=VG= The_Polish_Guy

I'll take whatever role as well, I'm fine with being the lacking leader

Thanks for coming!

@=VG= Connor @=VG= XOR you fine with that? Asking since you did take it first and X0R guessed the quote so I owe you that much. Personally I'd prefer the tank has 3 crew rather than two. But then again without enough infantry you will not complete the mission.

Arma 3 Event Player count: 13 sign-ups [+ reserve] Desert Storm SATURDAY 28th MARCH 2026 - 1700hrs GMT (PRT) training session 1 hour earlier as per tradition (I'll think of something to do, probably infantry-vehicle cooperation) Server name: VETERANS-GAMING | Desert Storm| TS3.VETERANS-GAMING.COM IP: 5.9.23.136:2402 Password: OPFORTown Map: 73 Easting BACKGROUND: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War OBJECTIVE: As Desert Shield turns into Desert Storm and the first lines of Saddam's fortifications appear in front of coalition forces, a mechanized element is tasked with creating and securing a breach point. As a great RTO once said the enemy, they don't really seem good at fighting, but then they never really completely surrender either. MODS: Req_73E.htmlReq_Opt_73E.html [Godfather] not required if you prefer to work without a command Ground commander: [Butcher 1-1] Team Leader: Medic: Autorifleman: Pew_Pew Rifleman: kedi Rifleman: =VG= Sphee Rifleman: [War Pig 1-1] - M1 Abrams Tank Commander: Yuu Gunner: =VG= Connor Driver: =VG= X0R Loader: [Hot Box 1-1] - M2 Bradley Vehicle Commander: Gunner: Meatballer Driver: [Reserve] Butcher 1-2 Butcher 1-3 War Pig 1-2 War Pig 1-3 Hot Box 1-2 Hot Box 1-3 There will be no more vehicles if the infantry squad isn't full Priority for vehicle sign ups have people who sign up with the whole crew, then those with the minimal crew (3 for tank, 2 for bradley) And whoever guesses the quote from above first, gets a prize

CAS Mission types: Preplanned – Used when air support is planned along with the operation. For example to hit a bunker identified before mission planning. This can also include aircraft being present in the AO just in case. On demand – aircraft are tasked with moving to the AO either from a different task or from an airbase. This is done on demand of the ground commander or a TACP. Emergency CAS – used when the ground element is in dire condition and does not have a JTAC. It can be a group of infantryman who were able to contact an aircraft nearby. In this situation the observer has no knowledge of how to guide in aircraft so it’s the pilot’s task to get the necessary information from the amateur observer. Non-kinetic CAS – Show of force used to make your and above all the aircraft’s presence known to the enemy to decrease morale or change the enemies mind about ambushing your element. Show of Force has been widely used in COIN operations in Iraq and Afghanistan but will probably not work against a near peer enemy. Control Type: Type 1 – The JTAC has to see both the target and the attacking aircraft. The final clearance is called out as Cleared Hot before every attack. Type 2 – The JTAC sees the target but does not have to see the aircraft. Final clearance is called out as Cleared Hot before every attack. Type 3 – The JTAC does not see the target and does not see the aircraft. Most often used either when attacking multiple targets easily spotted by the aircraft and far from friendlies or when a different asset sees / is marking the target (e.g. drone operator). Final clearance is called out as Cleared to engage after which the pilot is free to attack without JTAC’s clearing it further. Attack Types: BOC – Bombs on Coordinates – Usually used for preplanned targets BOT – Bombs on Target – Pilot can be given coordinates but has to visually acquire the target SHOF – Show of Force – Non-kinetic attack Munitions One of many rules of calling in supports is optimizing the usage of munitions. It means using the smallest possible munition that can still achieve the desired effect. In practice it means not dropping a GBU on every possible target because when you actually need it later you won’t have any left. Fighter to JTAC brief The aircraft crew informs the JTAC of: the number and type of aircraft, aircraft’s position, available air-to-ground armaments, playtime (how much time the aircraft can spend over the AO), other capabilities (targeting pods, other sensors, data links etc.), abort code. Example: Voodoo 2-1, this is Viper 5-1, 2 times A-10, GRID 421 brake 056, I have GBU12, Hydra, 1000 cannon, playtime is 20 mikes, abort code is: Avalanche, available for tasking, what do you have for us? JTAC to Fighter brief JTAC describes the situation on the ground in short. They talk about threats (AA, aircraft), friendly aircraft, enemy forces, friendly forces and artillery activity in the AO. Gameplan Gameplan is a report from the JTAC to the pilot. It is made after the check-ins and before the 6/9 - line. It includes: control Type (1, 2 ,3), attack type (BOC, BOT, SHOF), munitions requested. CAS 6-line / 9-line 6 and 9-lines are structured ways of relaying the characteristics of the fire mission to the aircraft. When both the person calling in the airstrikes and the pilot know the procedure well, it makes sure the right targets are engaged at the right time and in the proper way. This is the main part of the CAS mission. I go into more detail about both 6 and 9 lines as well as the entire CAS procedure in separate posts.

