out, which reduces visibility. It is early morning and thus low light, further hindering visibility. The ground is damp, which increases the chance of vehicles bogging and becoming immobilized. There is a medium strength breeze blowing from the North.
Of note for this vignette, there is a small raised and wooded area just North of the town along the Western map edge. It is a forward position with good concealment and good sightlines (given the conditions) overlooking the terrain the Soviets are likely to attack across to get to the town. To its immediate South is a gentle decline that provides a covered route for friendly forces to fall back into the town. It is the ideal location to get early warning on Soviet movements and to conduct a delaying action. This is where our combat action will take place.



The Plan
The larger plan is to use the tanks and infantry to defend the town long enough for the M35s to be fully loaded, then to have everyone collapse back to the rear and take the Southern most exit point and leave the field. The infantry are dug into the buildings, tanks and M150s are in keyhole positions, and the mortars and Chaparrals are in the rear, standing by.
2nd platoon led by 2LT Tassin is occupying the forward position. Their task is simple: disrupt the enemy and fall back. The Soviets must conduct a movement to contact. They know we are in the town, but they do not know the specific layout of our defense. The opening phase of this battle will have the Soviets attempting to shape the battlefield in their favor. This simply means they want to discover where my defenses are while also establishing advantageous positions for themselves that support the attack going in. By disrupting the Soviets ability to shape the battlefield in their favor, I make my overall defense easier and I buy precious time for the supply trucks to load up and get out.
To accomplish this, 2nd platoon will occupy the forward position and lay low. This will allow them to ambush the Soviets if the Soviets bypass the forward position (Engagement Area Primary) or deny the Soviets the forward position while attritting the enemy at the same time (Engagement Area Secondary). If either of these engagements are successful it will hurt the Soviets early, giving me a crucial advantage and a nice time cushion.

The men of 2nd platoon are dug in. They have foxholes (as well as a handful of dummy positions) just inside the tree line along the Southeastern edge of the woods. They are equipped with the infamous (for its questionable reliability) Dragon ATGM, the venerable M72A3 LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) M60 GPMGs, M16s and hand grenades. The platoons 4 M113s are waiting along the Southern tree line, ready to mount up the infantry for a mad dash back to friendly lines after engaging the enemy.
2nd platoons’ initial positions:

The men of 2nd platoon occupying their fighting positions. The men are keeping low (‘Hiding’ in CM parlance) to keep from being seen:

Instead of being dug in near the tree line facing North, 3rd squad is further back in the woods. They have taken up position in a ditch along a dirt road and are covering an opening in the forest. If the Soviets decide to attack these woods and take the position (which I anticipate) this small opening is an ideal killing ground:

The M113’s, ready to mount up and haul ass:

One engagement. Let the Soviets stumble into our positions, knock off as many as we can in the initial engagement, then break contact and fall back.
Up next is the fight itself!

The following is taken from a write up I am currently working on for my blog. I figured I would post "episodes" here for some interaction before consolidating it all into one post for the blog. It comes from a playtest I did recently on a community made scenario. The small fight that occurred in the beginning of the battle was too good not to share, and is also a great opportunity to talk a bit about the Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE). I also wanted to provide everyone with a change of pace. The Black Sea forum is soaking up most of the attention around here these days, and I figured a break from that might be appreciated. So without further ado:
Visualized in Combat Mission: Killing an FSE
A Tactical Vignette

The Soviet Forward Security Element (FSE) is one of the most common task organized formations encountered by NATO forces. For the Soviets it is an important tool that helps fix an enemy defender in place and shape the battlefield to allow for a successful attack. For NATO it is the first significant Soviet tactical combat formation encountered and a harbinger for a larger dedicated attack by a motor rifle battalion (MRB). The stakes presented to both sides by the FSE are high for both sides. Initial success in a tactical engagement largely comes down to the success or failure of the FSE.
This vignette features some excellent US Army vehicle reskins, done by S-Tank on the CM Discord. He recolored and upscaled the resolution on every US vehicle in the game, and they look fantastic. They can be downloaded here, or for those of you in the CM Discord, a download link and preview image can be found the mod repository text channel.
Forward Security Element
The Forward Security Element (FSE) is a Soviet task organized formation that is approximately Company sized. It is also known as the Advance Party or Vanguard. It generally consists of a company of motor rifle troops (mounted in either BTRs or BMPs) and a platoon of tanks. The tank platoon is often made up of four tanks instead of the better known three tank platoon organization the Soviets use, because in motor rifle regiments the tank units tended to be plussed up. There is usually at least a battery of field artillery on call for the FSE to call upon and may also have mortar sections/batteries in support as well. The FSE is a fluid formation that can have additional attachments delegated to it, such as engineering units/equipment, air defense artillery, forward observers, and reconnaissance units. Generally speaking, the Soviet FSE is similar in composition to a US Company Team.

(This image doesn't agree with the forum software, so I recommend viewing it in full size in another tab. Apologies for that, a graphic artist I am not)
The primary role of the FSE is to make contact with the enemy and either destroy it if it is of a smaller size than the FSE or fix it in place to give the rest of the battalion time to deploy and attack through the enemy.
To better understand the role of the FSE, one must understand how it fits into the larger Soviet warfighting machine. In simple terms, Soviet tactical formations are like a conveyor belt. Way out in front are the regimental reconnaissance assets, but their primary role is not combat. They are there to make sure what is on the map exists in reality and other non-combat related tasks. The smallest formation is the Combat Reconnaissance Patrol (CRP) which job is to find the enemy. A tripwire if you will. The CRP is followed by the FSE, whose job is to put pressure on the enemy by engaging and destroying him or at least fixing him in place with direct fires. The FSE is followed by the MRB (also known as the Advance Guard) which has the weight in numbers and support to conduct a deliberate attack and keep momentum going. Following the MRB is the rest of the Motor Rifle Regiment (MRR), and behind one MRR is another MRR, etc.
Apologies for the resolution on this, it is a scanned and stitched together image:

There are a lot of good resources out there to learn more about the FSE and how it fits into the Soviet way of war on the tactical level. This video does a nice job of breaking it all down, as does this simple yet informative writeup. Other resources worth checking out are TRADOC Pamphlet 350-16 Heavy Opposing Force, and the Cold War Gamer’s excellent blog. Just a heads up, many of the links on the Cold War Gamer’s blog are no longer active, and I think the owner is no longer keeping up with his blog.
A German Town—A Fighting Withdrawal
For this vignette I am going to be focusing in on a small combat action that occurs during a larger scenario. To help understand why the combat action plays out, I will provide some context.
This fight was the result of me play testing a scenario made by Cousin Hubert (Bartimeus on the CM forums). This scenario is the first of a series he is working on at the time of this writing for a mini campaign. Hubert makes fantastic maps, scenarios, and campaigns, all because he wants to add to the CM community and provide us with quality content. His map making skills alone make him a massive benefit to the community. Anyone familiar with how tedious and frustrating the CM map editor can be will have an even greater appreciation for his work. His AI plans are also very well done too.
He is the creator of two campaigns for Shock Force 2, which can be downloaded here and here. He has also produced some fantastic large maps for Cold War, which can be found here. We are very fortunate to have amazing contributors such as Hubert!
Situation
On the 8th of April the Soviet Union launched a surprise attack on West Germany. Caught by surprise, NATO’s front line has collapsed, and friendly forces are now in full retreat. Communications with higher headquarters is severely deteriorated by enemy jamming and artillery fire, but they were able to inform us that a Soviet formation is headed our way and to pull out when able.
Mission
Fox Company must hold the town until intelligence and logistics personnel have finished loading M35 trucks with gear and sensitive equipment. These trucks are located at the fire station and industrial park and should be loaded and ready to go in approximately 40-50 minutes. Then the entire force must be withdrawn from the battlefield. Fox Company must withdraw as much of its combat power as possible and remain combat effective, as it will likely have to fight its way back to friendly lines. There are two egress routes on either side of the river to the rear of the town.

