Also, propelled by a modified F-16 jet turbine engine, making it the fastest moving tracked vehicle on the battlefield.
Basic Armament: 120mm smoothbore cannon (Effective range: 6000m+)
7.62mm coax MG
50 Cal MG (turret ring)
7.62mm MG (loader)
Bradley: M-2 Bradley. The Army’s heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle. More than a “battle taxi,” it’s intended to fight alongside the 6 man (9 in a pinch) infantry squad it transports. Crew of 3. Armor several times stronger than that of a M113, but a fraction of a true tank.
Basic Armament: 1x 25mm Bushmaster automatic cannon
1x 7.62mm coax M240B (400m effective range)
2x TOW Antitank guided missiles (2000m effective range)
M-4: An M-16 with a slightly shorter barrel and “collapsible” buttstock. The standard rifle of the infantry and most combat arms branches (Infantry, Armor, Artillery, Combat Engineers).
M113: The Army’s generic, turret-less APC. Lightly armored and lightly (if at all) armed. Is essentially a “battle taxi.” Quite adaptable, however, with dozens of modified variants. Most commonly used as: transport for front-line, but non-combat support personnel, mortar carrier, armored ambulance, mobile command center. Minimum crew of 2. Unlike most US equipment, it is cheap and easily maintained.
MBT: Main Battle Tank. Extremely heavily armored and armed tank. Does not carry infantry internally.
NCO: Generic term for all sergeants, from E-5 to E-9’s. Stands for Non-Commissioned Officer. Each letter always sounded out for some reason. Never pronounced “Nico.” Never called “Noncoms” in the modern military.
NODs: Night vision goggles. Officially, Night Observation Devices. Pronounced “nahds.”
OPFOR: Opposing Force. Mainly called so in training.
OpOrder: Operations Order. General plan.
QRF: Quick Reaction Force.
Reaper drone: MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. The latest, hunter-killer variety of the famous Predator surveillance drone. Can deliver 3,800 lbs of ordinance out to a range of 1,150 miles.
ROE: Rules of engagement. General guidelines for the use of force, usually accompanied by a list of situational specific do or don’t shoot. Always prefaced with the disclaimer, “Nothing in these Rules of Engagement limits your right to take appropriate action to defend yourself and your unit.”
SAW: M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. Standard light machine gun, 5.56mm. Replaced the Vietnam-era M-60. Pronounced simply “saw.” Fires the exact same ammo as the M16, but belt-fed. Can fire from a standard magazine in a pinch, but that drastically ups the failure to feed rate (jamming).
S-X: The command staff of a unit. Starting at Battalion level and higher, each unit’s headquarters staff has 6 “S Shops.” Divisions and Corps designations start with G:
— S-1: Personnel and general administration. Roughly equivalent to civilian HR.
— S-2: intelligence/counter-intelligence.
— S-3: Operations & Training. The largest section. Responsible for turning the commander’s general directives into detailed plans and “managing” the battle.
— S-4: Supply & Maintenance
— S-5: Civil Affairs/Psychological Operations.
— S-6: Signal (communications/IT)
TC: Track (or vehicle) commander. Every military vehicle has a minimum crew of 2: driver and track/vehicle commander.
TOC: Tactical Operations Center. Fancy way to say command post.
TOW: Tube launched, Optically tracked, Wire guided missile. Most powerful ground-launched anti-tank missile in the arsenal. The modern varieties can be guided to their target via remote control out to a range of 4.5 km. Mounted on a tripod or vehicle. Delivers tandem shaped charge warheads (5.9 kg HE) that are able to penetrate at least 16 inches of solid steel.
WILCO: Radio speak for “Will comply.” Often used as a way to express displeasure or disagreement with an order without openly stating so.
Comparative Strength of URA vs USA at start of the First Midwest Campaign
Economic
14 States: Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska
Population: 77 million
Civilian population of prime military age (18–24): 8 million
GDP per Capita: $52,302.08 (25 % of previous GDP)
Crude Oil production: 807 million barrels /year
Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold: $375.5 billion
Economic
34 States: The rest of old USA minus Texas and Oklahoma but including occupied Florida
Population: 210 million (counting occupied Florida)
Civilian population of prime military age (18–24): 20.5 million
GDP per Capita: $49,368.31 (65 % of previous GDP)
Crude Oil Production: 1.03 billion barrels /year
Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold: $1.127 trillion
Military
URA Nuclear Warheads: 1,800 of all types, estimated 200–600 operational
All were disarmed prior to capture, but several hundred are believed to have been refurbished and readied for use.
USA Nuclear Warheads: 5,900 of all types
Ground Forces (Army/Marines): including Reservists and NG. This represents strength at the beginning of the Midwest campaign. Both sides have hundreds of thousands of troops in training and thousands of weapons platforms under construction.
Troops: URA: 703,000 USA: 1,408,000
MBT: URA: 2,900 USA: 5,400
IFV: URA: 3,100 USA: 5,600
APC: URA: 4,100 USA: 8,700
Artillery Pieces (counting MLRS, except mortars): URA 1,800 USA: 3,300
Air Defense Missile Launchers: URA: 740 USA: 1,400
Attack Helicopters: URA: 400 USA: 800
Air Power:
URA Air Arm (AF/Navy/Marine):
1,124 combat aircraft of all types, not counting helicopters/UAV/support aircraft
USA Air Arm (AF/Navy/Marine):
2,574 combat aircraft of all types, not counting helicopters/UAV/support aircraft
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URA Navy:
75 major vessels, including 2 Aircraft Carriers, on paper
50 available, including 1 Carrier, for deployment due to manpower shortages
USA Navy: 210 major vessels, including 8 Aircraft Carriers and all ballistic missile submarines
Paramilitary
URA Paramilitary:
— 25,000 official militia members, “Freedom Brigades” (privately funded/controlled), High quality and allied with the URA, but directly loyal to their sponsors.
- ~600,000 volunteers undergoing regular military training. Many will be thrown into the desperate Midwest campaign against federal forces with only a few days training and still in civilian clothes.