Indian Army’s senior officials have recently made the headlines with their plans to establish a groundbreaking unit aimed at simulating the role of adversaries during military exercises and wargame training, according to reports. The officials revealed that the creation of the new unit, OPFOR, short for “opposing forces,” is currently in the discussion phase and awaits final approval from the Army’s higher authorities.
The officials reported that the genesis of the idea emerged during the Army Commanders’ Conference held last month. According to the reports, top officers deliberated on the potential benefits of forming a specialized organization capable of acting as a realistic adversary. Drawing inspiration from nations like the United States, which have successfully implemented similar concepts, the Indian Army aims to enhance its combat readiness through tailored wargaming and training.
The officials familiar with the matter, further mentioned that the proposed unit will be composed of personnel drawn from existing formations. They elaborated that the primary objective of the unit will be to emulate the weaponry, tactics, and operational strategies employed by adversaries, providing regular troops with a scenario closely resembling actual combat situations.
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Traditionally, military exercises categorize participating troops into “blue land” and “red/yellow land,” with the latter representing adversarial forces. While the Army currently offers courses on the organizational roles and tactics of adversarial forces, these are primarily reserved for officers.
The existing REDFOR (red forces) unit, operating under the Army’s training command, ARTRAC, oversees the validation of exercises and wargaming plans through paper and sand model simulations. Additionally, various commands maintain war centers where computer-generated models simulate different scenarios using artificial intelligence.
The introduction of OPFOR promises to revolutionize military training by providing participating troops with firsthand experience during on-ground exercises. By spotlighting the strengths and weaknesses of participating formations, this initiative aims to bolster combat effectiveness across all ranks, transcending the current limitations that confine wargaming activities to officers and select personnel.