Enemy
An entire Soviet motor rifle battalion and all its supporting assets can be expected to attack us.
Troops
I am in command of a heavy combined arms company team, Fox Company. It consists of two tank platoons equipped with M60A2 Starships (the second platoon of tanks is due to arrive in approximately 5 minutes), and two mechanized infantry platoons mounted in M113A1s. In addition, I have a few support assets on hand, such as a self-propelled mortar platoon (three M125 mortar carriers, which provides all of my indirect fire support for this fight), two heavy machine gun teams (dismounted .50 caliber machine guns), two M150 ATGM carriers, three M48 Chaparral SAM tracks, and 8 M35 supply trucks. The company headquarters (CPT Duvauchel) along with the company FSO is present.
Terrain
A small town on a riverbank rests at the southern border of the map. There is single road bridge in the town that crosses the river, though there is also a railroad bridge and a dam that cross the river as well. North of the town are some plowed fields, a farm, a small inn, and light forests. A single MSR runs from North to South into the town down the middle of the map, and a railroad parallels the MSR on the West side of the map. The terrain elevation undulates slightly with approximately +/- 20m of change.
The weather is less than ideal. It is misty out, which reduces visibility. It is early morning and thus low light, further hindering visibility. The ground is damp, which increases the chance of vehicles bogging and becoming immobilized. There is a medium strength breeze blowing from the North.
Of note for this vignette, there is a small raised and wooded area just North of the town along the Western map edge. It is a forward position with good concealment and good sightlines (given the conditions) overlooking the terrain the Soviets are likely to attack across to get to the town. To its immediate South is a gentle decline that provides a covered route for friendly forces to fall back into the town. It is the ideal location to get early warning on Soviet movements and to conduct a delaying action. This is where our combat action will take place.



The Plan
The larger plan is to use the tanks and infantry to defend the town long enough for the M35s to be fully loaded, then to have everyone collapse back to the rear and take the Southern most exit point and leave the field. The infantry are dug into the buildings, tanks and M150s are in keyhole positions, and the mortars and Chaparrals are in the rear, standing by.
2nd platoon led by 2LT Tassin is occupying the forward position. Their task is simple: disrupt the enemy and fall back. The Soviets must conduct a movement to contact. They know we are in the town, but they do not know the specific layout of our defense. The opening phase of this battle will have the Soviets attempting to shape the battlefield in their favor. This simply means they want to discover where my defenses are while also establishing advantageous positions for themselves that support the attack going in. By disrupting the Soviets ability to shape the battlefield in their favor, I make my overall defense easier and I buy precious time for the supply trucks to load up and get out.
To accomplish this, 2nd platoon will occupy the forward position and lay low. This will allow them to ambush the Soviets if the Soviets bypass the forward position (Engagement Area Primary) or deny the Soviets the forward position while attritting the enemy at the same time (Engagement Area Secondary). If either of these engagements are successful it will hurt the Soviets early, giving me a crucial advantage and a nice time cushion.

The men of 2nd platoon are dug in. They have foxholes (as well as a handful of dummy positions) just inside the tree line along the Southeastern edge of the woods. They are equipped with the infamous (for its questionable reliability) Dragon ATGM, the venerable M72A3 LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) M60 GPMGs, M16s and hand grenades. The platoons 4 M113s are waiting along the Southern tree line, ready to mount up the infantry for a mad dash back to friendly lines after engaging the enemy.
2nd platoons’ initial positions:

The men of 2nd platoon occupying their fighting positions. The men are keeping low (‘Hiding’ in CM parlance) to keep from being seen:

Instead of being dug in near the tree line facing North, 3rd squad is further back in the woods. They have taken up position in a ditch along a dirt road and are covering an opening in the forest. If the Soviets decide to attack these woods and take the position (which I anticipate) this small opening is an ideal killing ground:

The M113’s, ready to mount up and haul ass:

One engagement. Let the Soviets stumble into our positions, knock off as many as we can in the initial engagement, then break contact and fall back.
Up next is the fight itself!

Sure, so points-buy systems are always terrible and always wrong in any implementation ever, they're just often the least-worst option available for wargame design.

The major issue typically is that there's no concept of context in those values. As an extreme example, a dedicated anti-air missile system might be given a value of 100 points. That same system will be useless if the enemy have zero air assets, but it'll still cost you 100 points. Equally, if they're heavy on rotary wing support, then that 100 point vehicle might counter several thousand points of the enemy, and in each case the vehicle will have an arbitrary number attached to it.

In the specific case of CM, the points will be decided by a formula (which we don't know). That's important for CM because it's going to be a priority for the system to be as hands-off as possible. Battlefront can't afford the time and manpower to do continuous "balance patches" or the like, so it's going to be important to have a system where you can set up the initial constraints and then everything else falls out automatically.

The downside to that is that, since points-buy is always wrong, is that you'll always have outliers, and things which are "overcosted". In CMx1, the costs for a turreted vehicle were very high, so turretless vehicles were the most efficient option. In CMx2, that's been corrected, which leaves vehicles like the Stug III looking a lot worse, and perhaps overcosted.

The main reason for this unit in context is that they exist in the TO&E. There are C2 advantages to having an FO asset at this level, and this FO asset comes with four men, who you have to pay for. Is it worth double the cost? No, probably not. If you only have a limited number of artillery assets available, then the platoon FO is probably as good or better in many situations.

No tanks in CM have the ability to generate smoke by injecting oil into their exhaust. A lot of them should, and it might be nice if they could.
The bmp smoke rounds are black because they are in real life:
They will be black because of the chemistry involved. I'm not a chemist, but from memory, thats the bitumen content, since the intent of Soviet smokes isn't to maximize speed of development, but instead to increase how long the thing burns and hangs around for. The tar presumably acts to retard that reaction. It's also going to be quite cheap and unpleasant to be around.
Having slower-burning, forward-firing smoke is because the Soviet concept was that the thing was designed to be used offensively, so firing smoke this way gives you a screen to manoeuvre behind. That's in contrast to the Western priorities, where quick development is vitally important, since you need to pop smoke and pull back under cover, to evade an atgm or the like.

I've consolidated and posted this AAR in its entirety onto my blog, which can be viewed here: https://millerswargamingvault.blogspot.com/2022/04/msr-titan-combat-mission-shock-force-2.html

For the company level stuff:





The R-148 is what replaced the R-126. There will be five of them so that there can be one per platoon (one for the HQ, one for the MG platoon and one for each dismounted rifle platoon, carried by the platoon leader). The larger man-portable R-107 will be for communicating with higher formations and kept by the company commander, and obviously you have the extra radio gear in the company HQ BMP itself.

The dismounted squad does not have a radio. R-126 is man-portable, but is a company-level asset. The squad radio is the BMP itself.

As one example of a source, FM 100-2-3 (From 1991, but applicable to everything prior): 



 

Doctrinally, when they do dismount, the Soviet infantry do it 300m away from the enemy position (just outside short ranged AT fire such as the RPG or LAW, as well as effective small arms range).

If there's heavy AT defences (and Dragon counts as that), then the dismount range is 1000m (so outside medium AT range - Dragon or AT-7).

In practice, I think both are actually fairly suspect. Dismounting at 1000m is a good way for your infantry to be neutered to no great effect, and any momentum you have to be nullified. Even 300m is a bit hopeful, I think, and I think it's a good idea to exit as close as you can get away with, when you do so at all.

Dismounting shouldn't ever really be plan A, but it can be a useful plan B, and it's important to know how to get the most out of the platoon.

As ever with the Soviets, the mechanised platoon shouldn't be acting alone. They should be preceded by armour, and that armour should be preceded by artillery. The attack has to be an an all-arms affair if it's to have any chance of success.

Oh, and the extra stuff, just to get this down:

BMP smoke fires forwards, about 100m-120m. This can be fired from a reverse slope to the forward area, and the intention is to give you a screen to manoeuvre behind, or to isolate something from supporting elements in depth.



One technique for maximising infantry fires whilst advancing is to use Assault, but to use the command correctly, with multiple waypoints and Target commands at each point:



The effect of this is that the non-moving element will be firing continuously, and the squad will continue advancing whilst still putting out as much fire as possible.

The main thing is that the Soviets only planned to dismount when they were forced to, or when there was no other option. That really means the answer to your question is that if they're only dismounting when they have to, then having the additional man is important where you need it. Otherwise, they stay mounted, and the question is moot.

You can see some of the logic behind this in Cold War - US call in times are typically in the 2-5 minute range, and dismounting will mean that you're going to slow down - if you're dismounting into a kill-zone (and that's far from unlikely), then this can be disastrous. There's also NBC concerns, but even without those then it's a good idea to not dismount, if you can get away with it.

Dismounting is necessary in complex terrain, or when terrain has to be cleared or held defensively. Ideally this kind of area would be bypassed - typically your objectives should be pushing you ever-onwards.

When dismounting is appropriate, correct BMP usage looks something like this:



The HQ element is in contact will all parts of their platoon. The squads are within four actions spots of their transport, and the IFV and dismounts will use whatever cover is available. The BMPs attack with area-fire as their primary purpose, and the dismounts are their eyes. Staying within four action spots means that the squads will share spotting contacts with their transport.

The horizontal separation is mostly just a good idea, but clearly should adapt to terrain and circumstance. The platoon does not want to lose sight of itself at any time.

