Opposing force
An opposing force is a military unit tasked with representing an enemy, usually for training purposes in war game scenarios. The related concept of aggressor squadron is used by some air forces.
At a basic level, a unit might serve as an opposing force for a single scenario, differing from its 'opponents' only in the objectives it is given. However, major armies commonly maintain specialized groups trained to accurately replicate real-life enemies, to provide a more realistic experience for their training opponents.
Units
Canada
The Canadian Armed Forces has OPFOR units from the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre.China
France
In the French Army, a FORAD is used to train the army, in both the centre d'entraînement au combat of Mailly-le-Camp and in the centre d'entraînement aux actions en zone urbaine. Declassed AMX-30 tanks were used to simulate Soviet T-72s, until 2018.Republic of Korea
Japan
United States
There are three major training centers that utilize home-based OPFOR units for the US Army:- The National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California—home unit is the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
- The Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana—home unit is the 1st Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment
- The Joint Multinational Readiness Center —formerly known as the Combat Maneuver Training Center —at Hohenfels, Germany—home unit is the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment
"Circle Triagonists" - patterned after the Wehrmacht from 1947 to 1978.
"Krasnovians" - patterned after the Soviet Red Army from 1978 to 1990 at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin.
The People's Republic of Pineland - a make believe foe for Army Special Forces candidates to face in their final test.
The Island of Aragon - an invasion scenario for troops to play out at the US Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
Attica - a crisis to handle at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Various US military installations or major units have their own local versions of opposing force used for training exercises. The joint Australian–US military exercise "Crocodile '03" featured an Australian-led opposing force in which soldiers from a range of Australian units worked together with a US Marine Corps contingent.
Several state defense forces have served as OPFOR units when training with the National Guard. The California State Guard, the Georgia State Defense Force, and the New York Guard have provided OPFOR services to their respective National Guard counterparts. In 2018, the Georgia State Defense Force established the OPFOR Battalion to assist National Guard Soldiers with pre-deployment training.
Ranks
Officer ranks
Other ranks
Often, the colour of the epaulette shows what specialisation the particular OPFOR soldier has. Green is worn by everyday soldiers, red by fusiliers, and blue by airborne forces.