Danger and Engage teams were mobilised in the early hours of the morning to assist in transfer a group of sensitive surveillance equipment from their FOB to some outlaying OPs to their north.
Here is a section of the briefing for Danger team members:
Sukla Star – Helmand Province, Afghanistan – Sat 18th April 2009 – 1100 hrs – Danger Team
Orientation
Welcome back to Helmand gentlemen. Your expertise is going to be greatly appreciated here at this time of the year. The Taliban are on the move as you have been made aware. With the troop surge coming to fruition a little slower than expected, the TB have been attempting to reclaim recently lost areas of the AO to try and persuade the locals of their strength and success in battling the coalition forces. The Canadians have really been on the receiving end of it lately with 2 road side bombs claiming 4 of their soldiers.
Situation
HQ has established a number of secure OPs in the AO and these have been very successful in providing Intel to us for our operations. With the increase of TB activity, we are moving to support these positions by upgrading a number of them to Combat Posts. This means a number of items need to be moved out to them and these can only be done via foot due to the nature of the terrain. It also means we have send out full sections in case they bump into anything nasty moving around out there.
We know the enemy does have spotters and recon elements out and about. They will be armed with their usually loadout of soviet and chinese style ARs and RPGs. I wouldn’t expect too many support weapons but who knows. And definitely no mortar support. They will most likely be very mobile, so expect to be left alone on occasion as they attempt to break contact. It is up to you whether or not you pursue them.
Your force is made up of Danger team. Other Sections will be operating in the area in similar style activities but none in your sector which runs on the right (East side) of the main creek that splits our AO in two.
You have Casevac available on standby at FOB Bastion to the south. They are RAF and Australian Chinooks designated “White Knight”. Call them only if needed.
You have no attachments/detachments.
Mission
Your mission is to take a number of asset crates through the AO on foot to be delivered to OPs in our north. There are 4 maybe 5 of these to be moved today. Due to the nature of these item, only 1 of them can be in transit at any one time. Once delivered, the personnel manning those sites may get you to return with something, so be open to taking items both ways. Always radio in once you have reached either of your 2 waypoints for any Intel updates.
Execution
Commander’s intent is to move various items of surveillance to our OPs in the north safely and securely.
You will Infil on foot from Waypoint Shogun at grid Quebec 27 at 1100 hrs, set up comms with Zero Alpha before moving out on your objective. Once you get the green light from Zero Alpha, you are to execute your transit on foot to OP Grant at grid Oscar 6 and deliver the 1st item by 1200 hrs. Once secure, radio into Zero Alpha for any updated Intel and then return to WP Shogun for the next item.
Administration/Logistics
Make sure you have enough food and water with you.
Ammo loadout should be as standard with 14 clips for ARs and 5 for SAWs.
No QRF are available.
Casevac is available as stated.
Command/Signal
Zero Alpha will be located at FOB Robertson and is be designated “Zero Alpha”.
Use secure channel 20.
Casevac is located at Camp Bastion and is designated “White Knight”.
Both teams headed out to their Infil points with their assets safely in their hands. Engage had trouble from the start locating their Infil point and moved too far to the North East. They eventually recalibrated their navigation aids and were back on track.
Minor contacts were made with enemy fighters as both teams attempted their 1st delivery.
Danger was 1st to get to their drop off point and delivered their assets in perfect working order. They then turned around and began their trek for their 2nd delivery.
At around 1230 hrs, orders came through to both teams to move to locate and secure a UK pilot forced to ditch his Typhoon fighter nearby. He was believed to have parachuted to safety in the heights towards the centre of the AO. Both teams were to find him and secure the area for the SAR team to arrive and extract him. Danger was the 1st on scene and professionally established a secure perimeter and recovered the pilot. Due to the difficult terrain, radio links with HQ were unreliable and Danger was unable to get confirmation on the SAR team. Danger Team leader decided to move south with his prize in order to get as close to friendly territory and therefore SAR extraction as possible. Danger team ended up escort the pilot all the way to link up with a perimeter patrol from the FOB at which they handed him over and returned back on mission for their 2nd asset delivery.