To complete the circle on this one, the Soviet squad:



This is the central squad in the above, so it's the one where one of the riflemen is now the platoon's SVD marksman. Aside from that, this is identical to the other two squads. The squad splits into two fireteams - the four man team is the squad's base of fire, and the three man rifle team is the squad's manoeuvre element. The platoon attacks on line as a single unit, with the emphasis being on prioritising fires.

This was great! Thanks for posting @Lille Fiskerby
Don't mind the peanut gallery. This is a value add. 
 
@George MC might be interested in this as well. It’s Doug!

Combat Mission/Command: Modern Air Naval Operations AAR
Consulate Crisis
By IICptMillerII

 
INTRODUCTION
This is a hybrid after action report (AAR) using two simulators, Combat Mission Shock Force 2 (CMSF2) to depict the tactical ground combat, and Command: Modern Air Naval Operations (CMANO) to depict the naval and aerial combat. This scenario features a conflict at a US and Canadian consulate in the fictional Middle Eastern/North African city and country of Al Mout, Abbudin.  
The CMSF2 map was built by LongLeftFlank and then modified by MOS:96B2P for his scenario “The Coup” and is being used with his permission. All credit goes to LongLeftFlank for designing this excellent map and to MOS:96B2P for designing the scenario. I have modified both BluFor and OpFor forces as well as their respective objectives, as well as add in some relevant battle damage, but otherwise the map remains in its original layout.
Carrier Strike Group 12 is a historically accurate recreation of the USS Enterprise cruise to the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf from June to December of 2007. The USS Enterprise carrier air wing, and all supporting ships are accurate to the 2007 cruise.
This scenario is not designed to be balanced. BluFor is significantly stronger and more capable than OpFor in nearly every way. This is more a showcase of a hybrid AAR between two sims carrying out an operation that fully incorporates both sims strongpoints (CMSF2 for ground warfare, CMANO for naval/air warfare) and weaving them together to tell a story. It is also a proof of concept to see how viable creating hybrid AARs like this is. My advice is to treat this like a superhero movie; there is no doubt about the ending, but you still enjoy the journey.
This AAR features several mods. Chief among them are:
Veins Smoke and Effects mod Drakenlords Fire mod Regime Forces by myself playing the OpFor DISCLAIMER:
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this AAR are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
CMANO DISCLAIMER:
CMANO is designed to accurately portray military hardware from real world nations, from the years of 1980-2020+ and 1920-1979 (not used in this scenario). It simulates the planet Earth using open source terrain data. While fictional factions can be created and named so, the globe itself cannot be edited. The real-world location of this scenario is located in Libya, however the above disclaimer still applies. This scenario is not meant to portray Libya in any way. It is entirely fictional.
 
SITUATION:
Over the past few months the Abbudin Regime has been increasingly belligerent. On numerous occasions they have used their large air force to intercept commercial aircraft and shipping in international territory. In response to this, the UN passed a resolution enforcing economic sanctions against Abbudin. The Abbudin Regime responded by increasing their interceptions, in a few notable cases forcing commercial aircraft to land at Abbudin airports and be subject to “inspections.” The so-called inspections were largely just the Regime seizing commercial property for their own. In response to the Regimes increasingly belligerent actions, the United States deployed the USS Enterprise carrier strike group (CSG) and the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (2nd MEU) aboard the USS Wasp to the Mediterranean. Additional military assets in the Mediterranean have been put on high alert.
Two days ago, large numbers of Regime military units were seen moving into the city of Al Mout, the location of the US and Canadian consulates. They began heavily patrolling the city in what appeared to be a martial law posture. Last night, the Canadian consulate was surrounded by the Regime’s military forces. The Regime has demanded an end to the economic sanctions and for the US to recall the USS Enterprise away from Abbudin waters. A tense standoff ensued, with the Regime changing their ultimatum deadline seemingly at random. Finally, at 0200 local this morning the Regime’s military forces stormed the Canadian consulate. There have been reports of gunshots being fired inside the consulate and the fate of the consulate personnel is unknown.
Two hours later, US naval and Marine forces were given the green light to initiate combat operations in the city of Al Mout in order to evacuate the US consulate and rescue any surviving Canadian consulate personnel.
 
MISSION:
The primary objective is to evacuate US and Canadian consulate personnel from Al Mout, recover/destroy any sensitive material at both consulates, and withdraw from the city.
Mission Specific Tasks:
Carrier Strike Group 12 (USS Enterprise):
Establish local air superiority over friendly naval assets, the city of Al Mout and surrounding area Strike strategic targets in and around Al Mout Strike Al Mout International Airport in order to prevent Abbudin Regime air force from being able to sortie Conduct Suppression/Destruction of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD/DEAD) Provide close air support (CAS) to US forces in Al Mout Task Force Wasp:
Transport and deploy 2nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (2nd MEU) amphibiously to the shore of Al Mout Provide naval and close air support to 2nd MEU Receive US and Canadian evacuees Provide emergency medical care to casualties 2nd Marine Expeditionary Unit:
Conduct amphibious infiltration of Al Mout Secure both US and Canadian consulates Evacuate US and Canadian consulate personnel to USS Wasp Desired End State:
All US/Canadian consulate personnel recovered All sensitive materials recovered/destroyed All US ground forces withdrawn from city  
Area of Operations (AO) and Initial Deployment:

Close-up of Al Mout and Surrounding Area:

 
ENEMY:
Regime Military Forces:
The Abbudin military is typical of many Middle East/North African dictatorships. It has a large arsenal of older Soviet-era equipment, such as the T-72 and T-62 tanks, and BMPs for infantry fighting vehicles (IFV). The military is made up of roughly 6 divisions and a number of independent brigades, including special forces units that are primarily tasked with guarding key regime assets.
Enemy Air Forces:
The Regime has a large air force, mostly made up of old Soviet-era aircraft. These include the Mig-21, 23, and 25, along with a small fleet of Mi-25D gunship helicopters and Mi-8 helicopters for troop transport and logistics. Additionally, they have several SU-22M attack aircraft. These are capable of carrying the AS-9 anti-radiation missile with a range of 65nm, which can potentially threaten friendly ships. They have roughly a regiments worth of each fixed wing aircraft variant (20-25 aircraft per regiment) and about a squadron of each helicopter variant (10-18 helicopters per squadron) in range of the area of operations (AO). The Abbudin air force is not known to have any airborne AEW or EW aircraft, though they likely have some conventional reconnaissance aircraft equipped with cameras and ELINT equipment.
Al Mout International Airport is just outside the city and has a significant number of air force assets, including at least one full squadron of Mi-25D gunship helicopters and another full squadron of Mi-8 helicopters. Both the Mig-21 and Mig-23 can be outfitted in ground attack roles. The SU-22M is a ground attack aircraft, though they are expected to be tasked in an anti-surface warfare (ASuW) role. The Mig-25 variant operated by the Abbudin air force is an interceptor only. 

Enemy Naval Forces:
The Abbudin navy is essentially non-existent. They do not operate any craft larger than small patrol boats armed with small arms which are not expected to be a factor.
Enemy Air Defense Network (ADN):
Abbudin’s air defense network is extensive, though dated. In the vicinity of Al Mout, there are at least two groups of SA-6 Gainful SAM (surface to air missile) sites (roughly 10-14 launchers per group) and at least one battalion of SA-2 Guideline SAM launchers (roughly 3-6 launchers per battalion). These SAM sites pose the most direct threat to our forces, as they actively cover both the city of Al Mout and Al Mout International Airport.
Further, there are a number of SA-5 Gammon SAM groups. The SA-5 has a range of 150nm, meaning these sites will be a close second priority for SEAD/DEAD missions. There are multiple SA-5 sites that cover Al Mout airspace, one to the North of the city and another to the West.
There are also several radar sites, including the P-14 Tall King, P-18 Spoon Rest, P-40 Long Track, and P-80 Back Net air search radars. All these radars have sensor ranges in excess of 100nm with overlapping coverage areas. Many of the radar sites are located near SAM sites and thus will have some form of protection against air strikes.  
Enemy Ground Forces in Al Mout:
Regular Regime military forces wear a uniform that is part olive drab, part knockoff DPM camouflage in an arid configuration. Their helmets are tan colored with red triangles on the front.
The exact number and composition of enemy ground forces present in the city is not fully known at this time. From what intelligence there is, it is expected that the Regime has at least one company of mechanized infantry in the city, mounted in BMP-1’s. There have also been confirmed reports of both T-72M1 and T-62 tanks, though their exact number and location is not currently known.