Call for fire is used to call in artillery fire support. It would often be called in by Forward observers but in Arma it will usually be an RTO or a JTAC. I will break down the report into lines, similar to how CAS requests are structured. CALL FOR FIRE (CFF) Prepare to receive call for fire 1. Observer’s position Adjust Fire 2. Target’s position: GRID, Altitude, Direction from observer OR Target’s position: Direction from observer, Distance from observer, Altitude 3. What the target is What the target is doing Number of elements Degree of protection Size (only if necessary) Munitions requested At my command Fire Fire Adjustments Fire adjustments: If the round hit left of the target, we call adjustment to the Right If the round hit right of the target, we call adjustment to the Left If the round hit in front of the target, we call Add If the round hit behind the target, we call Drop Values for adjustments can be: Direction (measured by observer) Left / Right + distance in meters (minimal correction 30m) Add / Drop + distance in meters (minimal correction 50m) Example Steelrain, Steelrain prepare to receive call for fire Steelrain copies Steelrain, this is Raptor at GRID 133 brake 124 adjust fire, over Adjust fire, out 020 at 800 meters altitude 50 meters, over 020 at 800 altitude 50, out Target is one HMG bunker with dismounts, fire 1 HE shell, over 1 times HE, out … Shot, over Shot, out Splash, over Splash, out Round hits Left 5 0 Drop 100, over Left 5 0 Drop 100 … Shot, over Shot, out Splash, over Splash, out Round hits Add 50, fire for effect, 5 rounds, over Add 5 0, fire for effect, 5 rounds, out This example shows 2 ranging shots being fired. When the observer calls out fire for effect, it lets the shooter know he’s zeroed in and he can fire the proper fire mission. In this example I added the number of rounds being fired because that’s the way it is usually done in Arma. Outside of Arma the procedure of course looks a little bit different. Bracketing When lacking the necessary equipment to precisely range a target for artillery, you need to get creative. An easy way is to use mil dots in your binoculars to calculate the range, but if you’re also lacking that equipment or skill, you will have to estimate range. After you’ve estimate the range, you start calling in ranging shots at the target. After you start the CFF you observe where the shots hit. Remember to stay hidden if you’re under fire and pick out only when you hear the artillery unit call out Splash. Chances are the shot will be short or long. Using that first shot you establish the first bracket by calling Drop/Add 400 (can be less or more depending on how bad/good your estimation skills are). Again chances are the next shots will fall short or long, hopefully if they went long last time, they go short this time and the other way around. This way you close the first bracket. If you’ve managed to create a bracket that encloses your target, you start creating smaller and smaller brackets by splitting the difference. So if you called Drop 400, next you will call Add 200. Then Drop 100 and finally Add 50. That is if you don’t hit the target by then. When you call Add 50, you might consider calling Fire for Effect without waiting for more ranging shots since it will probably be within the error margin anyways. Example In this example our friends at OP Alpha have spotted an enemy convoy stopped on the road. They are clumsy so the left all their batteries at base and lost their maps but still remember their GRID. They estimate range to target to be 700 meters. They call CFF. After some time the first rounds hit at point I. They can tell they fell short so they Add 400. Those go far in II, so they call Drop 200. After shells land in III, they call Add 100 and Fire for Effect hitting IV and destroying the enemy convoy. Now they can RTB and get screamed at by their senior NCOs for losing the gear.

