Modern Ops

Good afternoon, you're watching HRB News. First, the headlines.

The bodies of eight American soldiers were found today by an ISAF reconnaissance team approximately sixty miles north of Bagram Air Base. A spokesman from the US Army confirmed that these men were part of a platoon from the 13th Light Infantry Battalion that was ambushed by Taliban forces in the area last week. The Battalion, also known by their nickname "The Damned 13th", is among the hardest-hit ISAF units due, in part, to their series of offensive operations against Taliban training camps along the Afghan-Tajik border.

Three people were killed and five injured in a bomb attack on a small town in western Chechnya. So far, Chechen authorities have declined to give further comment and no group has yet claimed responsibility.

Counter-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean are bolstered by a further Chinese contribution to the joint multinational flotilla. Next to the US Navy, the PLA Navy is the largest contributor, by overall vessel count, to efforts in the region.

A cyber attack briefly shut down the mainframe of British company Extensive Enterprises LLC's head office this morning. E-E's head of public relations, Rani Selvarajah, assured shareholders that operations only stopped for a few minutes and that no important data was stolen. E-E is thought to be leading the charge in the European Union's collaborative efforts in unmanned weapon systems.

Those were the headlines at this hour. Coming up later: ponies with magical powers -- harmless childhood fantasy or the decline of western civilization? Catch the debate at 3pm Eastern, 4pm Central on HRB.

-Shinobi Forces Base, Near the Afghan-Tajik Border-

This was my first deployment ever, and it had to be in the heart of Taliban country! Today was an ordinary day at the base, mostly pulling security and otherwise doing nothing. This was my turn to pull security at the main gate. Holding my M-16 A2 Rifle, I stood at alert, waiting for something.

I heard that the American forces would visit our bases, and investigate the recent attacks on their infantry brigade by the Taliban. So far, the insurgents hadn't attacked our base, but we were close to the site. It would only be a matter of time....

And soon, I heard the distinct noise of the helicopters. Getting my binoculars out, I could see that these were American helicopters, probably looking for Taliban hideouts.

"Here we go..."

Private Takeshi Maehara, a recently recruited soldier into the Japanese Special Forces Group, muttered as he was seated at the rear section of a Japanese Air Self-Defense Force C-130H cargo plane. It was slowly arriving into Afghanistan after refueling at Diego Garcia during a short stop.

He was with fellow SFGp comrades now (He didn't have the time to count how many were in the C-130H with him), being deployed there from the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces' Camp Narashino on orders to conduct a VIP protection mission for an incoming VIP from Tokyo. The group was not given the orders yet since they need to get in touch with ISAF forces once they land. Although most of them knew that it was a big shot from the government who was going to meet with the Afghan president.

"Only thing we got to worry about is we need to fight in this country." said on the SFGp soldiers. "Besides, the Diet doesn't have a law that allows us to be here aside from a permanent peacekeeping law that's being worked on."

"I know. It's a shame indeed." remarked another SFGp soldier. "Pisses me off that Tokyo has to tell us what we can do and what we can't do. When'll they wake up that the big enemy now aside from a hostile state is terrorists?"

Takeshi had to agree with his comrades. The only time that the SFGp was deployed abroad was to protect officials in the Japanese Iraq Reconstruction and Support Group in the early 2000s. Though he heard the whispers and murmurs that there may be someone in Al-Qaeda who is of Japanese descent and that the group needed to apprehend him as much as possible. The young man couldn't know if it was true. Besides, it was likely up to the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces' Military Intelligence Command (MIC) to determine if the rumors are true anyway.

For this operation, all SFGp operators deployed to Afghanistan are currently wear camo and gear based on the recently developed JGSDF Desert Flecktarn Camo, which was first used by their comrades operating in Djibouti as part of the Central Readiness Force's operation in the 4th DAPE (Deployment Air Force for Counter-Piracy Operation) deployment. Most of them were armed with either Howa Type 89-Fs with red dot scopes and vertical foregrips or Colt M4A1s outfitted with M203 grenade launchers and various scopes and sights. All of them had leg holsters for the Heckler & Koch USP.

"Okay people!" A SFGp operator with the rank of 1st Lieutenant shouted. "We're about to arrive in Afghanistan, so check your gear and make sure you don't forget anything!"

"Yes, sir!"

Takeshi checked his web gear, including his vest and Type 88 ballistic helmet with the appropriate desert flecktarn camo on to make sure it was looking okay. The last thing he needed was something to go wrong and that he would die in his very first op.

edited 2nd Dec '12 7:27:57 PM by Ominae

The sight of Afghanistan from a flying helicopter never failed to impress Specialist Adams. There was just something about its rugged beauty that reminded her of home in Colorado. She could stare at it for hours while the infantry guys tried to crack jokes about their moms or girlfriends over the noise of the rotors. Then she noticed something moving below. It was small and difficult to make out but the way the sunlight caught the thing made it look like a person. A person shouldering a long, tube-like weapon.

