jarrad96

This topic will cover all the various faction mods I'm making, from different Special Operation Forces or Commando/ Elite regiments across the globe as well as regular military forces or Insurgent groups. They will all have similar core dependencies so it's easier to have multiple factions at the same time, and will all work together with full Editor, Zeus, ACE3, TFAR, VCOM AI, ASR AI, RPGTard, MCC and ALiVE support. Notice- Factions will no longer be added to the list below because I'm hitting the wordcap. If you want to see the whole range of released mods http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198081560124/myworkshopfiles/?appid=107410 is the best place. The forums page is used more for feedback/announcements and WIP info on upcoming mods rather than DL links. SOF and OPFOR from around the world. DOWNLOAD LINKS (Not all factions listed here due to length, check the workshop for organised collections of factions based on dependencies)- US Navy S.E.A.L.S "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday" and "So Other's May Live" Special thanks to 'H---------', who is a member of the SEALS and one of my consultants. Faction classname- SL Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=821140377 Polish GROM Special Forces of Poland. "Siła i Honor Tobie Ojczyzno!" Faction classname- GM Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=823664320 MARSOC Marine Raiders The US Marine Corps Special Forces Unit. "Always Faithful, Always Forward" Faction classname- MR Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=826018608 US Army 75th Ranger Regiment The US Army's Ranger Regiment circa 2014 "Rangers Lead The Way" Faction classname- BLU_AI Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=779932339 Afghan National Army and ANA Commando Brigade National Army of Afghanistan, and it's Commando Unit, pre-2011 Faction classname- ANA Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=827872006 British Special Air Service and Special Boat Service (SAS and SBS) The original Special Forces, fighting bad guys since 1941. "By Strength And Guile" and "Who Dares Wins" Faction classname- SAS Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=830455109 Central African Rebels Anti-Balaka Movement, Central African Republic. "The Invincible" Faction classname- CAR Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=831284682 Hezbollah Lebanese Shi'ia Islamist political and military group. Faction classname- HZ Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=833316053 1st Brandenburg Division, 1944. Elite German unit from WW2 specialising in sabotage and infiltration. Faction classname- BB Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=835581569 Australian 2nd Commando Regiment and New Zealand SAS. Special Forces from Australia and New Zealand. "Foras Admonitio" Faction classname- 2C Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=838402883 Israeli Shayetet 13 Israeli Naval Special Forces Faction classname- S13 Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=839868777 Colombian Special Forces Based on the 'Fuerzas Especiales Colombianas' of the Colombian Army "Patria, Honor, Lealtad" Faction classname- MSF Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=844283765 People's Liberation Army Special Forces Based on the Guangzhou Military Region Special Forces Unit, "South Blade" from January 2015. Faction classname- PLA Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=845947248 'Praying Mantis' PMC's Fictional Private Military Contractor group from Metal Gear Solid 4. Faction classname- MGS Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=848441775 Russian Spetsnaz Based on 'Vympel' and SSO units in SURPAT and Multicam (2012-2017) "Timing, Thoroughness, Reliablity" Faction classname- RUS Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=849038969 African Special Forces Both Kenyan and Somali Special Forces (2010-2015) Faction classname- KSF Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=849723142 US SFOD-D CAG- 'Delta Force' Combat Applications Group (2016-2017) geared for a Tanoan deployment. Faction classname- CAG Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=851480288 Abu Sayyaf Group A Pacific Islamist extremist group with connections to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State with a penchant for ransom and criminal activities in addition to extremism. Faction classname- ASG Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=853221518 German Special Forces Kommando Spezialkräfte Marine (KSM, Naval Special Forces) and Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) (KSM-2011-2015, KSK 2035) Faction classname- KSM Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=855118984 Taliban Insurgency Special Operation Forces Faction mod [SFF] that adds the Taliban Insurgency to Arma 3. It is mostly based on the 1996-2009 era of Taliban in Afghanistan. Faction classname- TBI Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=950850347 Tanoan Defence Forces Tanoa's Defence Forces are loosely based around the Republic of Fiji's Armed Forces and the Indonesian Armed forces. Due to the location of the Horizon island chain in the Pacific, they are using primarily older Western equipment, with some older Soviet-Block equipment in use by Reserve and training units. Faction classname- TDF Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=949495255 Pakistani Special Service Wing Special Operation Forces Faction mod [SFF] that adds the Pakistani Air Force Special Service Wing, No. 2 Special Operations Squadron to Arma 3. It is mostly based on photographs of deployments between 2010 and early June 2017. Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1094613885 PW6- http://withsix.com/p/Arma-3/mods/WSZ98MO7XUWxfeP-Fv5HyA/Pakistani-Special-Service-Wing-SFF Private Military Contractors Special Operation Forces Faction mod [SFF] that adds a PMC Contractor faction, with equipment based on contractors in Iraq in a post 2008 time period, as well as PMC's internationally. Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1132804515 [SFF-R] Series (Special Forces Factions, RHS) This is recreations of several of my factions with alternate dependencies on RHS instead of NIA/ SMA weapons. Note that these cannot be enabled at the same time as the normal version due to sharing classnames. Some examples below. US MARSOC Marine Raiders [SFF-R] The US Marine Corps Special Forces Unit. RHS Version. "Always Faithful, Always Forward" Faction classname- MR Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=873455461 Abu Sayyaf Group [SFF-R] Pacific Islamist extremists who have ties to Al Qaeda, the Mexican Cartel, and Islamic State. RHS Version. "Bearer Of The Sword" Faction classname- ASG Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=875241040 Central African Rebels [SFF-R] Anti-Balaka gangs of the Central African Republic. RHS Version. Faction classname- CAR Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=879843800 Afghan National Army and ANA Commandos [SFF-R] The Afghan Army and their Commando forces from 2007-2011. RHS Version. 