During this time, Engage sustained an injury and required an immediate extraction of a serious injured team member. They managed to move to lower ground where a vehicle could get in and the soldier was taken away to the field hospital at the FOB.
With this delay they could not get to assist in the pilot recovery and were soon back on mission with their asset to delivery.
Just prior to Engage making their delivery, orders came through for both teams to move on a hilltop location where a regular UAV overflight had spotted a group of MAMs taking weapons out of a concrete water tank. Closer inspection of the footage revealed the unused Water tank was indeed a weapons cache. Both teams were tasked with moving urgently to the location to engage and eliminate any enemy presence and to destroy the cache with any explosives found within it. Should no explosives be found, they were secure the area and radio in for a clearance team to move to them to destroy it for them.
This mission took the rest of the day for both teams as they encountered heavy resistance moving into the area of the cache from numerous groups of enemy fighters. A number of casualties were taken and a Casevac was requested by both teams.
In the end the mission was abandoned due to the oncoming night and the number of casualties sustained.
Both teams extracted on foot back to FOB Robertson and moved en masse to the chow hall for a feed.
AAR DAY EVOLUTION SAT 18TH APRIL
PICS GONE!
Please bear with me.
I recently moved my blogs from one google account name to a new google account name. I checked they ran okay and they were fine. I them removed them altogether from the old account name and they still ran fine. I then deleted that old google account and still they ran fine.
A couple of days later I log in and all the images are gone. I have recently found out that transferring a blog from one google name to another does not flow through to the picasa web album that stores all the images in a blog for you.
Apparently even though you delete your google account instantly, it takes a couple of days for Google to actually delete the account name and therefore will not show its true effect straight away when you test it. You would need to log into Picasa and download all your pics under the old account name and then log into the new account name and reload them all. I would assume you would also need to edit all your posts and reload the pics so the picasa url for each pic is updated. Pretty dumb if you ask me considering the picasa account is instantly created and linked to your google account as soon as you start a blog.
So, I now need to locate backups of all my images and edit each post in each blog and reload the pics.
Please bear with me as I bring it all back up to date.
AAR DAY EVOLUTION SAT 28TH MARCH
(from the ED - sorry i do not have pics of this session. I also did not see a lot of the action that occured. Anyone else who would like to add to this, please feel free by clicking on Comments at the bottom and adding it in)
Danger and Engage teams were having a nice quiet training day on base when a call came through. A firing range and some withdrawal drills were the order of the day. The range was getting good use. But now it was game time.
A group of MAMs had taken control of a couple of large compounds to the south a few weeks ago and today there seemed to be a little more activity than usual. Command decided to send out a large team to gather intel on the compounds in order to ascertain how to preceed.
Danger and Engage were instructed to move on the Compounds from the north using a concealed trail and gather as much information about the layouts, the nearby container and junk yards and any armed personnel seen in the area.
Being such a hostile side of the lines, the whole of Danger and Engage were deployed together.
As the teams were in position gathering information, a firefight began at the 1st Compound. One of the scout teams had managed to get on the southern side of the target area when the fight broke out. They were trapped.
According to members of Engage team, while taking down information, the team had been contacted from the rear by a hostile patrol on their return to the compound. This was indeed back luck, as the ensuing fight alerted the compounds inhabitants who raced out to join in the battle.
Danger and Engage were ordered to withdraw under fire and managed to break contact, but with a number of casualties.
After the teams were resupplied, they began their move on the 2nd compound. This time they were more aware of possible contacts in sectors other than their front and managed to get into position to see the 2nd compound without being spotted or compromised. A large amount of information was gathered.
