Basic Infantry: Introduction - Team Dynamic

Basic Command structure

What is a chain of command

A chain of command is an organized structure where instructions and orders are passed from one person to another.

Each level of a chain of command has its leader, the guy in charge of passing things up and down. Without these leaders, a combat element will not be effective in combat.

What is a Fireteam, Squad and Platoon

While current numbers in Cluster Community do not reach Battalion levels, the lower steps on the ladder still apply.

A fireteam is composed of 3 to 4 individuals, it is the foundation of a combat unit, cutting up a squad into fireteams allows for more maneuverability and overall effectiveness. It is lead by a fireteam leader, who will report to the Squad leader. Most of the orders given by said fireteam leader will be simple movement and instructions. Unlike all other elements of our chain of command, while it’s rare, a fireteam may not a have an appointed leader.

A squad can be a single 10 to 15 men element or a collection of 2 to 4 fireteams depending on the mission and player base. It is the most common form of element you will see in CC’s mission. It’s run by the squad leader, his responsibilities are much higher than that of a fireteam leader, he will tell you where to go, what to equip for your mission and what to do. He is responsible for the tactics employed by the team on the ground.

A platoon is a collection of 2 to 3 squads, while these may be doing completely different things in different places of the AO (Area of Operations). There may be missions with only one squad but with a Platoon leader either way. He is responsible for the mission. The platoon daddy will organize the mission based on the briefing given by the mission’s Zeus. He is usually accompanied by a medic and other specialized roles. This man will become the dad you never had. Mission success is highly dependent on him. Protect him at all costs.

Basic combat roles and their tasks

In Arma you are not a one-man army, you cannot do everything. Just like in real life, everyone has a role and a specific job to do.

What are the different and most common combat roles you will encounter on the battlefield and what do they do:

Rifleman/grenadier

Rifleman is the most basic role you’ll find in the battlefield. In most real armies, during basic, you get trained as a rifleman. It is the “easiest job” to fill out.

Your job as a rifleman will be to send rounds downrange effectively and accurately. You may be asked to carry extra supplies for other combat roles that may not have the capacity to carry all they need.

Grenadier is also included in this role, grenade launchers (Rifle grenades or 40mm grenades, commonly called forty mike mikes) since it is the simplest specialty weapon to learn, and it causes many casualties on the battlefield

A rifleman doesn’t have the same responsibilities other roles may have, but like any other role, they are vital for mission success.

-Leaders

As mentioned in the chain of command paragraph, leaders are some of the most important people in the AO.

Depending on their position in the chain of command, they will have different levels of responsibility.

Your job as a squad member will be to listen and execute what your commanding leader will tell you. You can always ask the why for certain orders, but this is something you should keep for briefing since it can be a nightmare for a squad leader to coordinate multiple elements with people questioning every one of their actions

Since you are going through Basic training, we will not spend too much time on this. But if you are interested down the line to try this position, we are very open since we do not have many leaders.

Medics

Medics are the people who will patch you up when you get hurt. Without them, a team cannot survive very long.

They mainly carry medical gear on top of a regular combat load, in larger quantities and more specific items that you cannot really use unless you have the medic role.

A thing to keep in mind is that in case of a mass-cas (mass casualty event, meaning a lot of players are down) medics will prioritize, they will get the more important players back and breathing before you. Be patient and they will get you.

Machine gunners

Machine gunners are a key player in the battlefield, their main responsibility is to send a lot of rounds quickly down range.

In order to truly understand the role of machine gunner, you need to understand the very important concept of suppression.

Suppression is when you send many rounds down range in quick succession to keep the enemy pinned down. Suppressive fire doesn’t have to be accurate; you must shoot in the general direction of the enemy. Many cases, you might not see him, but you can hear where the shots are coming from, shoot in that direction. This is key concept of modern engagements, later in this training you will find examples that illustrate suppressive fire.

These are not shots to kill but merely to get the enemy down so that he stops firing at you, to give you an idea, in modern warfare, an average of 20,000 to 100,000 are fired per enemy killed.

Machine guns wielded by machine gunners are made for this situation, they can fire a lot of rounds very quickly without overheating.

You will find different types of machine guns, mainly LMGs, (light machine guns like the M249 SAW or the soviet RPD), MMG (Medium machine guns in a bigger caliber like the M240B or the PKM) and HMG (Heavy machine gun that you will find on vehicles since they are too heavy to be carried around, such as the M2, KPV or DSHK)

Machine gunner is one of the easier roles to fill. It is also extremely fun since you get to shoot a lot and not feel the horrendous weight of a real machine gun.

Machine gunners may have ammo bearers, that will carry extra ammunition to ensure the supply of ammunition for these guns, those ammo bearers are mainly riflemen.

Marksman/Sniper

In the real world, snipers and marksman are two different roles but for simplicity, they have been regrouped within the same category.

A marksman is usually equipped with a rifle chambered in a bigger caliber compared to other squad mates. His job is to engage targets accurately at longer ranges and observing the battlefield from afar.

They usually carry less ammunition than the average rifleman due to the magazines being heavier.

While really cool on paper, you need to have a good understanding and knowledge of Ace’s ballistic system in order to be effective at this role, it is not recommended for new commers, and most missions will not have this role.

Combat engineers

Combat engineers have many tasks, to throw it in simple terms, they are the explosives specialist in your squad.

As a combat engineer your job is to help your squad navigate and get through terrain. They will remove mines and IED (Improvised Explosive devices), carry explosives that will be used to destroy specific objectives.

It is a specialized role that isn’t recommended for new players, but it can be pretty fun if you like blowing things up once you learn the ins and out of the different explosive devices found in Arma.

They are also tasked with repairing vehicles, in fact, you need this role to do it.

Anti-tank

Anti-tank players job’s is simple, destroy enemy vehicles and armor.

They can employ many different weapons, mainly LATs and HATs.

LATs are light anti-tank weapons, they are usually disposable (Like the AT4 or LAW), meaning you get one shot, and the weapon is rendered useless as it’s just a metal tube without any rocket. Riflemen may carry LATs as they are easy to use.

HATs are heavy anti-tank weapons, unlike disposables, they can be reloaded, they have a wide array of different ammunition types ranging from antipersonnel all to way to antitank rockets. They have longer range and require more skills to be used effectively.

You may also encounter anti-air weapons, like the stinger, these are used to shoot down enemy helicopters and planes.

RTOs

Radio telephone operators are radio people, during most mission you will have a radio, these guys get extra radios.

Those radios may be in contact with command but in most cases, they will be in contact with supporting assets, like planes or helicopters (The ladder ones being called JTACs or Joint Tactical Air Controller)

It is one of the more complex roles since it requires a high knowledge of radio communications procedures.

Now that you know most of the roles you will encounter, it is important to note that except from leaders, medic and RTOs, these roles aren’t attached to you, meaning you will get to play with every other role if you feel like it.

If a role you like is taken, you can always ask the player who has it if he is willing to give up his role and pick another one so you can take his place (However this is not guaranteed)