'Thunder' Faction classname- ANA Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=890504822 Russian Spetznaz [SFF-R] Special forces from 'Vympel' and SSO of the Russian armed forces. RHS Version. Faction classname- RUS Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=895826156 Islamic State [SSF-R] Extremist Terrorist organisation from the Middle East, based on photos and videos from Jan 2016 to Feb 2017. RHS version. Faction classname- IS Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=899977490 Taliban Insurgency [SFF-R] Special Operation Forces Faction mod [SFF] that adds the Taliban Insurgency to Arma 3. It is mostly based on the 1996-2009 era of Taliban in Afghanistan. RHS version. Faction classname- TBI Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=951522276 Hezbollah [SFF-R] Special Operations Forces Faction mod [SFF] that adds the Hezbollah organisation to the game. The Hezbollah are a Lebanese Shi'ia Islamist political and military group. The position of Hezbollah as an organisation is tenous, as it is both a legitimate political party and a fighting organisation. This faction is based on photographs and video footage from August 13th, 2013 to early 2017. RHS version. Faction classname- HZ Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1098686482 PW6 - http://withsix.com/p/Arma-3/mods/2w0_INxMQF-qjz9W5g-37w/Hezbollah-SFF-R Polish GROM [SFF-R] Special Operation Forces Faction mod [SFF] that adds the Polish GROM. Note this version is dependant on RHS Escalation. Faction Classname- GM Steam Workshop- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2089932510 US Navy SEALS [SFF-R] The U.S. Navy SEALs were established by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 as a small, elite maritime military force to conduct Unconventional Warfare. They carry out the types of clandestine, small-unit, high-impact missions that large forces with high-profile platforms (such as ships, tanks, jets and submarines) cannot. They form the US Navy's premier Special Operations Force (SOF) and are a component in NAVSPECWAR. Faction Classname- SL Steam Workshop- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1354385660 Faction Overhauls/ Replacement Packs. This is campaign and mission replacements for default Arma 3 and Arma 3 Apex factions. FIA Overhauled A replacement pack for FIA units in the official campaign and scenarios that gives them equipment more in line with modern day NATO-backed guerrilla fighters. Faction classname- BLU_G_F Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=858764894 FIA Overhauled [RHS Edition] A replacement pack for FIA units in the official campaign and scenarios that gives them equipment more in line with modern day NATO-backed guerrilla fighters using RHS weapons. Faction classname- BLU_G_F Steam Workshop- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1354385660 Gendarme Overhauled A replacement pack for the Tanoan Gendarme units in the Apex campaign and scenarios that gives them a much wider selection of units and a SWAT team. No mods required. Faction classname- BLU_GEN_F Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=860128361 Syndikate Overhauled A replacement pack for the Syndikate Cartel units in the Apex campaign and scenarios that gives them several units that appear in the campaign that are not usable, such as Technicals, and adds the un-used Tactical Chest Rig to some units. Faction classname- IND_C_F Steam Workshop- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1209399152 AAF Overhauled The Altis Armed Forces overhaul is focused on bringing the AAF forces a more modern-day appearance, loosely based on the Hellenic Armed Forces of Greece. Faction classname- IND_F Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1076246390 CSAT Overhauled This mod is a total replacement of the CSAT faction, bringing them more in line with modern day equipment, weapons and uniforms. Like many of my factions has both a RHS and a NIA version. Faction classname- OPF_F Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1087988033 NATO Overhauled This mod is a total replacement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation units, bringing them more in line with modern day US equipment, weapons and uniforms. Faction Classname- BLU_F Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1105165805 PW6- http://withsix.com/p/Arma-3/mods/gdAt5Fb9M02mvHiU8lvPqg/NATO-Overhauled NATO RHS Marine Corps Overhaul NATO soldiers have been changed into a force resembling the United States Marine Corps, with more contemporary weapons such as the M4A1 Carbine replacing the MX rifle. The standard uniform is MARPAT Woodland for all infantry units, with most units having SPC vests and MARPAT combat helmets. Faction Classname- BLU_F Steam Workshop- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1179946616 CTRG Overhauled This mod is a total replacement of the Combat Technology Research Group, or CTRG units with new weapons, uniforms and equipment. Faction Classname- BLU_CTRG_B Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1172631651 OPFOR FIA Overhauled This FIA insurgency cell is supported by Iranian CSAT forces, so is armed primarily with older Soviet weapons such as the AKM and AK-74 as primary weapons, with the AKMS and AKS-74-U used in some roles. Faction Classname- OPF_G_F Steam Workshop- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1176983135 INDEP FIA Overhauled- Faction Classname- IND_G_F These INDEP FIA forces are irregular fighters who have remain loyal to the AAF Government during the Civil War, and they have been supplied and supported by the AAF military. Steam Workshop- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1437796488 ALiVE Civilian Pack The purpose of the mod is to give more accurate looking civilians for Milsim groups without having to rely on large downloads of civilian equipment. Faction classname- C_AF Steam Workshop- http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=935810174 Mod compatibility- All factions have full Editor, Zeus, ALiVE/ Spyders ALiVE, MCC, Dynamic Recon Ops, ACE3, Task Force and ACRE radio support. They also have all functions supported from AI mods such as ASR-AI, LAMBS and V-Com AI, such as deploying static weapons and suicide bomber attacks. Note that not all factions are included in this post. Links to the multiple collections containing all the varied factions can be found on my Steam Workshop. https://steamcommunity.com/id/jarrad96/myworkshopfiles/?appid=107410