As the teams were readying their withdrawal with their gathered intel, they were ordered to assault the compound. Command had been tracking 2 helicopters that had crossed the border and they had just changed their course and speed in a way to suggest they were making for the 2nd compound. Analysts inferred they were there to extract the now compromised enemy from the compound and estimated the teams had 10 minutes before their prey got away to safety.
The teams began their assault and forced their way into the compound grounds and searched the buildings. No enemy were found and a quick update from command let them know the enemy force has managed to get out from the compound to the heights to the south to link up with the choppers now only a few minutes away.
As Danger and Engage began their advance past the compound, they can under fire from the fleeing enemy who managed to suppress and pin them and forced them to waste valuable time searching for cover and trying to co-ordinate their advance.
By the time the teams formulated their plans and set them in progress, the enemy had made it to the top of the heights and were popping smoke for their rescuers.
The enemy choppers came in hard and fast as they recovered their comrades and scoured the bush for targets. No targets were seen as Danger and Engage did not wish to risk a fights with gunships or door gunners and held their position half way down the heights in cover.
Good work on the intel, Danger and Engage but better luck next time in catching your prey.
AAR NIGHT DEPLOYMENT (07 FEB 09)
1800hrs February 7, 2009 – in the hills 4 miles south of An Nassariyah – Danger Teams
Welcome gentlemen. US Special Forces Team 8 have been tracking a number specialist bomb making teams who have recently come in country from Afghanistan along with their respective security teams. One of these men is the notorious Aman Ali Sayed. His blatant filming of ambushes and attacks on coalition forces in Afghanistan has rewarded him with the #1 spot on the coalitions’s bomb makers hitlist in the War On Terror. After a close call in Afghanistan last month, he was able to move out of Pakistan and in to Iraq through Iran. Operatives from SF Team 8 will be overwatching tonight’s operation as well as moving on a number of lesser known bomb makers in our AO. The capture of Ali Sayed has been tasked to your team.
Ali Sayed’s exact whereabouts is hard to pinpoint but we believe he is working at in a farm shed located at Objective Scimitar at grid Romeo 22. You will INFIL into the area and using stealth you will need to move your team to get eyes on the objective so you can plan an execute and assault and recover mission. Be aware that Ali Sayed will most likely have a very determined and well trained bodyguard.
Mission Detail:
You are to INFIL at LZ Alpha at grid Quebec 30. You will need to radio into to HQ before moving out you’re your INFIL point. Be aware that if you are observed in the area you will be attacked by any number of hostile groups including criminal gangs and insurgents. All contacts are considered hostile but there are neutral civilians living in the area. The nature of the operation and the terrain will limit how much support is available to you but you will have CASEVAC on standby should you need it.
EXFIL at LZ Alpha at grid Quebec 30.
You have 60 minutes to locate and extract Ali Sayed.
Enemy:
As you are aware, most of the enemy you will encounter tonight are either Al Qaeda gunmen, local Militia, criminal elements or smuggling gangs. They are all armed with soviet and Chinese ARs, supporting LMGs and RPGs. Remember you should be in and out in 60 minutes max so don’t get bogged down in a firefight. Break contact and try again when you can.
Comms Designations:
Danger Team will be on channel 20. HQ will be “Actual”.
CASEVAC and RESUP is available from our south and is designated “Lightfoot”.
Good luck gentlemen
BRIEFING FOR ENGAGE PLATOON:
1800hrs February 7, 2009 – in the hills 4 miles south of An Nassariyah – Engage Teams
Welcome gentlemen. US Special Forces Team 8 have been tracking a number specialist bomb making teams who have recently come in country from Afghanistan along with their respective security teams. One of these men is the notorious Aman Ali Sayed. His blatant filming of ambushes and attacks on coalition forces in Afghanistan has rewarded him with the #1 spot on the coalitions’s bomb makers hitlist in the War On Terror. After a close call in Afghanistan last month, he was able to move out of Pakistan and in to Iraq through Iran. Operatives from SF Team 8 will be overwatching tonight’s operation as well as moving on a number of lesser known bomb makers in our AO. The capture of Ali Sayed has been tasked to your team.