Just one more slot needs to be taken and @kedican take the second Frog. We all know how bad he wants it.

There are many standardized reports meant to make the communication process easier and more effective. They make sure that all of the necessary information is transmitted in a way that is understandable. SALUTE Size – size of the spotted element Activity – what is the contact doing Location – where has the contact been spotted Uniforms – contact uniforms or other identifying characteristics Time – when was the contact spotted Equipment – what equipment does the contact use SITREP Sitrep is used to report the general situation of an element to the other elements. It is conducted in these steps: Establish radio comms Our position and the distribution of our forces Short description of current actions of our element Short description of planned actions of our element What is needed (ammunition/medical supplies/etc.) SPOTREP Spotrep is used to report the enemy, your own plans and required support. It’s conducted in these steps: Establish radio comms Enemy position and description Your position and planned actions Required supports (if necessary/available)

Arma 3 Event Player count: 10 sign-ups [6 reserve] Fallen Comrade SATURDAY 14th MARCH 2026 - 1700hrs GMT (PRT) training session 1 hour earlier as per tradition (I'll think of something to do) Server name: VETERANS-GAMING | Fallen Comrade| TS3.VETERANS-GAMING.COM IP: 5.9.23.136:2402 Password: --- MAP: Isla Pera BACKGROUND: As Russian international position weakens another ally is struggling with internal issues. A military coup nearly decapitated the authoritarian government. Thanks to the loyalists, the rebels were pushed back to the jungle, but they aren't giving up. Attacks on military patrols and convoys in and around the jungle happen almost every day. It's just a matter of time rebels march for the presidential palace. Only an intervention can save the people in power. OBJECTIVE: Russia does not have many resources to use in a situation like this. The only asset capable of such mission is the FSBs Alpha Group. A strike team with a JTAC attached has been sent to clear out some of the jungle. MODS: req.htmlreq_opt.html [Alpha 1] Team Leader: Demolition Specialist: =VG= Sphee CLS: =VG= chickenjason JTAC: =VG= Polish Operator: =VG= Nyther Operator: MeatBaller [Alpha 2] Sniper: Pew_Pew Spotter: DangerDaily [Grom 1] SU-25 Pilot: =VG= keed [Grom 2] SU-25 (only if all A1 slots taken) Pilot: [Alpha 3] - reserve Team Leader: =VG= X0R Operator: Revox Operator: =VG= Connor Operator: kedi Operator: Operator: if enough people want to join, I'll add different kits for the reserve squad. There are no hard limits on player count, so if we have many more interested in joining, I'll change things around.

An RTO is responsible for configuring the communications of the element they’re part of. The best way to show what this is by showing an example. Let’s take a look at a battle group composed of infantry and some assets. We can already see a clear command structure. Overlord is the high command (usually zeus/mission maker). Godfather is the command element within the combat group. They command three squads of infantry of which one is mechanized and works with a Bradley callsign Hammer. We can also see three M1A2s commanded by Sword 1-1 and two JTACs linked with Godfather that manage air support from two Blackhawks and two F-16s. Every element is written down in this order: Callsign | SL, COC (chain of command) | Internal radio freq/asset. This visualization of the command structure serves to ease communication. As you can see there are six different long range radio channels. Without a couple RTOs this unit is not battle ready. This is one of many ways of creating what is sometimes called a tree. The most important rules are that it clearly shows the command structure, chain of command and communication channels.