Work in Progress content-

A CSAR ALiVE mission where one team has been downed in the middle of the jungle without maps or radios while the other team (which I was in) has to locate them and extract them before they are overrun during a thunderstorm by roving VC patrols. Locating the team by looking for gunfire, smoke and flares on the ground. We spot the team but the amount of ground fire and RPG's mean we try to get them to move closer to us for extract by dropping flares. Their perspective down on the ground, as we had to pull out and come back for a second attempt at landing. Support from the air with guns and rockets, the downed team was in heavy close contact. We do what we can from the air but decide the best course of action is to drop the helicopter team's dismounts to meet up with them on foot and fight our way to a more clear area before nightfall. I'm leading the dismount team and we link up, I give a radio to one of the crashed teams and we move back to the helicopter, but are still in constant close contact with VC forces. Contacts surrounded the clearing we were moving to for extraction and while some of the players get onboard and start using the doorguns others don't get aboard as the fighting intensifies. I'm in the helicopter when it get hits with an RPG, and the pilot manages to take off but with severe damage and he's autorotating and leaking fuel. We managed to get away from the LZ and back to base, swapping out for a new helicopter while the guys left on the ground kept fighting as night fell. When we get back night had really fallen, so we do several passes looking for the ground team and end up just following the flares and tracers again, providing what support we can from below treetop level with the guns as they break contact and move towards us. We make it back to base, surprisingly with only one KIA, who had been in the open during the first dusk helicopter extraction attempt and had been hit by an RPG (not the same one as the heli, there was a bunch flying around) and despite attempts by the ground guys to reach him he died sometime before we were able to get back for the night extract. Mods- ALiVE, ACE3, SOG

I'm out of hospital now and should be for good, spent 8 months in and out of hospitals, multiple surgeries and on 1460 medications a month constantly due to triple organ failure but it's looking like I'll fully recover without permanent damage. I hope to have more updates coming for you guys regarding new stuff particularly for some of the group work I've been doing with VSM and CUP as while I've been sick the other's have been working away on some really nice new gear (VSM) and vehicles (CUP) for you all you will start to see more about in the future.

Special Operations 'Mothership' Composition [CUP] released A mobile command and resupply vehicle built off a 6x chassis and saw use in operations by Green Berets, Special Air Service, SFOD-D Delta Force SOF units as it was much faster than normal trucks and better armed and equipped for operations deep behind enemy lines over long durations of days or weeks without other allied supports. This one is armed with a HK GMG 40MM and M240/MAG as well as two AT4's on the rear sideskirts that can be grabbed and the weapon bins on the side are also functional and have a M249 SAW, MP5SD, Mk32 MGL and M4A1 in addition to the usual in-vehicle inventory/cargo. The vehicle is pre-loaded with anti-tank mines, C4 demolition charges and infantry ammunition and equipment so should be fully self-sustaining if needed just like the real life examples. The compositions comes with no crew so can be used for any faction or unit you wish. Make sure to disable surface snapping in editor. This composition requires CUP. Download Link- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2712150073