Additionally, the Regime is operating a large military police (MP) force in the city right now. These are essentially dismounted infantry operating on foot or out of light vehicles such as the Russian made UAZ car and URAL trucks.  MPs can be identified by their white helmets, red armbands and plain olive drab uniforms. There are likely two companies worth of MPs operating in the region of the city that the consulates are in, though an exact estimate is not possible at this time.


It is expected that once hostilities commence and the Regime determines our objectives to be centered in Al Mout, they will attempt to reinforce the city from outside. There is at least a battalion’s worth of mechanized infantry that can be road marched to the city within a matter of hours. Other units are present but will take longer to reach the city.
Irregular Forces:
The Abbudin military is largely a conventional force. They are not expected to have paramilitary or irregular forces in any significant numbers.
 
 
TERRAIN AND WEATHER:
The city of Al Mout is located on the coast and is surrounded by desert. Temperatures during the day are expected to reach a high of 90° F. The weather is forecasted to be a mix of clear and partly cloudy over the course of the next three days and should not hinder aerial or amphibious operations.

 
TROOPS:
Carrier Strike Group 12 (CSG 12):
USS Enterprise CVN VFA-211 12x F/A-18F VMFA-251 12x F/A-18C VFA-136 12x F/A-18C VFA-86 12x F/A-18C VAQ-137 4x EA-6B VAW-123 4x E-2C 2000 VS-32 8x S-3B HS-11 6x SH-60F 2x HH-60H USS Gettysburg CG USS Arleigh Burke DDG USS Forrest Sherman DDG USS James E Williams DDG USS Stout DDG USS Philadelphia SSN USNS Supply T-AOE CSG 12 is the main aerial and naval effort of this operation. The USS Enterprise is equipped with its entire carrier air wing. She has 36 F/A-18C Hornet multirole fighters, 12 of the new F/A-18F Super Hornet multirole fighters, and a full complement of support aircraft including the E-2C Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning (AEW) and EA-6 Prowler Electronic Warfare (EW) aircraft. A carrier air wing carries an immense amount of firepower for both enemy air and ground targets.
Supporting the Enterprise is her primary air defender, the guided missile cruiser (CG) USS Gettysburg. The Gettysburg carries a suite of anti-air missiles that can shoot down both incoming aircraft and missiles at ranges out to 150nm. The extremely powerful AEGIS radar greatly enhances her ability by allowing her to simultaneously scan, track and engage multiple targets from multiple bearings, as well as hand off targeting info to coordinate air defense with other ships. Four guided missile destroyers (DDGs) provide additional air defense, as well as an overwhelming land strike capability. There are 224 Tomahawk missiles (112x RGM-109C, 112x RGM-109E) between these four destroyers.
Also in support is the USS Philadelphia, a Los Angeles class nuclear attack submarine (SSN) which brings with her an additional 8 Tomahawk missiles (4x UGM-109C, 4x UGM-109E). She is primarily assigned to Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and is not expected to play a major role in this operation.
Task Force Wasp:
USS Wasp 4x AH-1W 4x CH-53E 4x MV-22B 6x AV-8B 2x CH-46E 4x UH-1N 2x HH-60H 4x SH-60F USS Ticonderoga CG USS Bainbridge DDG USS Oak Hill LSD Task Force Wasp is an amphibious assault group that carries the 2nd MEU and all assets required to support the MEU during amphibious operations. She is equipped with her own suite of aircraft, though these are primarily to support the MEU while engaged or perform logistical functions. The four AH-1W Super Cobra’s and AV-8B Harriers can provide the Marines with on call CAS, while the CH-53s, MV-22s and CH-46s all provide a heavy lift capability.
The Wasp is escorted by a CG and a DDG with the same roles as the CG and DDGs assigned to the Enterprise; defend the air space and strike land-based targets.
2nd Marine Expeditionary Unit:
A Marine Expeditionary Unit is a reinforced battalion capable of quickly responding to flashpoints around the world and conducting sustained amphibious operations. Due to the nature of this operation, no heavy lift amphibious craft are available, meaning the Marines will have to leave their tanks and Humvee’s behind. Two companies of Marines will secure the consulates and will be supported by the battalion headquarters, an engineer platoon, scout sniper platoon, reconnaissance platoon and the AAV platoon that will transport all personnel to and from the beach. This consolidated force is called the Marine Landing Party. C Company, the third rifle company of the MEU, will stay on USS Wasp as a Quick Reaction Force (QRF), responding if needed.
Marine Landing Party:
Battalion Headquarters Scout Sniper Platoon Engineer Platoon Reconnaissance Platoon AAV Platoon A Company B Company Quick Reaction Force:
C Company Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay:
1x U-2S 1x RQ-4B 1x EC-130H 3x KC-135R 2x E-3C A number of supporting assets are located at the NATO naval base at Souda Bay on the island of Crete. All of these are support assets. A U-2 spy plane and RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV will provide constant on-station reconnaissance of Al Mout and the surrounding area. The EC-130 Compass Call will provide offensive electronic warfare capabilities such as jamming specific enemy radar and SAM sites. KC-135s will provide aerial refueling capability allowing station aircraft to remain in the air longer, and E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Command System (AWACS) will provide additional AEW support if needed.
Due to the rapid escalation in Al Mout, some assets at NSA Souda Bay are still being prepared and will not be ready for at least a few hours, namely the AWACS and refueling aircraft. The U-2 is already airborne and flying a racetrack pattern waiting for the enemy ADN to be reduced, and the Global Hawk is ready to be launched.
TIME:
The date is 5 May. The time is currently 0500 Zulu, 0600 Local. Amphibious operations are templated to begin by 1000 Zulu, though this is subject to the reduction of enemy air and air defense assets.
 
CIVILIAN CONSIDERATIONS:
Al Mout is a populated city full of civilians. Efforts to reduce civilian casualties are being taken primarily in the form of weapon use restrictions. Only precision guided munitions are authorized for use within city limits. These weapons include JDAMs and Tomahawks but exclude weapons such as unguided bombs (ex. Mk82 without JDAM conversion, CBU cluster bombs) or naval gunfire support from 127mm deck guns.
Once troops are in direct contact, the use of unguided weapons for CAS is authorized (such as unguided rockets fired from Super Cobra gunships) but only against positively identified enemy targets. All other use of unguided munitions within city limits remains restricted.
Personnel not in uniform registering weapons cannot be engaged unless they engage friendly units first. All uniformed enemy combatants are free to be engaged at will.
INITIAL TASKINGS
CSG 12:
CSG 12 is initially the main effort. It is tasked with both establishing and maintaining air superiority, as well as carrying out strikes against enemy radar, air defense, and strategic targets.
USS Enterprise CVN is the flagship and will support naval aviation as well as being the primary command and control center for this operation USS Gettysburg CG will provide comprehensive air defense to the carrier and ships of CSG 12 USS Arleigh Burke will strike targets designated in Strike Package North USS Forrest Sherman will strike targets designated in Strike Package West USS James E Williams will strike targets designated in Strike Package Airport USS Stout will strike targets designated in Strike Package Al Mout USS Philadelphia SSN will provide electronic intelligence (ELINT) and maritime surveillance, and pilot recovery USNS Supply T-AOE will provide on-station replenishment if necessary and aid in pilot recovery if needed Map of Strike Packages:

 
Naval Aviation:
The primary conventional striking power of the US Navy, the entire carrier air wing will be tasked with establishing air superiority and striking enemy military and strategic targets in order to allow the Marines to conduct their amphibious infiltration and evacuate the consulates.
VFA-211 (F/A-18F) will establish and maintain a combat air patrol (CAP) over CSG 12 and Task Force Wasp in order to maintain air superiority over all friendly naval assets VMFA-251 (F/A-18C) will remain on standby, ready to perform CAS for the Marine landing party once it has been deployed VFA-136 (F/A-18C) will perform SEAD/DEAD strikes in cooperation with Tomahawk strikes from CSG 12 ships VFA-86 (F/A-18C) will conduct an alpha strike (entire squadron sorties) against Al Mout International Airport with the goal of destroying enemy aircraft on the ground and eliminating the ability of the airport to support flight operations VAQ-137 (EA-6B) will provide EW support in the form of ELINT and directed jamming VAW-123 (S-3B) will provide aerial support, such as aerial refueling, as well as maritime surveillance HS-11 (HH/SH-60) will provide anti-surface warfare (ASW), maritime surveillance and pilot recovery Task Force Wasp:
Task Force Wasp will transport the 2nd MEU close enough to the shores of Al Mout to conduct the amphibious infiltration, will support the Marines during their infiltration, and then will receive and care for all consulate personnel and any casualties sustained during land operations.
USS Wasp will support both aerial operations and Marine amphibious operations, and will receive all evacuated consulate personnel and casualties suffered during land operations 4x AH-1W will provide Marines with CAS while embarked on amphibious operations 4x CH-53E can provide heavy lift support of both land and naval operations 4x MV-22B can provide heavy lift support of both land and naval operations 6x AV-8B will provide Marines with CAS while embarked on amphibious operations 2x CH-46E can provide heavy lift support of both land and naval operations as well as pilot recovery and humanitarian assistance 4x UH-1N can provide logistical support to both naval and land operations as well as pilot recovery 2x HH-60H can provide logistical support to both naval and land operations as well as pilot recovery 4x SH-60F will provide ASW and maritime surveillance to Task Force Wasp USS Ticonderoga CG will provide comprehensive air defense to the carrier and ships of Task Force Wasp USS Bainbridge DDG will provide air defense and maritime surveillance, and is capable (though not initially tasked with) conducting land strikes with Tomahawks USS Oak Hill LSD will provide amphibious support to Marines and can receive Marines, consulate personnel and casualties as an alternative to USS Wasp 2nd MEU:
Upon arriving on station off the coast of Al Mout, the 2nd MEU will conduct an amphibious infiltration of the city. Using amphibious vehicles and supported by CAS, they will make landfall and proceed into the city to the US and Canadian consulates. They will evacuate all personnel and human remains (if/where applicable) and remove or destroy any sensitive materials before withdrawing from the city and returning to Task Force Wasp. A detailed landing plan and tasking follows in the next section titled “Amphibious Plan.”
 
