31 July 2016 /22:47 UTC-07 Tango 01 (11 Mordad 1395/26 Shawwal 1437/29 Yi-Wei 4714)
U.S. Army photo by Staff Sergeant Corey Baltos, 30JUL2016.
Company D, 1st Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment, Montana Army National Guard playing Opposing Forces (OpFor) at the Romanian Land Force Combat Training Center.
National Guard M1A2 SEP(System Enhancement Package) plays the ‘Bad Guy’ in Romania:
USA photo by Staff Sergeant Corey Baltos, 30JUL2016.
How to hide your M1A2 SEP in Romania.
“This is kind of neat for our unit. This is the first time the National Guard has been asked to conduct Saber Guardian as the OpFor, and for them to call on the state of Montana it means a lot to us, it makes us proud. We take a lot of pride where we are from, and to come here and provide a legitimate challenge to the BlueFor for this mission is challenging and rewarding. We are proud for our unit and proud for our state.”-First Sergeant Mathew Kemp, Delta Company, 1/163 Infantry, Montana National Guard
Montana OpFor Bradley’s (and a M113) ‘invading’ Romania. USA photo by Staff Sergeant Corey Baltos, 30JUL2016.
Montana’s 1/163 Infantry Regiment is part of the National Guard’s ‘Snake River’ 1/116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team’s ‘invasion’ of former Warsaw Pact member Romania.
USA photo by Staff Sergeant Corey Baltos, 30JUL2016.
Montana’s Bravo and Delta infantry companies are playing the role of Opposition Forces (OpFor, OPFOR) during Saber Guardian 2016. The U.S.-NATO wargame concludes by 07 August 2016.
‘Combatants’ are using MILES (multiple integrated laser engagement system), it’s one of the first laser tag systems, developed by the military decades ago: “The MILES gear provides a realistic force on force training opportunity. This realistic training gives our guys an idea of what they need to work on, what skills they need to develop and what they are proficient at.”-Staff Sergeant Joseph Thacker, Delta Company, 1/64th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division
Me at a rare Pocatello Airport air show, in 1999, wearing my OPFOR shirt that I got after Idaho’s NTC wargame at Fort Irwin in 1998.
“THIS IS WHERE ARMOR FIGHTS!” IDAHO NATIONAL GUARD