NATO Overhauled CUP Edition Updated- This mod is a total replacement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation units, bringing them more in line with modern day equipment, weapons and uniforms. It works in the official Arma 3 Campaign and custom scenarios that use the NATO faction will be using the new faction as well. The Faction- NATO soldiers have been changed into a force resembling the United States Army if they continued along with the Arma 2 Operation Arrowhead equipment and improved from there, keeping their SCAR-L / Mk16's as the standard infantry rifle. The standard uniform is in OCP pattern Multicam for all infantry units, with most units having LBT6094 vests and MICH or Opscore helmets. Crye Gen 3 uniforms were used as the base uniform design to keep it consistent with the original design of the NATO forces. The M249 SAW in 5.56 NATO being the standard autorifleman weapon, giving the individual fire teams more supression ability compared to the original MX-SW IAR rifle. Marksman carry a 7.62 NATO Mk17 with a medium range scope. Standard AT weapon is the M136 launcher. The standard sidearm is a flat tan Glock. Specialist Elements- The Recon SF units have been loosely based on the US Army Operation Arrowhead SOF teams and are equipped differently to the standard line infantry units. They carry the more compact SCAR-L CQC's as standard, often suppressed, and have the FN SCAR-H as a heavy battle rifle and DMR, with support from a Mk48 machinegun, a 7.62 conversion of the M249 SAW that greatly improves the range and accuracy of the weapon, but is in only limited use in SOF units. The Standard sidearm for Recon SF soldiers is the FNX 45. Tactical or the HK Mk23 SOCOM. UAV and JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controllers) are integrated into the SF ground teams to provide CAS and reconnaissance if needed. The Assault Diver teams have been re-armed with HK416 assault rifles, while pilots and helicopter crewmen carry MP5 9MM SMGs. Combat Patrol squads are similar to the Recon SF teams, and are also in Scorpion camo, but they have more green and OD equipment and weapons as it provide better camo for most areas of Malden- They are equipped primarily with SCAR-L's and supported by SCAR-H's and Mk48 machine guns. Standard sidearms are the Mk23 and FNX 45. Tactical. Captain Miller's CTRG Team has been re-geared similarly to my existing CTRG Overhaul, meaning they are equipped with SCAR and HK416 rifles, supported by MAR-10 and M14 EBR's as well as the Mk48. Captain Miller himself is equipped with a HK416 CQC. The Glock or Mk23 are the standard sidearms for the CTRG forces. Supports- NATO Forces retain all their original support assets, from Merkava MBT's, Oshkosh M-ATV MRAPs and many other ground vehicles, with air support from AH-6 and MH-6's, RAH-66 Comanches and CH-47 Chinooks. A-10's and FA-18X's provide fixed wing ground attack and air-to-air interdiction, respectively. Important Notes- Start on Mission 2 of the main campaign, skipping Drawdown 2035, as there is a bug with the MH6 during the first cutscene. You might also see some single units during the campaign that are not replaced, that's because BI has re-geared them themselves from the default kit and I cannot go and replace those- an example is Commander McKinnon. Faction has full Editor, Zeus, MCC and ALiVE support (faction name BLU_F ) Also supports ACE3 Medical system. It totally replaces the BLUFOR NATO faction in editor, Zeus, ALiVE and all scenarios played when the mod is enabled. Workshop Link- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1908929588

Notes- I know my faction making and updates have slowed significantly, particularly on my factions which are a solo project (my work on VSM and CUP/CFP is less affected) but that's cause of my heath which is still not great even now and may not be for a while to come. I had a call with the surgeon only a few days ago, they are upping my medications as I'm still in pain daily- apparently while my skin stiches are fine the deeper stitches holding my muscles together have decided it would be a good idea to move around all the time under the skin and try and force their way out through my skin still, which hurts like a bastard. They've said the damage and scar tissue around my internal organs is pretty bad, and I'm at greater risk of loosing my lower intestines entirely and possibly even more of my upper intestines, more than I've already lost (65CM). I'm unable to gain weight at all (46-47KG ) and still running off electrolyte replacements instead of other fluids and diet restrictions due to being constantly malnourished and dehydrated. My kidneys are currently OK but are also at a higher risk of failing and I may be looking at reduced lifespan and complications for the rest of my life even if the further surgeries which have been pushed back to next year due to my heath do succeed fully.

NATO Marine Corps Overhauled [RHS] updated with MP Signing, compatibility fixes. This mod is a total replacement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation NATO units, bringing them more in line with modern day equipment, weapons and uniforms. It works in the official Arma 3 Campaign and custom scenarios that use the NATO faction will be using the new faction as well. The Faction- NATO soldiers have been changed into a force resembling the United States Marine Corps, with more contemporary weapons such as the M4A1 Carbine replacing the MX rifle. The standard uniform is MARPAT Woodland for all infantry units, with most units having SPC vests and MARPAT combat helmets. The M27 IAR in 5.56 NATO is the standard autorifleman weapon, giving the individual fireteams more precise fire at longer ranges. Marksman carry a RCO equipped M16A4, and the Marine force as a whole is armed with a mix of M4A1 Carbines and M16A4 Rifles. The M240 Bravo is in the faction as a medium machinegun asset, and the M590 Mossberg shotgun is added for breaching and CQC operations. The M4 carbine with the burst trigger group is used by units that are not combat orientated, such as helicopter pilots and vehicle crewman. The standard AT weapon is the AT4 launcher, but SMAAW and Stinger teams are available as heavy weapon assets replacing the Titan AT/AA. The standard sidearm for all regular Marine forces is the Beretta M9. Specialist Elements- The Recon SF units have been loosely based on the MARSOC Marine Raiders and are equipped differently to the standard line infantry units. They carry the more compact Daniel Defence Mk18 or M4A1 Block 2 rifle's loaded with Mk316 SOST rounds as standard and have the Mk11 as a DMR, with support from a M249 machinegun. UAV and JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controllers) are integrated into the SF ground teams to provide CAS and reconnaissance if needed. They are wearing M81 Woodland Crye G3 uniforms and MBAV vests. Standard sidearms for the Recon and MARSOC forces is the Glock 17. The Assault Diver teams have been re-armed with HK416 assault rifles, representing a basic SEAL Diver team from SEAL Team 10- it's not as accurate a portrayal as my existing SEAL mod because the Overhaul is attempting to keep some of the original feel to the units. Combat Patrol squads are similar to the Infantry forces in MARPAT uniforms and SPC vests, but they are equipped primarily with M4A1's with suppressors for stealth missions and have the M14 EBR, M249 SAW's and M240's Bravo's for support. The CTRG Forces, including Captain Miller, have also been turned into Raider units, carrying slightly more advanced weapons compared to the normal Raider forces. They have the M2010 MSR for sniper support, Mk11's and have more Mk18's instead of M4A1 Block 2's, as it's a more compact rifle. They are wearing M81 Woodland Crye G3 uniforms and MBAV vests. Supports- NATO Forces retain all their original support assets, from Merkava MBT's, Oshkosh M-ATV MRAPs and many other ground vehicles, with air support from AH-6 and MH-6's, RAH-66 Comanches and CH-47 Chinooks. I am NOT able to add RHS vehicles into the main game campaign, it breaks missions. If you want to you can easily just use normal RHS vehicles for your own missions instead. A-10's and FA-18X's provide fixed wing ground attack and air-to-air interdiction, respectively. Important Notes- The faction is fully functioning as a total campaign replacement, but it can occasionally have an error where some things are not replaced in the campaign- Usually it's Kerry's unique helmet, sometimes a NATO unit of some kind in your squad, and cut scenes might revert the gear. Faction has full Editor, Zeus, MCC and ALiVE support (faction name BLU_F ) Also supports ACE3 Medical system. It totally replaces the BLUFOR NATO faction in editor, Zeus, ALiVE and all scenarios played when the mod is enabled. There is a bug with the MH-9 helicopter in the first mission of the campaign, 'Drawdown 2035' so skip that mission if you are playing the main campaign, start with the second mission instead. Workshop Link- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1179946616