Special Assets:
Special assets are designated as units not operating directly from either CSG 12 or Task Force Wasp. They are primarily reconnaissance and support units, providing constant direct intelligence gathering capabilities and EW support as well as aerial refueling and AEW
 
1x U-2S is tasked with providing direct imaging and intelligence gathering of Al Mout and the surrounding area to give commanders a better idea of the situation on the ground and to provide early warning and tracking to new threats, such as enemy reinforcements to the city 1x RQ-4B is tasked with providing direct imaging and intelligence gathering of Al Mout and the surrounding area to give commanders a better idea of the situation on the ground and to provide early warning and tracking to new threats, such as enemy reinforcements to the city 1x EC-130H is tasked with providing comprehensive EW support in the form of direct jamming of specific enemy radar and air defense assets as well as providing additional ELINT support 3x KC-135R is tasked with providing aerial refueling 2x E-3C is tasked with providing additional AEW Emissions Control (EMCON):
EMCON BRAVO
All ships will restrict radiation emissions (radars are off) but can still communicate and data transfer All aircraft are EMCON DELTA – unrestricted emissions
 
AMPHIBIOUS PLAN
Plan:

 
The amphibious plan is as follows. The engineers will land first and perform a quick sweep of the beach for mines and obstacles. Imagery shows that the beach should be clear and free of mines and obstacles, so the sweep should be quick. A and B Companies along with the scout sniper and recon platoon and battalion headquarters element will land when cleared to by the engineers.
The engineers will make breaches large enough for AAV’s to pass through at breach points Elmer and Fudd.
A Company will proceed through breach point Elmer onto MSR Wiley to MSR Market. At the intersection of MSR Market and Wiley, blocking position Bugs will be established. Then the company will continue down MSR Liberty to the US consulate. Similarly, B Company will proceed through breach point Fudd onto MSR Coyote to MSR Market. At the intersection of MSR Market and Maple, blocking position Bunny will be established. Then the company will continue down MSR Maple to the Canadian consulate.
Upon reaching the consulates, the Marines will secure the compounds and establish a security perimeter. Scout snipers will establish overwatch points on the roofs of the consulates. The Marines will first evacuate consulate personnel to the AAVs, then secure/destroy any sensitive materials on site.
Once the consulates are secured and policed, each company will withdraw to their respective blocking positions, recover the Marines manning those positions, and then withdraw to the beach. From there everyone will amphibiously embark and return to the ships of Task Force Wasp.
Taskings:
A Company: Establish blocking position Elmer on MSR Market, move to and secure US consulate via MSR Liberty B Company: Establish blocking position Fudd on MSR Market, move to and secure Canadian consulate via MSR Maple Engineer Platoon: Provide initial beach screening and breach points at point Bugs (for A Co) and Bunny (for B Co) to allow immediate road access to MSR Scout Sniper Platoon: Will provide rooftop security at both consulates once they have been secured Recon Platoon: Reinforce blocking positions C Company: QRF Landing Plan:
A MEU comes with 12 AAV-7s organic to the formation. Due to the size of the Marine Landing Party and the lack of use of other amphibious landing craft, there are not enough AAVs to land the entire landing party at the same time. The landing party will infil and exfil in waves, designated below:
Infil:
1.      Engineers, Scout Snipers, Recon platoon
2.      A Company, Battalion Headquarters
3.      B Company
Exfil:
1.      Engineers, Scout Snipers, Recon platoon, all consulate personnel and casualties not already evacuated
2.      A Company
3.      B Company, Battalion Headquarters
 
Supporting Fires:
Once ashore, and as long as the airspace remains clear, the Marines will have overwhelming air support. Both the USS Wasp and USS Enterprise will have on call CAS dedicated to supporting the Marines.
Wasp:
4x AH-1W Super Cobra’s 6x AV-8B Harrier’s Enterprise:
12x F/A-18C Hornet’s VMFA-251 (Marine aviation) Due to the restrictions on unguided weapons use inside city limits, the Marines will not have access to mortars or naval gunfire support. However, the Cobra’s will still be allowed to engage positively identified enemy targets with unguided rockets.

Its on my 'to wathc' list. i saw his first one - well worth watching. Woody (the presenter) is an alright guy and tends to let the expert do their thing.

This was great! Thanks for posting @Lille Fiskerby
Don't mind the peanut gallery. This is a value add. 
 
@George MC might be interested in this as well. It’s Doug!

Excellent, as always. 

Don't do that. This is a mistake that I see a lot by many different people. The Assault command is just a bounding overwatch drill (leap frog). Very useful in many situations, but room clearing is not one of them. For room clearing, you want to have as much firepower directed at the target building as possible, and when you enter the building you do not want to do it piecemeal. 
Here is a very simplified example of how I conduct MOUT:
For simplicity sake, this will only be a 1 squad demonstration using the US Army, but you can scale this up to multiple squads, to platoons, etc, as well as other nations. 
First thing is to split off an Assault Team:

This results in a team of 4 men with rifles and a lot of handheld grenades. The squad leader, a Staff Sergeant, leads the section. This is important as his leadership will help give you an edge in morale in a close firefight:

The second team is the remainder of the squad, 5 men, led by the assistant squad leader, a Sergeant. They have both of the squads SAWs and lots of ammo. This makes them an ideal base of fire element, which is exactly how I am using them in this example:

As you can see, they are on the second floor of a building overlooking the target building, and they have a target arc covering only the target building and the immediate surroundings. This way, they won't get distracted by engaging other targets that appear elsewhere, and will instantly engage any threats that appear in the target building. 
The assault team is given a series of movement points and pauses for its movement to, and entrance into the target building:

First, the assault team will wait 20 seconds before moving into the open. That way, the entire squad has time to orient themselves on the target building and see if there is any initial activity. If you've already had the target building under observation you can skip the first pause.
The first movement order is a Quick move to cover, the low wall. The reason I use a Quick move here is so that if the assault team does take fire from the building, they can return fire as they move to cover. When they get to the wall, they will pause for 10 seconds. This allows them to both catch their breath and observe the building from a closer position. If they were engaged during the run to the wall, this will allow them to put more fire into the threat.

Then, I use a Hunt command on the movement to the outside of the building. This will allow the team to spot better as it approaches, and immediately hit the ground and return fire if they are engaged. When they reach the outside of the target building, they pause again for 10 seconds to look in the windows/doors for any bad guys that might be hiding inside. This pause can be longer, but I recommend at least 10 seconds. 5 tends to be too short.


Finally, the final command is a Quick move order into the target building. This part is very important. It is imperative that once you commit to entering a building, you do it quickly and with the entire assaulting element entering the building. The Quick command is used because the team will run into the building, but will still pause momentarily to engage targets before continuing on. 
 
Others may have a different way of doing this, there is plenty of nuance to MOUT. There are also many situational factors that influence which specific technique is best. I'm using the above as an example of a template you can always fall back on and build from. For example, if you had two squads available you could use one squad as the base of fire element and the second as the assault element. If the target building was occupied and you knew that, you could use the base of fire element to put suppressing fire into the building before the assaulting element moves, and while the assaulting element is moving to the building. 
Do not Hunt into a building. All this will do is get your men stuck in a fatal funnel. The second they take fire, they will immediately stop and go prone. Many times, they will do this in the direct line of fire of the enemy at point blank range, and will get slaughtered in short order.
Avoid rooftops when possible. You are much more exposed on a rooftop, and can be much more easily spotted by the enemy. That said, sometimes the roof provides the best vantage point, or the only vantage point and you have to take a risk. 
All that said, the single best way to clear out a house (or a town for that matter) is to destroy it with indirect or direct fires from heavy weapons, and prod the rubble with a bayonet afterwards, but this is not always possible/practical. 
Hopefully this helps!

