An opposing force (OPFOR) is a military unit representing an enemy in war game training scenarios, helping to create realistic combat exercises. Some air forces utilize aggressor squadrons, specialized units designed to mimic enemy tactics and equipment. While a basic opposing force may simply have different objectives in a single scenario, many armies maintain dedicated groups trained to replicate real-life foes closely. To avoid diplomatic issues, these training enemies often use fictional names but retain similar military characteristics to actual adversaries, enhancing the realism and effectiveness of the exercises.
Units
Canada
The Canadian Armed Forces has OPFOR units from the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre.1
China
Further information: 195th Combined Arms Brigade (People's Republic of China)
Further information: 66th Brigade (People's Republic of China)
France
In the French Army, a FORAD (FORce ADverse, enemy force) is used to train the army, in both the centre d'entraînement au combat (CENTAC, Combat Training Center) of Mailly-le-Camp2 and in the centre d'entraînement aux actions en zone urbaine (CENZUB, Urban Operations Training Centre).3 Declassed AMX-30 tanks were used to simulate Soviet T-72s,4 until 2018.5
Republic of Korea
Further information: Korea Combat Training Center
Japan
Further information: Tactical Fighter Training Group (JASDF)
United States
There are three major training centers that utilize home-based OPFOR units for the US Army:
- The National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California—home unit is the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (the Blackhorse)6
- The Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Johnson, Louisiana—home unit is the 1st Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment (the Geronimos)7
- The Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC)—formerly known as the Combat Maneuver Training Center (CMTC)—at Hohenfels, Germany8—home unit is the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment (Separate) (the Warriors)
Over time, the Army has patterned the OPFOR units after real or imagined opponents and given them various fictional names, even though the US Army denies any resemblance.
"Circle Triagonists" - patterned after the Wehrmacht from 1947-1978.9
"Krasnovians" - patterned after the Soviet Red Army from 1978-1990 at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin.10
The People's Republic of Pineland - a make believe foe for Army Special Forces candidates to face in their final test.
The Island of Aragon - an invasion scenario for troops to play out at the US Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
Attica - a crisis to handle at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Various US military installations or major units have their own local versions of opposing force used for training exercises. The joint Australian–US military exercise "Crocodile '03" featured an Australian-led opposing force in which soldiers from a range of Australian units worked together with a US Marine Corps contingent.11
Several state defense forces have served as OPFOR units when training with the National Guard. The California State Guard,12 the Georgia State Defense Force,13 and the New York Guard14 have provided OPFOR services to their respective National Guard counterparts. In 2018, the Georgia State Defense Force established the OPFOR Battalion15 to assist National Guard Soldiers with pre-deployment training.
Rank Insignia
Officer Ranks | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circle Trigonists Army (1953-1962) | Marshall | General of the Army | General of a Corps | General of a Divsion | General of a Brigade | Colonel | Commandant | Major | Captain | Lieutenant | Sub Lieutanant |
| Circle Trigonists Army (1962-1978) | Marshall | General of the Armies | General of the Army | General of a Division | General of a Brigade | Colonel | Commandant | Major | Captain | Lieutenant | Sub Lieutenant |
| Krasnovian Army OPFOR (1978-present) | Colonel | Lt. Colonel | Major | Captain | Lieutenant | Junior Lieutenant | |||||
Enlisted Ranks | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Insignia | ||||||||
| Circle Trigonists Army (1953-1962) | Sergeant Major | Senior Sergeant | Staff Sergeant | Platoon Sergeant | Section Sergeant | Corporal | Senior Private | Private |
| Circle Trigonists Army (1962-1978) | Sergeant Major | Senior Sergeant | Staff Sergeant | Platoon Sergeant | Section Sergeant | Corporal | Senor Solider | Soldier |
| Krasnovian Army OPFOR (1978-present) | Sergeant Major | Senior Sergeant | Sergeant | Junior Sergeant | Corporal | Private | ||
Gallery
Notes
Further reading
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Opposing forces.- Validating the "Enemy" (discusses the United States Army OPFOR units and post-Cold War changes to OPFOR.)