A Special Operation Forces Faction [SFF] that adds a basic, lightly equipped Middle Eastern Militia force using both NATO and Soviet equipment. Middle Eastern Militia [NIA] updated with compatibility fixes, new NIA version and MP signing. The Faction- This faction is not based on any specific insurgency movement, but takes inspiration from several, such as the 'National Transitional Council' of the Libyan 2011 civil war as well as a few smaller fictional groups, such as the OPFOR in Insurgency and Insurgency-Sandstorm. They are armed with a mix of firearms, from AK-47's, AK-74's and FAL rifles, supported by heavier weapons like RPK's and RPG-7's. Uniform do not exist at all within the Militia, and no camo patterns are used at all, instead using mostly light weight rigs, bandoleers along with civilian or guerrilla clothing. FN FAL's in 7.62 NATO are mixed in with the more common AK platform rifles, giving them decent stopping power and a handy marksman rifle, with the FN 30-11 bolt action sniper rifle being their primary long range weapon apart from vehicle mounted supports. The standard sidearm is the Makarov. Supports- The Militia are supported primarily by light vehicles like technicals and trucks with a range of different armaments. This mod was in response to a request that I make a lightweight OPFOR rebel group with civilian like gear and no camo, suitable for a range of different terrains or scenarios and having no uniform dependencies. They are well known for making heavy use of IED's (Improvised Explosive Devices) and other traps. Faction has full Editor, Zeus, Task Force Radio and ALiVE support (faction name MEM ) Also supports ACE3 Medical system. The Middle Eastern Militia are an OPFOR faction. Workshop Link- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1441443993

Special Operation Forces Faction mod [SFF] that adds the Malden Defence Forces to Arma. Historical Info- Malden is a small island with a relatively small population, and the most important event to happen since the Napoleonic Wars in the early 1800's was it's involvement in the War of 1985, where the island was invaded by Soviet forces against a small United States Army garrison. In the aftermath of the conflict itself the Malden government decided to allocate increasing government funding for their own military force, the Malden Defence Forces, which were established in 1987, with stocks of ex-European arms arriving and being adopted by the military. The Faction- The Malden Armed Forces are primarily Infantry based, and are decently equipped with primarily European weapons and equipment, with the tan AUG A2 with Docktor optic being standard issue. The standard uniform of the MDF is an arid 6 Colour 'Choc Chip' camo pattern, with CIRAS body armour and MICH helmets used for the majority of soldiers. Small numbers of AUG A1's and AUG 9mm PDW's are used in reserve and non-combat roles such as engineers, crewmen, pilots and assistants, as the older rifles and optics are still more effective than a sidearm. The primary support weapons are the AUG HBAR (Heavy Barrel Automatic Rifle), which is used on the fireteam level as a light automatic rifle, and the SIG DMR, which is the standard Marksman rifle. Minimi machineguns are used as a squad and support level weapon, similar to the US Marines. Standard sidearms are old 1980's German P226's and P228's, with more modern versions used by commandos and higher-ranking units. Specialist Elements- The Malden 2nd Commando Regiment is the pride of the small Malden military, and they have distinctive British DPM uniforms and berets. Because of their higher budget compared to the standard armed forces, some of which are still using firearms from 1980's and 1990's, the Commandos have the more modern AUG-A3's, as well as access to more magnified optics and accessories such as larger stocks of night vision, IR lasers and body armour. In the event of a second war on Malden, the 2nd Commandos (as the 1st Commandos are purely a reserve and training unit) would be mobilised and used for raiding and attacks on enemy forces, based out of small mountain compounds and cave complexes around the centre of Malden. Supports- Due to the MDF being a smaller military, their support assets are focused around rapid, air-mobile redeployment of their forces in order to counter an attacking invader force as rapidly as possible before they establish a major beachhead on the island. They rely on fast-moving lighter vehicles like Light Strike Vehicles, Wiesel's with a range of armaments, with it filling roles as air-defence and recon as well as a fighting vehicle. Motorised trucks or APC's are their primary method of moving larger numbers of infantry forces, with the Commandos being more likely to be airborne. The Malden Defence Forces have little in the way of heavy assets, having no main battle tanks and instead make use of air power from JAS 39 Gripens, Chinooks and AW-159 armed helicopters. Faction has full Editor, Zeus, Task Force Radio and ALiVE support (faction name MDF ) Also supports ACE3 Medical system. Workshop Link- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1310327177