RPG!, she signaled to the pilot frantically, but pilot simply nodded and made a few adjustments to their course. Out of range, he signaled back. Adams breathed a sigh of relief as her thoughts turned to her brother Dante. Staff Sergeant Adams was still serving in the 75th Ranger Regiment. He had changed so much over the past decade. What was he doing now?

She didn't even notice the Black Hawk stop to make a false insertion before turning towards her new home at Observation Post Walker.

The JASDF C-130H made a successful landing at the North Side Cantonment area of Kabul International Airport, with the area guarded by armed Afghan and Belgian military police officers. No press and no civilians were allowed in the area. Since their presence is to be secret at least until the mission is complete, the Ministry of Defense wants it that way after the arrangement they had with ISAF.

"Let's go! Let's go!" shouted the 1LT as the ramp was lowered, allowing the SFGp commandos to exit. Takeshi knew that all of them were handpicked for the mission because they all speak English as a second language. Others spoke French/German/Italian/Spanish/Portuguese with two or three of them fluent in Pashto and Dari alongside English thanks to language training from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Welcome to Afghanistan!" The Belgian MP saluted the commanding officer before shaking his hand. The armed MP noted that the Japanese commandos don't have insignia or patches to identify them easily as JGSDF soldiers. Their faces were already clad in balaclavas and were already wearing their vests and helmets.

"Thank you!" The 1LT greeted back with a salute before shaking his hand. The MP did the same with the other commandos as they walked towards an empty hangar while carrying their gear with them. A few had duffel bags with them.

The helicopters touched down near the base, and soon, the base commander called for the Shinobi Forces together. Major Hatake addressed the company.

"Alright men, we are to help the US Forces in their hunt for Taliban insurgents in the area. As you may already know, several American infantrymen were killed by Taliban insurgents near the Tajik border and they are requesting our help in the search for their hideouts and bases of operation. Time to arm up and move out!"

Private Hasegawa quickly joined his squad, led by Second Lieutenant Kazuo Hyuga and boarded the truck. Holding his M-16, Hasegawa was very nervous but kept a calm demeanor as he headed out to the field with his fellow soldiers.

Sergeant Hanabi Motomura, a medic of the squad, turned to Private Hasegawa and said "So, Hasegawa, you ready for this? I hope things don't get too crazy."

The scared conscript said "I also share your feelings, but sadly, I don't think any of us are ready for combat. I belive nobody's ready for combat until the moment it begins."

All of the SFGp commandos were assembled in the hangar when the debriefing started.

"This is what's going to happen." The 1LT said to his subordinates with an Afghan and Belgian MP standing next to him. "We're ensuring the security of the Foreign Minister when she arrives at Kabul International at least an hour for now."

The murmurs began to erupt from the ranks of the commandos. The officer then calmed them down.

"So we're dividing ourselves into groups." The 1LT continued. "One part of the team's going to be in civvies and escort the Foreign Minister after the arrival from KIA. After all, the Security Police isn't cut out for this kind of environment, especially with Al-Qaeda and remnants of the Taliban on the loose. The others are going to act in a QRF capacity in case the Minister or the Afghan president gets attacked in some way. Those damn laws the Diet passed already is allowing us to defend them in a VIP protection capacity..."

He then passed on a list to the commandos.

"Look yourself up in the list and get prepared. The Minister's coming soon and we need to get ready."

edited 9th Dec '12 10:26:08 PM by Ominae

Michaelson drifted just below the water's surface. To his left and right were living legends, at least in his eyes, men who had, collectively, done tours all over the world. What was he compared to them? Nothing. They made that perfectly clear when he first walked into the team room a month ago. He was a newcomer to the community and had yet to prove himself so his best option was to keep his mouth shut, do what he was told and not screw up. So he drifted just below the surface as he had been trained to do, taking slow, deliberate breaths from his oxygen supply so that the bubbles wouldn't unduly disturb the water.

It seemed like an eternity, but finally the man to his right grabbed his arm and began gesturing upwards. They were cleared to proceed. As one, the frogmen crept up on their target, a pirate mothership drifting off the Somali coast that vastly extended the range from which they could launch their raids. They slowly surrounded the vessel then, on a silent signal from their commander, the SEALs rose as one, weapons raised. As Michaelson's mask cleared, he saw a pirate sentry standing before him, almost as surprised as he was in the inky blackness. Without thinking, he fired immediately. Two shots, both in the chest, and the pirate fell. He screamed, but it did not matter. No one would come to save him, for the other sentries had met a similar fate.

One of Michaelson's teammates moved forward quickly, his hands snaking up to catch the pirate as soon as he saw his body pitch forward. The others clambered aboard using the boarding ladders or whatever other handholds they could find. It seemed awkward and slow, but the frogmen moved as fast as humanly possible. Michaelson was one of the last aboard and by the time he had climbed free of the water, the others had already ditched their fins, masks, and tanks and were already swarming throughout the vessel. He hurriedly did the same and joined the others but in reality, his part in the operation was more or less over. He could hear yells from the lower decks as men were roughly forced out of their bunks and zip-tied for transport.