Ali Sayed’s exact whereabouts is hard to pinpoint but we believe he is working at in a farm shed located at Objective Scimitar at grid Romeo 22. You will INFIL into the area and using stealth you will need to move your team to get eyes on the objective so you can plan an execute and assault and recover mission. Be aware that Ali Sayed will most likely have a very determined and well trained bodyguard.
Mission Detail:
You are to INFIL at LZ Bravo at grid Uniform 26. You will need to radio into to HQ before moving out you’re your INFIL point. Be aware that if you are observed in the area you will be attacked by any number of hostile groups including criminal gangs and insurgents. All contacts are considered hostile but there are neutral civilians living in the area. The nature of the operation and the terrain will limit how much support is available to you but you will have CASEVAC on standby should you need it.
EXFIL at LZ Alpha at grid Quebec 30.
You have 60 minutes to locate and extract Ali Sayed.
Enemy:
As you are aware, most of the enemy you will encounter tonight are either Al Qaeda gunmen, local Militia, criminal elements or smuggling gangs. They are all armed with soviet and Chinese ARs, supporting LMGs and RPGs. Remember you should be in and out in 60 minutes max so don’t get bogged down in a firefight. Break contact and try again when you can.
Comms Designations:
Engage Team will be on channel 30. HQ will be “Actual”.
CASEVAC and RESUP is available from our south and is designated “Lightfoot”.
Good luck gentlemen
TOTAL RESULTS:
ROUND 1 RESULTS:
ROUND 2 RESULTS:
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS FOR ROUND 1:
NOTE: Round 1 data combined with old data in the Odin and so may not contain the correct values in all fields.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS FOR ROUND 2:
Individual Scoresheets have been emailed to all operators for personal feedback.
MilSims Squad Rosters
The roll out of MilSims 3.0 is now well underway. The main difference is the moving to permanent squad based structures. Under 3.0, all members of MilSims will apply for a role within a squad and will always perform that role for that squad at each deployment.
This way, operators can work together at improving their skills and the overall affectiveness of their team by completing courses together, training and operating together.
As of 1st November, 2008, the whole structure of MilSims has been recalibrated to a similar structure for an Infantry Company made up of a company HQ, and a number of platoons each made up of a number of sections or squads.
The squads are made up of:
Squad Leader
2IC who oftens acts as Gun Group Leader
SAW or LSW Gunner
Medic
Signaler
Scout 1 or Sniper
Scout 2 or Spotter
Demolitions expert
Rifleman 1
Rifleman 2
In Phase 1 of MilSims 3.0, 4 squads will be raised being Danger 2, Danger 3, Engage 1 and Engage 2. Danger 1 and Engage 3 will be raised early 2009. Danger 1 was offered to and accepted by Ice who is currently out of the country and will return in Feb 09. The 4 squads were offered to 4 members who all accepted their appointments as Squad Leaders. They then nominated and recruited their own 2ICs and the rest of the placements are from the remainder of the operators applying for and being accepted individually into roles.
Operation Requirements have been issued to all Squad Leaders.
Any MilSims operator must complete the MilSims Recruit Course before they can be accepted into a role within a squad. They must then complete the corresponding specialty course for the role they hold. All current operators can be accepted into a role and will be required to complete the MilSims Recruit Course in the 1st quarter of 2009. From 1st November 2008, any new members of MilSims will be placed in a recruit squad and will supply operators to fill gaps in any squad at any deployment until they complete the Recruit Course and can then apply for a permanent role in a squad of their choice providing that spot is vacant.
If a squad does not have a full 10 operators at any deployment, the vacant spots will be filled by recruits from the recruit squad for that deployment.
Part 2 of the roll out of MilSims 3.0 involves the design and implementation of a number of training courses to compliment and reinforce the new structure. More on this will follow at a later date.