I wrote my last comment here while high out of my mind, I'm now out of hospital and looking at 6 months to a year to recover. I can walk again now but not longer distances and am still in pain daily, but it's alot better than I was then. Here's a single post to recap but but I don't want to go offtopic in any more posts. It turns out multiple internal organs not working was really really bad, and it’s basically piled on top of some childhood complications I have as well to worsen my situation. My intestines knotted themselves, causing myself to start vomiting blood and clots, so I immediately went to hospital via ambulance. In triage they attempted to get a camera down my throat 6 times but I was vomiting so much blood at the time it was not possible, so I went into ICU and was also given extra blood via IV. Surgery was much more complicated due to previous surgery and scarring I'd had as a child, so they had to operate two times and removed 65 centimetres of my small intestine and totally disconnected/disabled my large intestine. It turns out having several surgeries in short succession and the scarring from that is incredibly, incredibly painful even though I was unable to move at all at this point. One of the areas operated on developed a sepsis infection, and the intestines being removed there actually meant my lung then collapsed as nothing was supporting underneath it and it deflated/failed on impact and got sepsis as well. I spent 16 days on emergency oxygen, was intubated 3 separate times and on various masks/devices but eventually I was able to breathe again without external oxygen and my lungs have since fully recovered from their failure, should hopefully be no permanent damage. While intubated I was apparently of great interest to the medical team as I was aware/awake and able to communicate via writing on my phone rather than being a complete wreck or doped out of their mind like most intubated people apparently are normally. This high pain tolerance/resistance to knockout drugs meant I woke up mid-operation while they were stapling a monitoring device into the veins of my arm, as well as me being awake while they pulled all the surgical staples from my chest. I would highly NOT recommend experiencing either if you can. All this was, to think positively, an excellent weight loss program, as I dropped to 49 Kilograms / 108 pounds in body weight very quickly. Here's a photo of me from around that time- I was first put on morphine but it eventually the pain was so severe I lost all sensation in my lower body so was upped to Hydromorphone, 7 times as strong as regular morphine, for a considerable amount of the worst of my visit. Eventually I dropped from the hydromorphone, as they were really worried about addiction, to opiates, which were my primary painkiller while trying to walk again and using a wheelchair, then walker. The internal damage and scarring to my intestines was particularly bad and the main cause of pain, and I had a stoma which was not functioning fully properly so was loosing from 1.6 up to 6.7 litres of fluids a day which was totally unsustainable. Eventually I was able to walk again, but it can still be difficult, and I was (and still am) in regular pain from my intestines re-arranging themselves and pressing against the scars, which has been forcing stitches underneath to move around and in a few cases force their way out of my skin. Not fun. At this point they gave me two weeks to live and moved to much more drastic measures, upping my medications to 74 a day, 6 injections a day and IV fluids via picc line (plastic tube into my veins) which was enough to stabilise me better in addition to high amounts of electrolyte replacements, injections diet changes and medications that I'm still currently on months later, but it's dropped to 64 a day instead of the 70's and no IV anymore. I was at extremely high risk of dehydration still after all this, but then a minor COVID outbreak happened so I was discharged after about 2 months in hospital. The night before I was discharged the person next to me died, to give an idea of the kind of ward I was in. I've been back to emergency twice since, once due to complications with my intestines and a few days ago, when the extended picc line I had running into my heart developed an infection and threated that organ but ER got the line pulled before the infection managed to spread that far. I'm currently able to walk without a wheelchair or walker, but not longer distances and basically taking it day by day with the pain, but hey, I'm alive. On the positive side I found out that I had graduated from University while I was attempting to learn to walk again, which, along with trying to spite the doctor who gave me two weeks when I'm in my 20's, helped motivate me to keep going-my family also visited regularly.

Mods- My recently updated Livonian Park Rangers SSF faction mod- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1819654119

Arma 3 mod that adds a new INDEP faction, the Livonian Park Rangers. Requires the Contact Expansion for obvious reasons. The Faction- The Livonian Park Rangers form one of Livonia's rural forces, and were the local law enforcement agencies in the Livonian Demilitarized Zone, and they have been expanded to counter the rising illegal drug and weapons trading from looters and other groups. The primary police patrol weapons are M14's or shotguns, with the ACP M1911 being the primary sidearm. The police patrols lack body armor and heavier weapons, relying on the rapid response teams for support in firefights. Historical Info- Livonian Ranger's responsibilities covers the partly abandoned Nadbór region within the larger Polish-speaking country of Livonia. This landlocked NATO member state shares borders with four other nations, including the Russian exclave Kaliningrad and CSAT partner Belarus, and it's current shaky relationship with those nations means the LPR often have better training and equipment compared to a purely civilian force. Specialist Elements- The Rapid Response units, who are a quick-response unit made from Rangers with more militarized equipment type, are heavier armed and armored than the police patrols, and carry the Promet rifle. They wear olive body armor and equipment and are much more useful in combat situations compared to the lightly equipped patrols. Supports- The LPR are supported by ATV's and Offroads, Vans and other un-unarmoured non-military vehicles. Medical trained Response Units can be used to treat the wounded in the aftermath of any combat, and non-armed LPR Park Rangers can be used for work and as guides for tourists or other civilians in non-dangerous areas of the Parks regions. RHIB boats can be used for river patrols, and M-900 Sheriff helicopters can be used for airbourne searches for missing civilians or the rising smuggling trade in the region. Faction has full Editor, Zeus and ALiVE support (faction name LPR ) Also supports ACE3 Medical system. Livonian Park Rangers are an INDEPENDANT faction. Workshop Link- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1819654119 Notes- I have also updated the listed Workshop dependencies for all my NIA using factions to the new updated release.

