Campaign TDG Part I: Radar Raid

You are in command of 1st Platoon, Echo Company, 3rd Battalion, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). While you are underway with the Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group, forces from the Central Asian nation of Dirka-Dirkastan invade the neighboring nation of Kerplakistan. Both nations are former Soviet holdings. Dirka-Dirkastan is ruled by a maverick general and his military council. Kerplakistan holds noteworthy reserves of natural gas and copper ore, and minor reserves of unexploited petroleum; it is also a nuclear power on the order of Pakistan and India.

While the People's Islamic Army of Dirka-Dirkastan suffers from some supply issues, their senior officer corps benefits from former service in the Red Army; many senior non-commissioned officers had combat experience in Afghanistan, and a handful have experience in Chechnya. Kerplakistan is a developing democracy with a predominately Muslim population; the Kerplakistani National Army is well trained, and equipped with both surplus Soviet/Russian equipment and limited Western systems as a result of favorable relations with the United States and the United Kingdom. While the likelihood of the PIAD successfully occupying and consolidating gains in Kerplakistan is low, the ability of the KNA to force a Dirkastani withdrawal is also low.

While the invasive capacity of the PIAD is limited, their defensive capacity is effective, particularly their air defense and command and control capacity. Dirka-Dirkastan subscribes to Soviet/Russian military doctrine, requiring that all operational and upper-level tactical decision-making take place at the highest levels of Dirkastani military leadership. Because of this, the S-2 has determined that the critical vulnerability of the PIAD is their command and control facilities within Dirka-Dirkastan.

This incursion by Dirkastani forces has led to an international outcry. Because of its favorable relationship with the United States, the Commander in Chief has initiated diplomatic and economic measures to punish Dirka-Dirkastan. In addition, the Boxer ESG has been rerouted in order to place the 15th MEU within range of the area.

You receive a warning order to prepare for a covert operation inside Dirka-Dirkastan, aimed at disrupting PIAD operations in Kerplakistan. You are tasked with disabling, not destroying, the al Khamsa Radar Station, one of six stations used by the PIAD for both remote sensing and command and control. The al Khamsa station is located fifteen miles from the Dirkastani/Kerplakistani border. Your platoon will be inserted by two MH-53 aircraft, which will be escorted by two AH-1 SuperCobra gunships; your insertion will be covered by Navy AWACS aircraft in order to prevent detection by Dirkastani forces. Once your insertion is complete, your platoon will maintain radio silence and hump the remaining distance to the al Khamsa site. Your insertion will place you in the al Bahairat Noor Basin, east-northeast of the objective.

The al Khamsa Radar Station is located in a small lake basin; the dominating feature of the basin is a small dry-lake, and the site is surrounded by tall, rolling, rocky hills. The facility consists of one large radar dish, eight adjacent buildings, and a garage/barracks several hundred yards from the main station. The garage/barracks buildings are separated from the main site by a hill, eliminating line-of-sight from one location to the other. The station is staffed by a support crew of twenty to thirty specialists and guarded by a security section of two motorized rifle squads on a rotating schedule.

While most of the Dirkastani forces are committed to the invasion of Kerplakistan, a reserve force has been kept behind. Satellite imagery indicates that the nearest PIAD unit is the 32nd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment, located approximately one hour northwest of the al Khamsa site. Tactical planning and rules of engagement should reflect a commitment to stealth and expediency for two reasons: because of the relative proximity of the reserve forces, and because simultaneous operations are being conducted at two of the other five radar stations on the Dirka-Dirkastani/Kerplaki border. In addition to your standard platoon of forty-one, you have been assigned two sniper/spotter teams composed of two men apiece, as well as two intelligence specialists and two demolitions specialists.

Your primary objective is disabling the al Khamsa Radar Station - operation of the station must be disabled, but destruction is only authorized if disabling the site is deemed impossible upon arrival at the objective. Upon completion of the mission, you will hump back to the insertion point, then break radio silence and call for extraction. Emergency extraction will be available in the event of mission compromise. In a time limit of one hour, provide a detailed assault plan to include maneuvering instructions for your three rifle squads and two sniper/spotter teams.