Hi guys
Found this video with Douglas Nash, one of my favorite historians on the great patriotic war:
LF

I've consolidated and posted this AAR in its entirety onto my blog, which can be viewed here: https://millerswargamingvault.blogspot.com/2022/04/consulate-crisis-hybrid-combat.html

To your credit, it has been a long time since I started this AAR so you likely forgot the situation established in the briefing. The reason US forces intervene in the first place is because the Canadian consulate was attacked and overrun. The primary goal was to secure both consulates (meaning the physical buildings), rescue the US consulate workers (the US consulate hadn't been overrun yet) and rescue the Canadian consulate workers if they were still there, which they weren't. 
Plus, you never know, perhaps the Canadians being captured and transported elsewhere is the perfect setup for a follow up AAR?

Combat Mission/Command: Modern Air Naval Operations AAR
Consulate Crisis
By IICptMillerII

 
INTRODUCTION
This is a hybrid after action report (AAR) using two simulators, Combat Mission Shock Force 2 (CMSF2) to depict the tactical ground combat, and Command: Modern Air Naval Operations (CMANO) to depict the naval and aerial combat. This scenario features a conflict at a US and Canadian consulate in the fictional Middle Eastern/North African city and country of Al Mout, Abbudin.  
The CMSF2 map was built by LongLeftFlank and then modified by MOS:96B2P for his scenario “The Coup” and is being used with his permission. All credit goes to LongLeftFlank for designing this excellent map and to MOS:96B2P for designing the scenario. I have modified both BluFor and OpFor forces as well as their respective objectives, as well as add in some relevant battle damage, but otherwise the map remains in its original layout.
Carrier Strike Group 12 is a historically accurate recreation of the USS Enterprise cruise to the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf from June to December of 2007. The USS Enterprise carrier air wing, and all supporting ships are accurate to the 2007 cruise.
This scenario is not designed to be balanced. BluFor is significantly stronger and more capable than OpFor in nearly every way. This is more a showcase of a hybrid AAR between two sims carrying out an operation that fully incorporates both sims strongpoints (CMSF2 for ground warfare, CMANO for naval/air warfare) and weaving them together to tell a story. It is also a proof of concept to see how viable creating hybrid AARs like this is. My advice is to treat this like a superhero movie; there is no doubt about the ending, but you still enjoy the journey.
This AAR features several mods. Chief among them are:
Veins Smoke and Effects mod Drakenlords Fire mod Regime Forces by myself playing the OpFor DISCLAIMER:
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this AAR are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
CMANO DISCLAIMER:
CMANO is designed to accurately portray military hardware from real world nations, from the years of 1980-2020+ and 1920-1979 (not used in this scenario). It simulates the planet Earth using open source terrain data. While fictional factions can be created and named so, the globe itself cannot be edited. The real-world location of this scenario is located in Libya, however the above disclaimer still applies. This scenario is not meant to portray Libya in any way. It is entirely fictional.
 
SITUATION:
Over the past few months the Abbudin Regime has been increasingly belligerent. On numerous occasions they have used their large air force to intercept commercial aircraft and shipping in international territory. In response to this, the UN passed a resolution enforcing economic sanctions against Abbudin. The Abbudin Regime responded by increasing their interceptions, in a few notable cases forcing commercial aircraft to land at Abbudin airports and be subject to “inspections.” The so-called inspections were largely just the Regime seizing commercial property for their own. In response to the Regimes increasingly belligerent actions, the United States deployed the USS Enterprise carrier strike group (CSG) and the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (2nd MEU) aboard the USS Wasp to the Mediterranean. Additional military assets in the Mediterranean have been put on high alert.
Two days ago, large numbers of Regime military units were seen moving into the city of Al Mout, the location of the US and Canadian consulates. They began heavily patrolling the city in what appeared to be a martial law posture. Last night, the Canadian consulate was surrounded by the Regime’s military forces. The Regime has demanded an end to the economic sanctions and for the US to recall the USS Enterprise away from Abbudin waters. A tense standoff ensued, with the Regime changing their ultimatum deadline seemingly at random. Finally, at 0200 local this morning the Regime’s military forces stormed the Canadian consulate. There have been reports of gunshots being fired inside the consulate and the fate of the consulate personnel is unknown.
Two hours later, US naval and Marine forces were given the green light to initiate combat operations in the city of Al Mout in order to evacuate the US consulate and rescue any surviving Canadian consulate personnel.
 
MISSION:
The primary objective is to evacuate US and Canadian consulate personnel from Al Mout, recover/destroy any sensitive material at both consulates, and withdraw from the city.
Mission Specific Tasks:
Carrier Strike Group 12 (USS Enterprise):
Establish local air superiority over friendly naval assets, the city of Al Mout and surrounding area Strike strategic targets in and around Al Mout Strike Al Mout International Airport in order to prevent Abbudin Regime air force from being able to sortie Conduct Suppression/Destruction of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD/DEAD) Provide close air support (CAS) to US forces in Al Mout Task Force Wasp:
Transport and deploy 2nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (2nd MEU) amphibiously to the shore of Al Mout Provide naval and close air support to 2nd MEU Receive US and Canadian evacuees Provide emergency medical care to casualties 2nd Marine Expeditionary Unit:
Conduct amphibious infiltration of Al Mout Secure both US and Canadian consulates Evacuate US and Canadian consulate personnel to USS Wasp Desired End State:
All US/Canadian consulate personnel recovered All sensitive materials recovered/destroyed All US ground forces withdrawn from city  
Area of Operations (AO) and Initial Deployment:

Close-up of Al Mout and Surrounding Area:

 
ENEMY:
Regime Military Forces:
The Abbudin military is typical of many Middle East/North African dictatorships. It has a large arsenal of older Soviet-era equipment, such as the T-72 and T-62 tanks, and BMPs for infantry fighting vehicles (IFV). The military is made up of roughly 6 divisions and a number of independent brigades, including special forces units that are primarily tasked with guarding key regime assets.
Enemy Air Forces:
The Regime has a large air force, mostly made up of old Soviet-era aircraft. These include the Mig-21, 23, and 25, along with a small fleet of Mi-25D gunship helicopters and Mi-8 helicopters for troop transport and logistics. Additionally, they have several SU-22M attack aircraft. These are capable of carrying the AS-9 anti-radiation missile with a range of 65nm, which can potentially threaten friendly ships. They have roughly a regiments worth of each fixed wing aircraft variant (20-25 aircraft per regiment) and about a squadron of each helicopter variant (10-18 helicopters per squadron) in range of the area of operations (AO). The Abbudin air force is not known to have any airborne AEW or EW aircraft, though they likely have some conventional reconnaissance aircraft equipped with cameras and ELINT equipment.
Al Mout International Airport is just outside the city and has a significant number of air force assets, including at least one full squadron of Mi-25D gunship helicopters and another full squadron of Mi-8 helicopters. Both the Mig-21 and Mig-23 can be outfitted in ground attack roles. The SU-22M is a ground attack aircraft, though they are expected to be tasked in an anti-surface warfare (ASuW) role. The Mig-25 variant operated by the Abbudin air force is an interceptor only. 

Enemy Naval Forces:
The Abbudin navy is essentially non-existent. They do not operate any craft larger than small patrol boats armed with small arms which are not expected to be a factor.
Enemy Air Defense Network (ADN):
Abbudin’s air defense network is extensive, though dated. In the vicinity of Al Mout, there are at least two groups of SA-6 Gainful SAM (surface to air missile) sites (roughly 10-14 launchers per group) and at least one battalion of SA-2 Guideline SAM launchers (roughly 3-6 launchers per battalion). These SAM sites pose the most direct threat to our forces, as they actively cover both the city of Al Mout and Al Mout International Airport.
Further, there are a number of SA-5 Gammon SAM groups. The SA-5 has a range of 150nm, meaning these sites will be a close second priority for SEAD/DEAD missions. There are multiple SA-5 sites that cover Al Mout airspace, one to the North of the city and another to the West.
There are also several radar sites, including the P-14 Tall King, P-18 Spoon Rest, P-40 Long Track, and P-80 Back Net air search radars. All these radars have sensor ranges in excess of 100nm with overlapping coverage areas. Many of the radar sites are located near SAM sites and thus will have some form of protection against air strikes.  
Enemy Ground Forces in Al Mout:
Regular Regime military forces wear a uniform that is part olive drab, part knockoff DPM camouflage in an arid configuration. Their helmets are tan colored with red triangles on the front.
The exact number and composition of enemy ground forces present in the city is not fully known at this time. From what intelligence there is, it is expected that the Regime has at least one company of mechanized infantry in the city, mounted in BMP-1’s. There have also been confirmed reports of both T-72M1 and T-62 tanks, though their exact number and location is not currently known.