Korean War Factions updated with MP signing, improved mod compatibility. This faction mod adds in units based around the Korean War, from 1950 to 1953. The factions are fully supported by ACE3, AliVE, Task Force Radio, Zeus and Editor. This is an ALPHA, more factions will be added as time goes on. Historical Info- The Korean War was the first conflict between the UN/NATO and the Communists at the start of the Cold War, and despite it taking three years and having over 2 million casualties it is often skipped over in favour of WW2 and Vietnam. The war began with the Communist aligned North Korea invading the capitalist South Korea but soon expanded to include a large amount of the United Nations (UN) against North Korea with Chinese and Russian backing. The Factions- The mod includes a range of nations, including the United States Army, The Commonwealth, including Canada, Australia, Ethiopia and Britain and South Korean forces against the Korean People's Army (KPA, North Korea) and CCF (People's Volunteer Army of China) and includes a range of infantry, light vehicles, tanks, artillery and helicopters for the factions. Many of the units ingame are based on photographs of the units between 1950 and 1953 in Korea. The US forces in Korea- US forces in the mod are based on soldiers of the US Army between 1950 and 1953. Armament is varied, with a large range of WW2 gear still being issued, but newer technology such as H-13 helicopters also playing an important role in the war. The M1 Carbine and M1 Garand are the standard issue weapons for the Army, with other weapons such as the Grease Gun, Ithaca 37 shotgun and Thompson also being used. The primary support weapons for the faction is the BAR (fireteam level) with higher level support from M1919 machineguns and M2 Mortars, as well as vehicle supports. Vehicles used by the US Army include trucks and Jeeps, M3 Half-Tracks, M8 Greyhound scout cars, with the primary main battle tank being the M4A3(76)W HVSS Sherman- Nicknamed the 'Easy Eight' the model ingame has additional armor, a larger gun and wider, stronger track compared to earlier models. The Bell H-13 Sioux is also included, and serves as the primary air transport, scout and medical helicopter for the Army, and ingame there is a medical version used for transporting men to and from MASH medical treatment centres. Ethiopian Kagnew Battalion- Ethiopia, as a member of the United Nations, volunteered to deploy infantry forces as part of the United Nations contingent and one battalion of men, known as the Kagnew (after a general and his horse), and early in the war it was a unit under the command of the US 7th Infantry Division, where they were known under the name of EEFK-Ethiopian Expeditionary Force Korea. Many members of the unit were veterans of WW2, and were supremely well trained, having spent 8+ months training for Korea in mountain ranges before shipping out to fight. Equipment for the EEFK was lacking however, so they used a small amount of Commonwealth equipment (usually in reserve) and used WW2 era American gear primarily. During the course of the Korean war the three groups of Kagnew (the men rotated out but remained under the same name) Battalion troops had a sterling reputation for being some one of the best combat units on either side during the war. While the Ethiopian forces took part in a whole range of engagements during the war, the battle of Yoke-Uncle hill was one of the most impressive. Over the course of the battle one 15 man Kagnew patrol held off an entire Chinese battalion with fire/artillery support from another hill during a night attack, in which the Ethiopians were outnumbered approximately 20 to 1. By dawn they had no ammunition remaining, resorting to hand-to-hand fighting or grenades, and the patrol later confirmed between 40 to 110 Chinese bodies, not counting any captives or bodies that were removed by the Chinese, with estimates having around 3-400 Chinese killed in total. The Kagnew Battalion was alone as the only unit to have no POW's at the end of hostiles in 1953, as they had a near-fanatical determination to never be captured alive. Their zeal to either win in combat or fight to the death quickly became legendary in the 7th Infantry Division. The Kagnew Faction- The Kagnew Battalion are similarly equipped to the US Army forces, but with higher amounts of M1 Garands and M1 Carbines (lacking grease guns and other SMG's in large numbers as they were not liked compared to M1's and BARs) as well as being a pure infantry force, reliant on M2 mortars or M1919's for fire support, or allied armored vehicles as they have none of their own. Small amounts of Commonweath equipment, such as MK2 helmets and Lee-Enfields, are used in reserve roles but upon arriving in Korea they shortly standardised on American weaponry, having a particular fondness for the M1 Garand and B.A.R, for which they have additional ammo and teams/squads with compared to the US Army. Korean People's Army (North Korean military) - The forces of North Korea were the primary Communist combatants during the early phases of the war, before the Chinese entered into the war. They had a major advantage over the South Korean forces in armoured vehicles and tanks, as well as very large numbers of infantry. They are armed with a mix of equipment, mostly Soviet WW2 era gear and weapons but also some German and Japanese equipment that was either captured in battle during WW2 or sold to North Korea by Russia after the end of WW2. The KPA do not have infantry-level AT assets, relying on rifle grenades, satchel charges and AT grenades in ambushes for destroying armour as infantry, but they have backing from T-34-85 and light tanks that give them substantial firepower in support for the infantry troops. United States unit photographs in Korea (1950-1953) used as a base for ingame units- 101st Airbourne Division, 187th Regimental Combat Team 1st Cavalry Division 2nd Division, 72nd Heavy Tank Battalion 2nd Infantry Division, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion 3rd Infantry Division, 15th Regiment, 3rd Battalion 7th Infantry Division, 17th Regimental Combat Team 24th Infantry Divison, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion 25th Infantry Division, 5th Infantry Regiment 25th Infantry Division, 35th Infantry Regiment Commonweath photographs used as a base for ingame units- 1st Commonweath Division, Royal Australian Regiment (RAR), 3rd Battalion 1st Commonweath Division, 25th Canadian Brigade Kagnew Battalion Workshop Link- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1260742223 Note- In addition to this, I've also re-organised many of the Workshop Collections for factions based on their dependant mods, and also added a new Workshop Collection for ALL factions excluding the Overhauls and campaign replacement packs. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1260742223