The equipment that you will need depends on your task and the assets you have to complete it. In Arma it will also depend on what kind of mods you use. Map and navigation Map Compass Map Tools Map flashlight (dependent on ACE settings) GPS cTAB MicroDagr/Dagr Target designation: Colored smokes Vector 21 (or other rangefinders) Laser designator IR Grenades Chemlights Flares Colored Panels IR Strobes Grenade launcher with colored smokes, flares etc. Tracer rounds IR laser Comms: Short range radio Long range radio SATCOM antenna cTAB Keep in mind some of the equipment is mod dependent and might not be available to you at all times. As you can see there is a ton of equipment that can be useful in the field. And as you can probably imagine there is absolutely no way you can carry enough of everything. That’s why equipment optimalization is key when playing as RTO/JTAC. It is as important to fit your mission as it is to fit your terrain, time of day or equipment of friendlies and enemies.

Land navigation is a skill that every mil-sim player should possess. Without it you become absolutely useless the second you lose your GPS. Thankfully using a map, a compass, map tools and your brain is not that hard. I’ll cover the equipment necessary, how to read a map, how to lo Equipment For basic navigation you’ll need: Map Compass Map tools Additionally remember to bring a flashlight when operating at night. Map reading Maps in Arma are very accurate, that’s why it helps a lot to know how to read them. I will show an example of a map fragment from Altis to illustrate some of the basics. I am using the Enhanced Map Ace Version mod which makes maps a bit more realistic. Using this button we can switch between satellite view with topographic markings and clean topographic map. The latter is usually better for navigation because there’s less clutter on the map. Roads are marked with different colors depending on how big they are. Usually the brighter the color the bigger a road. Here we can see grey marking a relatively small road and yellow marking mor major road. Boxes with symbols in them mark certain structures. On this fragment we can see windmills on the west and a church in the town of Abdera. Additionally some smaller symbols show up like chapels by the roads and more importantly rocks in many places. Buildings like in this small town are marked with grey boxes resembling their real shape. Sometimes powerlines are marked on maps giving us yet another reference point to navigate by. These numbers mark the height above sea level. They are not hill numbers but only their height. Communicating by using the numbers as names of the hills can be misleading. Possibly the most important take away from this example the contour lines. Contour lines are all of the tiny brown lines that litter the entire map. They show us at what height above sea level a certain place is. On this map we can see that every interval is 5 meters in elevation which means every line is 5 meters above or below the line next to it. Additionally the slightly fatter lines are in this example 25 meters apart. In Arma the map is interactive, which means it will change the level of detail as you zoom in and out. That also applies to the contour lines. The distance between the lines will change abut it’s always shown in the bottom left corner. Because the vertical distance between every line is the same we can easily tell if a hill is steep or not. The closer the lines are to each other, the steeper the slope and the other way around, the further they are the slope is less steep. By learning to read contour lines we can easily not only orient ourselves in the terrain but also find suitable routes that give us enough cover. Contour lines are also drawn on water where they symbolize the depth. Of course there are many more symbols on maps, but I think they are pretty self-explanatory. Of course the green is trees and the blue is water. And in the middle of the fragment we can see a landing strip marked. Using the map tools Map tools can be found in the Tools section in the arsenal. You do not have to equip them in any specific slot, but only have them somewhere in your inventory. To open them on the map you use ACE self-interact (default: ctrl+win) while your map is open. You select Map Tools and then small or normal map tools. Those lines are used for measuring distance. They are exactly 1kmx1km no matter how much you zoom in or out the map. The line on the side of the tool is 3km long and is also used for measuring range. The circle in the middle of the tool is used for measuring azimuth on the map. The inner circle is marked with degrees and the outer with milliradians. By holding alt and left click you can rotate the tool to fit whatever you’re measuring. To drag the tool hold left click and move it around. And if you need to draw a line (ctrl+left click) on what you’re measuring the tool will make sure it is straight. Orienting the map To start creating a route we first need to know where we are. For that purpose we have to find a way to locate our position on the map. There are a couple ways of doing this: Landmarks – if we are next to a high tower next to a river, it will be easy to find a tower on the map and the river next to it. Then we just have to double check it with something else like terrain features and we’re good to go. Terrain association – this is a process of looking around, noting the terrain features (hills, rivers, buildings, etc.) and trying to find a place on the map that resembles it. Triangulation – for this you would have to see some landmarks. If you do you can measure an azimuth (using a compass) to each landmark and then draw a line on that azimuth from each landmark. The place where all three lines intersect is your position. If you have a rangefinder or some other way of measuring range, you can do this with only one land mark. You simply draw the line on the correct azimuth and measure how far away from the object you are. Then mark that position on the map. When trying to orient the map, altitude is your friend. The higher you are, generally, the more landmarks and terrain features you see. That allows for greater detail in locating your position. Planning a route I will not focus on the tactical planning of a route one should take to have the most advantageous position in case of a contact. I will show only how to move from point A to point B without getting lost. And for that there are two ways. In this situation I have to move south towards some position. The position is not clearly marked and has no real features so it might be easy to miss. The first way of doing this is to set an azimuth towards the target and start walking. This is generally the preferred method only if there are not landmarks to guide you. Using this method it is easy to deviate from the path, miss the objective and worse. The preferred way of doing things is finding waypoints that we know will be easily to locate if we can get in their general area. In this example I decided to head for a house with a driveway. It will be easy to locate even if I miss it by a 100 meters or more. Then almost directly south of the house is a ridgeline. I choose the highest point of the ridgeline as a waypoint because it will probably be visible from the house itself and even if not, it will be easy to find even once I’m on the ridge. From there I go almost straight south. This is where the issues start but thankfully the lowest point of the valley floor is clearly visible on the map. I go looking for that. Once I find that I follow the valley floor and it leads me straight to my objective. Most of the time setting waypoints will take time and the route will be longer, but it will save you from getting lost. Often when anticipating enemy contact you will move from landmark to land mark anyways because that might give you the best cover.