- The Circle Trigonists (Aggressors), a summary of the opposing force Aggressor used by the United States Army from ca. 1946–1978
References
"Archived - Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre (CMTC) Opposing Force (OPFOR) Facility". Archived from the original on 2016-12-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20161207153039/https://www.ceaa.gc.ca/052/details-eng.cfm?pid=32878 ↩
"CENTAC/5e régiment de Dragons" [CENTAC/5th Dragoon Regiment]. Batailles & Blindés (in French). No. Hors Série 24. 2014. pp. 52–55. ISSN 1950-8751. /wiki/ISSN_(identifier) ↩
"Dans la ville fantôme de Jeoffrécourt, les armées étrangères simulent la guerre" [In the ghost town of Jeoffrécourt, foreign armies simulate war]. Le Point (in French). Agence France-Presse. 8 May 2016. https://www.lepoint.fr/societe/dans-la-ville-fantome-de-jeoffrecourt-les-armees-etrangeres-simulent-la-guerre-08-05-2016-2037740_23.php ↩
"CENTAC/5e régiment de Dragons" [CENTAC/5th Dragoon Regiment]. Batailles & Blindés (in French). No. Hors Série 24. 2014. pp. 52–55. ISSN 1950-8751. /wiki/ISSN_(identifier) ↩
Lagneau, Laurent (17 October 2018). "Le 5e Régiment de Dragons se sépare de ses derniers chars AMX-30 Brenus" [The 5th Dragoons Regiment separates from its last AMX-30 Brenus tanks]. opex360.com (in French). http://www.opex360.com/2018/10/17/le-5e-regiment-de-dragons-se-separe-de-ses-derniers-chars-amx-30-brenus/ ↩
"Brave Rifles OPFOR dominates at NTC". 28 June 2018. http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/news/brave-rifles-opfor-dominates-at-ntc/article_c5347e44-7a1b-11e8-8d7b-d3f18cc18bec.html ↩
"Paratroopers refine war fighting skills at the Joint Readiness Training Center". Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. 6 September 2011. https://www.jber.jb.mil/News/News-Articles/Article/291020/paratroopers-refine-war-fighting-skills-at-the-joint-readiness-training-center/ ↩
"Army.mil". Archived from the original on 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2020-04-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20180326223100/http://www.hohenfels.army.mil/ ↩
TREVITHICK, JOSEPH (July 23, 2014). "The U.S. Army Once Created a Whole Alternate History For Its War Games". Medium. Retrieved July 6, 2025. https://medium.com/war-is-boring/the-u-s-army-once-created-a-whole-alternate-history-for-its-war-games-e733acd8438d ↩
Brown, David W. (Feb 12, 2025). "5 Fictional Countries Where the U.S. Army is Trained to Fight". Mental Floss. Retrieved July 6, 2025. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/31437/5-fictional-countries-where-us-army-trained-fight ↩
Wellfare, John. "Exercise Crocodile '03: You win some, you lose some". Army: The Soldiers' Newspaper. http://www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews/editions/1084/features/feature01a.htm ↩
"OPFOR". 1st Battalion (MP), 2nd Brigade (Civil Support), California State Military Reserve. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160118090016/http://4thmpbnpmo.com/opfor.htm ↩
Seay, Howard (8 May 2015). "Operation Roughrider Cold". Heads up. 11 (1). Georgia State Defense Force: 3. Retrieved 16 November 2015. http://issuu.com/allanhayesgsdf/docs/headsup_june2015 ↩
Mendie, Ubon (31 March 2009). "N.Y. Guard 'Brings the Fight' to Fighting 69th". Guard Times Magazine. p. 36. Retrieved 22 December 2018. https://issuu.com/nynationalguard/docs/gt_spring09 ↩
"OPFOR Battalion". Georgia State Defense Force. Retrieved 2019-12-10. https://paonews.net/units/opfor/ ↩