Unit Structure

The 1st Rapid Response Force follows a Task Force structure roughly modelled around a standard US Army company.

Notable variations from real life doctrine

No NCOs above the platoon level

The highest level NCOs in the unit act at the Platoon level as platoon sergeants. Above this we merge the NCO role with the Executive Officer role to create a single deputy role to the Commanding Officer at that level.

Generally speaking we treat NCO positions as a pathway to the Officer Corps and therefore do not offer long term leadership progression above the platoon level to the NCO corps. This typically means that some of the most experienced people in the unit are officers as opposed to in the real army where an NCO will often have vastly more experience than the officer under whom he works.

Staff departments are not full time positions

Our S-Departments are not staffed full time. This means that everyone in an S Department is also in a combat position. We do not confer rank or secondary chain of command within Staff Departments and instead operate on a simple team model of equal positioning reporting to a single officer. Unlike in real life the Staff Departments are purely for out of game tasks such as managing the modpack, handling recruitment, updating personnel files or maintaining this documentation.

Although we greatly appreciate and encourage members to contribute to an S-Department it does not offer any direct rewards to members. We do not believe that rewarding promotion points for actions not directly related to simulation is in the best long run interest of our community.

The only time at which staff departments assist with promotion is for members who wish to move into the Officer corps - at this time a promotion board will look favourably upon candidates who have participated in a staff deparment as a reflection of their overall commitment to the group.

High Level Overview

At a high level the group consists of a Headquarters and Headquarters Company element that houses the Unit Commander and the Executive Officer - the two highest ranking officials in the unit. HHC also houses the Staff Departments and is directly responsible for their operations and rostering.

Beneath HHC the unit is divided into combat elements which are on of a platoon size infantry elements or a detachment formation such as an aviation squadron or special forces asset. The exact number of platoons and detached forces varies as the size of the unit fluctuates however we aim to maintain at least the following as a minimum deployment capability:

  • 1 Fully Staffed Infantry Platoon
  • 1 Squadron of Rotary Aviation
  • 1 Squadron of Fixed Wing Aviation
  • 1 ODA Team

Each of these combat elements has an Officer In Charge ( typically something between an O1 and a O3 depending on the size and seniority of the formation ) as well as an NCO or Warrant Officer in charge who acts as a second in command. Elements at this level are independently responsible for maintaining their own combat readiness including rostering, promotion, training and discipline.

The general formations are outlined below with more detailed operational information available in the relevant subsections of the field manual for each element.

An Infantry Platoon

Infantry Platoons are formed of four squads of nine men and a command element. Each platoon maintains its own medical and FAC capability within the command element and is responsible for maintaining these capabilities within the platoon.

The command element of an infantry platoon is composed of a Platoon Leader (PL), a Platoon Sergeant (PSG), a Radio Operator (RTO), a Forward Air Controller (FAC) and a Platoon Medic (PMed). Whilst not fulfilling their specialist roles the Radio Operator, Forward Air Controller and Medic operate as a Security Detail for the Platoon Leader.

Below the Platoon Command Element are four infantry squads consisting of one squad leader, two fire team leaders and eight infantry personnel. Infantry personnel can receive training in a diverse array of specialist abilities and will carry the special equipment required to fulfill their assigned role such as a grenade launcher, Squad Automatic Weapon or medical supplies. Squad leaders are responsible for training the members of their squad from basic training all the way through to NCO training.

Rotary Aviation

Rotary Aviation squadrons consist of four aircraft of two personnel: A pilot and a copilot. We do not allocate ground or weapons crew at this time although we may in the future pending interest from players in fulfilling the role.

Aircraft operate in squadrons and report to the Squadron Commanding Officer. Squadron’s will also have an Executive Officer who is the 2IC of the squadron and will normally fly in a seperate aircraft to provide a facility for succession of command in the event an aircraft is lost or otherwise unable to continue.

Fixed Wing Aviation

Fixed Wing Aviation is split into squadrons of two aircraft of two personnel: A pilot and a copilot. In the event that the aircraft being used does not seat two pilots ( such as the A10 ) then each pilot will fly their own aircraft to create a squadron of four aircrafts of one personnel.

Fixed wing squadrons use the same reporting structure as their rotary colleagues.