Single letters transmitted over radio can be misheard which on a battlefield can have dire consequences. That’s why for decades now armies have used certain words to be used instead of letters. The most common nowadays is the NATO/ICAO phonetic alphabet used by many militaries and civilian air transport. Symbol Code word English respelling A Alfa AL fah B Bravo BRAH voh C Charlie CHAR lee (or SHAR lee) D Delta DELL tah E Echo ECK oh F Foxtrot FOKS trot G Golf golf H Hotel ho TELL I India IN dee ah J Juliett JEW lee ETT K Kilo KEY loh L Lima LEE mah M Mike mike N November no VEM ber O Oscar OSS cah P Papa pah PAH Q Quebec keh BECK R Romeo ROW me oh S Sierra see AIR rah T Tango TANG go U Uniform YOU nee form (or OO nee form) V Victor VIK tah W Whiskey WISS key X Xray, x-ray ECKS ray Y Yankee YANG key Z Zulu ZOO loo

An RTO (Radio Telephone Operator) is one of the most important roles in a unit. Without a radio the unit has no information. Without information a unit is useless. That’s why the RTO communicates with other elements. Most of the time it will be comms between squads, assets and the HQ but an RTO is often tasked with calling in supports such as artillery fire or coordinating helicopter transport and MED/CASEVACs. A JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller) is often a part of a TACP (Tactical Air Control Party) responsible for controlling all air activity and air support in an AO. In Arma JTACs are usually attached to infantry squads and are responsible for guiding in CAS to support the ground element. JTACs are also capable of calling in artillery support, transport and MED/CASEVACs. The base knowledge of any RTOs or JTACs work should be how to take care of their radios as otherwise they are useless. In Arma it means knowing how to squeeze everything out of your radio by knowing every feature it has, but also knowing it’s limitations. For basic radio information check out the guide I made on it, but remember that skill comes with experience.