Michaelson sighed faintly. He would have preferred to be the point man on this op but he knew that the others would not trust him with such an important role as a newbie. So here he was, pulling security until the fast boats came to take them home. This was not how he imagined his life after BUD/S but he kept that little sentiment to himself and put on an air of professionalism.

"You complaining, Michaelson?" someone asked behind him. It took him a few moments for him to realize that the older SEAL was joking.

"Yeah, I'm complaining Crawford. You ever heard of a breath mint?" he shot back.

Several of the SEALs started laughing and Michaelson turned to watch for reinforcements he believed would never come. Not a bad day, all things considered.

Maehara went to look up at the list given to him. He read out who's who in the VIP team and in the QRF team.

Takeshi sighed when he realized that he was on VIP duty.

"No rest for the wicked."

A few minutes after finding time to change, Takeshi was now in civilian clothes alongside the rest of his fellow special forces comrades. All of them were dressed up in different ways to accommodate both their individual selves and the current Afghan weather, which is currently in the lows with a temperature of 15 degrees Celsius.

The Fuchu native wore a light brown long sleeve shirt, black tac gloves and ballcap with jeans and black Adidas-made GSG-9 boots. For weapons, Takeshi was armed with a M4A1 outfitted with a vertical foregrip, red dot scope and a three-point sling. His brown tactical vest was worn on his chest with a pistol holster that held his USP. He also wore Oakley shades to conceal his face from prying eyes, especially from the press. Takeshi's earpiece on his right ear with the radio placed in a pouch on his vest.

"Weather ain't so bad." murmured Takeshi as he was guarding a portion of the arrivals area of KIA alongside Private Keitaro Hidaka, who was also from Fuchu as well as a recent recruit. He was also geared up like Takeshi, except that he chose to have his holster strapped on his right leg. It was pretty quiet aside from the usual traffic for civilians who were arriving at the airport.

"Not bad, huh?" Keitaro called out to Takeshi as he was making the rounds near the convoy. "It's all quiet around here. Better than back home or your house."

"Guess so. I hope it stays that way." Takeshi rolled his eyes after hearing his old friend and fellow private out. Whatever.

The convoy assigned to bring the Foreign Minister to the capital and meet with the Afghan president and the cabinet consisted of a couple of MaxxPro Plus MRAPs used under the Hungarian Army, with one of them used to house the SFGp QRF team. Three M1151 Enhanced Armament Carriers are used under the Hungarian Army for convoy protection. A 2010 Toyota Sequoia with a white finish is used by ISAF soldiers, outfitted with electronic jamming equipment to ensure that any attempts to launch an IED-type attack against the convoy would fail. Since security is led by the Hungarian Army, they'll also be responsible for any EJ incidents inside the Sequoia.

For the civilian vehicles being used, they consist of three SUVs. These include a white 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe, a silver 2010 SsangYong Korando C and a silver metallic 2009 GMC Acadia. All of these bore Japanese car flags on the front, showing that these vehicles would carry the Foreign Minister and other important VIPs.

Since the Hungarian military has taken charge of KIA security, the Belgians have been phasing out with its MPs being the last ones to leave soon. Although the Hungarians agreed to provide overt military assistance to the convoy.

"Minister's coming and we got some new ones. Prepare yourselves."

"Understood." Keitaro knew that the message came from 1st Lieutenant Ishikawa. "Any threats we need to be aware of?"

"There are towards the Foreign Minister especially. Be cautious and alert at all times. I'm waiting for another update from MIC."

"Yes, sir."

Keitaro used his gloved right index finger to make a circle above his head. Takeshi nodded and ran towards him.

"Got the message?" Keitaro asked Takeshi.

"Yeah." Takeshi replied. "Let's roll."

The two special forces operators positioned themselves near the GMC Acadia with Takeshi near the driver's side since he had the keys to the SUV. For the mission, two SFGp operators would be in each SUV that carried either the Foreign Minister and another VIP alongside a staff member of the FM and the other VIP/s, including their translators.

A few minutes later, they sighted Foreign Minister Michiko Takanaka walking out of KIA with some members of her staff. She wore formal clothing, including a white pantsuit and black Mary Janes. The two operators saw that the other VIPs included Iwao Takahara, Commissioner-General of the National Police Agency and Eiji Uruma, current Minister of Defense. Both men wore suits for their arrival in Kabul. The two men knew that the two politicians were a part of the Democratic Party of Japan as of 2012.

"Damn. We're getting powerful VIPs with us." Takeshi commented. "And it looks like the ministers didn't bring much of a delegation aside from translators."

"Which is why we need to make sure that they're safe." Keitaro told his comrade. "And that's good by the way. Hopefully they don't crowd much."

"Better get ready."

A few seconds later, all of the SFGp operators in the VIP team were given orders on which SUV to board up before they would depart for the Arg.

"By the way," Keitaro asked Takeshi. "doesn't the Foreign Minister look familiar?"

"Yeah." Takeshi murmured as he opened the door to the Acadia. "I guess she does."

edited 13th Dec '12 2:33:05 PM by Ominae