Additionally, the Regime is operating a large military police (MP) force in the city right now. These are essentially dismounted infantry operating on foot or out of light vehicles such as the Russian made UAZ car and URAL trucks.  MPs can be identified by their white helmets, red armbands and plain olive drab uniforms. There are likely two companies worth of MPs operating in the region of the city that the consulates are in, though an exact estimate is not possible at this time.


It is expected that once hostilities commence and the Regime determines our objectives to be centered in Al Mout, they will attempt to reinforce the city from outside. There is at least a battalion’s worth of mechanized infantry that can be road marched to the city within a matter of hours. Other units are present but will take longer to reach the city.
Irregular Forces:
The Abbudin military is largely a conventional force. They are not expected to have paramilitary or irregular forces in any significant numbers.
 
 
TERRAIN AND WEATHER:
The city of Al Mout is located on the coast and is surrounded by desert. Temperatures during the day are expected to reach a high of 90° F. The weather is forecasted to be a mix of clear and partly cloudy over the course of the next three days and should not hinder aerial or amphibious operations.

 
TROOPS:
Carrier Strike Group 12 (CSG 12):
USS Enterprise CVN VFA-211 12x F/A-18F VMFA-251 12x F/A-18C VFA-136 12x F/A-18C VFA-86 12x F/A-18C VAQ-137 4x EA-6B VAW-123 4x E-2C 2000 VS-32 8x S-3B HS-11 6x SH-60F 2x HH-60H USS Gettysburg CG USS Arleigh Burke DDG USS Forrest Sherman DDG USS James E Williams DDG USS Stout DDG USS Philadelphia SSN USNS Supply T-AOE CSG 12 is the main aerial and naval effort of this operation. The USS Enterprise is equipped with its entire carrier air wing. She has 36 F/A-18C Hornet multirole fighters, 12 of the new F/A-18F Super Hornet multirole fighters, and a full complement of support aircraft including the E-2C Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning (AEW) and EA-6 Prowler Electronic Warfare (EW) aircraft. A carrier air wing carries an immense amount of firepower for both enemy air and ground targets.
Supporting the Enterprise is her primary air defender, the guided missile cruiser (CG) USS Gettysburg. The Gettysburg carries a suite of anti-air missiles that can shoot down both incoming aircraft and missiles at ranges out to 150nm. The extremely powerful AEGIS radar greatly enhances her ability by allowing her to simultaneously scan, track and engage multiple targets from multiple bearings, as well as hand off targeting info to coordinate air defense with other ships. Four guided missile destroyers (DDGs) provide additional air defense, as well as an overwhelming land strike capability. There are 224 Tomahawk missiles (112x RGM-109C, 112x RGM-109E) between these four destroyers.
Also in support is the USS Philadelphia, a Los Angeles class nuclear attack submarine (SSN) which brings with her an additional 8 Tomahawk missiles (4x UGM-109C, 4x UGM-109E). She is primarily assigned to Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and is not expected to play a major role in this operation.
Task Force Wasp:
USS Wasp 4x AH-1W 4x CH-53E 4x MV-22B 6x AV-8B 2x CH-46E 4x UH-1N 2x HH-60H 4x SH-60F USS Ticonderoga CG USS Bainbridge DDG USS Oak Hill LSD Task Force Wasp is an amphibious assault group that carries the 2nd MEU and all assets required to support the MEU during amphibious operations. She is equipped with her own suite of aircraft, though these are primarily to support the MEU while engaged or perform logistical functions. The four AH-1W Super Cobra’s and AV-8B Harriers can provide the Marines with on call CAS, while the CH-53s, MV-22s and CH-46s all provide a heavy lift capability.
The Wasp is escorted by a CG and a DDG with the same roles as the CG and DDGs assigned to the Enterprise; defend the air space and strike land-based targets.
2nd Marine Expeditionary Unit:
A Marine Expeditionary Unit is a reinforced battalion capable of quickly responding to flashpoints around the world and conducting sustained amphibious operations. Due to the nature of this operation, no heavy lift amphibious craft are available, meaning the Marines will have to leave their tanks and Humvee’s behind. Two companies of Marines will secure the consulates and will be supported by the battalion headquarters, an engineer platoon, scout sniper platoon, reconnaissance platoon and the AAV platoon that will transport all personnel to and from the beach. This consolidated force is called the Marine Landing Party. C Company, the third rifle company of the MEU, will stay on USS Wasp as a Quick Reaction Force (QRF), responding if needed.
Marine Landing Party:
Battalion Headquarters Scout Sniper Platoon Engineer Platoon Reconnaissance Platoon AAV Platoon A Company B Company Quick Reaction Force:
C Company Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay:
1x U-2S 1x RQ-4B 1x EC-130H 3x KC-135R 2x E-3C A number of supporting assets are located at the NATO naval base at Souda Bay on the island of Crete. All of these are support assets. A U-2 spy plane and RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV will provide constant on-station reconnaissance of Al Mout and the surrounding area. The EC-130 Compass Call will provide offensive electronic warfare capabilities such as jamming specific enemy radar and SAM sites. KC-135s will provide aerial refueling capability allowing station aircraft to remain in the air longer, and E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Command System (AWACS) will provide additional AEW support if needed.
Due to the rapid escalation in Al Mout, some assets at NSA Souda Bay are still being prepared and will not be ready for at least a few hours, namely the AWACS and refueling aircraft. The U-2 is already airborne and flying a racetrack pattern waiting for the enemy ADN to be reduced, and the Global Hawk is ready to be launched.
TIME:
The date is 5 May. The time is currently 0500 Zulu, 0600 Local. Amphibious operations are templated to begin by 1000 Zulu, though this is subject to the reduction of enemy air and air defense assets.
 
CIVILIAN CONSIDERATIONS:
Al Mout is a populated city full of civilians. Efforts to reduce civilian casualties are being taken primarily in the form of weapon use restrictions. Only precision guided munitions are authorized for use within city limits. These weapons include JDAMs and Tomahawks but exclude weapons such as unguided bombs (ex. Mk82 without JDAM conversion, CBU cluster bombs) or naval gunfire support from 127mm deck guns.
Once troops are in direct contact, the use of unguided weapons for CAS is authorized (such as unguided rockets fired from Super Cobra gunships) but only against positively identified enemy targets. All other use of unguided munitions within city limits remains restricted.
Personnel not in uniform registering weapons cannot be engaged unless they engage friendly units first. All uniformed enemy combatants are free to be engaged at will.
INITIAL TASKINGS
CSG 12:
CSG 12 is initially the main effort. It is tasked with both establishing and maintaining air superiority, as well as carrying out strikes against enemy radar, air defense, and strategic targets.
USS Enterprise CVN is the flagship and will support naval aviation as well as being the primary command and control center for this operation USS Gettysburg CG will provide comprehensive air defense to the carrier and ships of CSG 12 USS Arleigh Burke will strike targets designated in Strike Package North USS Forrest Sherman will strike targets designated in Strike Package West USS James E Williams will strike targets designated in Strike Package Airport USS Stout will strike targets designated in Strike Package Al Mout USS Philadelphia SSN will provide electronic intelligence (ELINT) and maritime surveillance, and pilot recovery USNS Supply T-AOE will provide on-station replenishment if necessary and aid in pilot recovery if needed Map of Strike Packages:

 
Naval Aviation:
The primary conventional striking power of the US Navy, the entire carrier air wing will be tasked with establishing air superiority and striking enemy military and strategic targets in order to allow the Marines to conduct their amphibious infiltration and evacuate the consulates.
VFA-211 (F/A-18F) will establish and maintain a combat air patrol (CAP) over CSG 12 and Task Force Wasp in order to maintain air superiority over all friendly naval assets VMFA-251 (F/A-18C) will remain on standby, ready to perform CAS for the Marine landing party once it has been deployed VFA-136 (F/A-18C) will perform SEAD/DEAD strikes in cooperation with Tomahawk strikes from CSG 12 ships VFA-86 (F/A-18C) will conduct an alpha strike (entire squadron sorties) against Al Mout International Airport with the goal of destroying enemy aircraft on the ground and eliminating the ability of the airport to support flight operations VAQ-137 (EA-6B) will provide EW support in the form of ELINT and directed jamming VAW-123 (S-3B) will provide aerial support, such as aerial refueling, as well as maritime surveillance HS-11 (HH/SH-60) will provide anti-surface warfare (ASW), maritime surveillance and pilot recovery Task Force Wasp:
Task Force Wasp will transport the 2nd MEU close enough to the shores of Al Mout to conduct the amphibious infiltration, will support the Marines during their infiltration, and then will receive and care for all consulate personnel and any casualties sustained during land operations.
USS Wasp will support both aerial operations and Marine amphibious operations, and will receive all evacuated consulate personnel and casualties suffered during land operations 4x AH-1W will provide Marines with CAS while embarked on amphibious operations 4x CH-53E can provide heavy lift support of both land and naval operations 4x MV-22B can provide heavy lift support of both land and naval operations 6x AV-8B will provide Marines with CAS while embarked on amphibious operations 2x CH-46E can provide heavy lift support of both land and naval operations as well as pilot recovery and humanitarian assistance 4x UH-1N can provide logistical support to both naval and land operations as well as pilot recovery 2x HH-60H can provide logistical support to both naval and land operations as well as pilot recovery 4x SH-60F will provide ASW and maritime surveillance to Task Force Wasp USS Ticonderoga CG will provide comprehensive air defense to the carrier and ships of Task Force Wasp USS Bainbridge DDG will provide air defense and maritime surveillance, and is capable (though not initially tasked with) conducting land strikes with Tomahawks USS Oak Hill LSD will provide amphibious support to Marines and can receive Marines, consulate personnel and casualties as an alternative to USS Wasp 2nd MEU:
Upon arriving on station off the coast of Al Mout, the 2nd MEU will conduct an amphibious infiltration of the city. Using amphibious vehicles and supported by CAS, they will make landfall and proceed into the city to the US and Canadian consulates. They will evacuate all personnel and human remains (if/where applicable) and remove or destroy any sensitive materials before withdrawing from the city and returning to Task Force Wasp. A detailed landing plan and tasking follows in the next section titled “Amphibious Plan.”
 
Special Assets:
Special assets are designated as units not operating directly from either CSG 12 or Task Force Wasp. They are primarily reconnaissance and support units, providing constant direct intelligence gathering capabilities and EW support as well as aerial refueling and AEW
 
1x U-2S is tasked with providing direct imaging and intelligence gathering of Al Mout and the surrounding area to give commanders a better idea of the situation on the ground and to provide early warning and tracking to new threats, such as enemy reinforcements to the city 1x RQ-4B is tasked with providing direct imaging and intelligence gathering of Al Mout and the surrounding area to give commanders a better idea of the situation on the ground and to provide early warning and tracking to new threats, such as enemy reinforcements to the city 1x EC-130H is tasked with providing comprehensive EW support in the form of direct jamming of specific enemy radar and air defense assets as well as providing additional ELINT support 3x KC-135R is tasked with providing aerial refueling 2x E-3C is tasked with providing additional AEW Emissions Control (EMCON):
EMCON BRAVO
All ships will restrict radiation emissions (radars are off) but can still communicate and data transfer All aircraft are EMCON DELTA – unrestricted emissions
 
AMPHIBIOUS PLAN
Plan:

 
The amphibious plan is as follows. The engineers will land first and perform a quick sweep of the beach for mines and obstacles. Imagery shows that the beach should be clear and free of mines and obstacles, so the sweep should be quick. A and B Companies along with the scout sniper and recon platoon and battalion headquarters element will land when cleared to by the engineers.
The engineers will make breaches large enough for AAV’s to pass through at breach points Elmer and Fudd.
A Company will proceed through breach point Elmer onto MSR Wiley to MSR Market. At the intersection of MSR Market and Wiley, blocking position Bugs will be established. Then the company will continue down MSR Liberty to the US consulate. Similarly, B Company will proceed through breach point Fudd onto MSR Coyote to MSR Market. At the intersection of MSR Market and Maple, blocking position Bunny will be established. Then the company will continue down MSR Maple to the Canadian consulate.
Upon reaching the consulates, the Marines will secure the compounds and establish a security perimeter. Scout snipers will establish overwatch points on the roofs of the consulates. The Marines will first evacuate consulate personnel to the AAVs, then secure/destroy any sensitive materials on site.
Once the consulates are secured and policed, each company will withdraw to their respective blocking positions, recover the Marines manning those positions, and then withdraw to the beach. From there everyone will amphibiously embark and return to the ships of Task Force Wasp.
Taskings:
A Company: Establish blocking position Elmer on MSR Market, move to and secure US consulate via MSR Liberty B Company: Establish blocking position Fudd on MSR Market, move to and secure Canadian consulate via MSR Maple Engineer Platoon: Provide initial beach screening and breach points at point Bugs (for A Co) and Bunny (for B Co) to allow immediate road access to MSR Scout Sniper Platoon: Will provide rooftop security at both consulates once they have been secured Recon Platoon: Reinforce blocking positions C Company: QRF Landing Plan:
A MEU comes with 12 AAV-7s organic to the formation. Due to the size of the Marine Landing Party and the lack of use of other amphibious landing craft, there are not enough AAVs to land the entire landing party at the same time. The landing party will infil and exfil in waves, designated below:
Infil:
1.      Engineers, Scout Snipers, Recon platoon
2.      A Company, Battalion Headquarters
3.      B Company
Exfil:
1.      Engineers, Scout Snipers, Recon platoon, all consulate personnel and casualties not already evacuated
2.      A Company
3.      B Company, Battalion Headquarters
 
Supporting Fires:
Once ashore, and as long as the airspace remains clear, the Marines will have overwhelming air support. Both the USS Wasp and USS Enterprise will have on call CAS dedicated to supporting the Marines.
Wasp:
4x AH-1W Super Cobra’s 6x AV-8B Harrier’s Enterprise:
12x F/A-18C Hornet’s VMFA-251 (Marine aviation) Due to the restrictions on unguided weapons use inside city limits, the Marines will not have access to mortars or naval gunfire support. However, the Cobra’s will still be allowed to engage positively identified enemy targets with unguided rockets.

A fair point. 
The easy answer is, I wanted the scenario to be focused on the consulate evacuation and not as heavy on the other aspects. That, and as I mentioned I'm not trying to write a technothriller here. This AAR is a bit of a proof of concept, seeing how viable/workable it is to create a hybrid AAR like this. So far I'm finding it quite manageable and fun to do. That means there could be a follow up to this AAR, or even a whole new scenario in the future. So at the least, it may be possible that I do a new AAR like this with a more thoroughly equipped OpFor.
The not-so-easy answer is, even if the Abbudin Regime had land based or air based anti-ship missile assets, it would be extremely difficult for them to get any missiles through to targets. Both the Enterprise and Wasp are mutually covered by the host of CGs and DDGs, as well as the F-18s flying air superiority. Further, the Regime would have difficulty cutting through the significant jamming present and finding targets to engage. In fact, the only ships they could hope to engage at this point is Task Force Wasp. There is no way for them to see the Enterprise and her company at this time.
Additionally, even if they were able to get good locks on, lets say the Wasp, the Regime would have to volley fire a huge amount of missiles to have any chance of scoring a hit. Here's the quick math rundown: the ships of Task Force Wasp carry a grand total of 220 missiles capable of shooting down incoming missiles. Standard doctrine is to fire 2 anti-missile missiles per incoming ASM. That means that, to break even and increase the chance of a kill, the Regime would have to fire over 110 ASMs to cut through Task Force Wasps missile shield. Now, that does not factor in the Hornets. Each Hornet carries 6 AMRAAMs and 2 Sidewinders as a standard load, plus its 20mm gun. All of which are capable of shooting down incoming ASMs as well. Enterprise has 12 Hornets assigned to air superiority, for a total of 96 more missiles. So, for the Regime to cut through all of Task Force Wasps missile defense, and all additional missiles carried by the Hornets, they would have to fire at least 160 missiles all at once to have a chance of scoring a hit. Also don't forget about point defense weapons like the 20mm Phalanx CWIS, deck guns (which are capable of engaging incoming missiles) and passive countermeasures like chaff and flare, which ships can deploy in defense against missiles. And again, this doesn't take into account my jamming, or the fact that the P-15 land based missile only has a range of 45nm and would be easy prey for Tomahawks. The second the P-15s illuminated their radars to target my ships, they would be instantly detected by all of my various ELINT assets (situated at different bearings, so triangulation would be very quick) and engaged with Tomahawks. 
All of that said, like I mentioned earlier future scenario's can cover the larger spectrum of warfare.