Special Forces Faction [SFF] that adds the Israeli Navy's Special Forces unit, the Shayetet 13 (שייטת; Flotilla-13) and is based on sources from 2015 through to January 2017 updated. Historical Info- The groups role is as the Israeli Navy's elite naval commando unit, and are among the primary special forces units of the IDF. Founded in 1948, it's existence was only revealed in 1960 to the public. S-13 has been known to operate in similar roles and missions to the US Navy SEALS. The Faction- S-13 is a naval, ground and air-based Special Forces unit. The soldiers carry the compact MTAR rifle as standard, with the full length TAR-21 and M4A1 being used by some forces. The standard machinegun is the Negev NG7 'Commando' pattern LMG. The S-13 are organised into team of 'raid' elements which are fireteam to squad sized, and can be supported by divers, air support and APC's. S-13 wear flat OD uniforms and gear, with Opscore helmets and are based on 2015-2017 photographs and videos. Specialist Elements- Shayetet's role as the Naval special forces means it had diver teams and SDV delivery vehicles for water-bourne insertions, and it also has a recon element with supressed weapons and ghille suits. Supports- The Shayetet are supported by a 'Stealth Yanshuef' helicopter and they have a heavy assault team supported by Namer APC. Faction has full Editor, Zeus, Task Force Radio and ALiVE support (faction name S13 ) Also supports ACE3 Medical system. Workshop Link- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=839868777

Medical Update- Friday I was fine, Saturday night I was sick, and Sunday morning I was hospitalised for what would become a 2 month stay. I'm now out of hospital, but not back to normal. It turns out multiple internal organs not working was really really bad, and it’s basically piled on top of some childhood complications I have as well to worsen my situation. My intestines knotted themselves, causing myself to start vomiting blood and clots, so I immediately went to hospital. That hospital's surgeon's home has been robbed/broken into that morning and was being interviewed by the police so I was rushed via ambulance to the other, larger hospital. They attempted to get a camera down my throat 6 times but I was vomiting so much blood at the time it was not possible, so I went into ICU and was also given extra blood via IV. Surgery was much more complicated due to previous surgery and scarring I'd had as a child, so they had to operate two times and removed 60 centimetres of my small intestine and totally disconnected/disabled my large intestine. It turns out having several surgeries in short succession and the scarring from that is incredibly, incredibly painful even though I was unable to move at all at this point. One of the areas operated on developed a sepsis infection, and the intestines being removed there actually meant my lung then collapsed as nothing was supporting underneath it and it deflated/failed on impact and got sepsis as well. I spent 16 days on emergency oxygen, was intubated 3 separate times and on various masks/devices but eventually I was able to breathe again without external oxygen and my lungs have since fully recovered from their failure, should hopefully be no permanent damage. While intubated I was apparently of great interest to the medical team as I was aware/awake and able to communicate via writing on my phone rather than being a complete wreck or doped out of their mind like most intubated people apparently are normally. This high pain tolerance/resistance to knockout drugs meant I woke up mid-operation while they were stapling a monitoring device into the veins of my arm, as well as me being awake while they pulled all the surgical staples from my chest. I would highly NOT recommend experiencing either if you can. I'm personally proud of the fact I never screamed during any of this, but I did everything else and did have a few mental and physical breakdowns at points like when I was told if the treatments I was undergoing failed I would have less than two weeks to live. I did however, dodge that bullet as you can tell from me typing this after two months in hospital, not two weeks. I was first put on morphine but it eventually the pain was so severe I lost all sensation in my lower body so was upped to Hydromorphone, 7 times as strong as regular morphine, for a considerable amount of the worst of my visit. Eventually I dropped from the hydromorphone, as they were really worried about addiction, to opiates, which were my primary painkiller while trying to walk again. I'm currently on Codeine several times a day, and can move more confidently but still in pain, particularly for longer distances. They cut a hole in my chest and basically poked the exposed end of what's working of my small intestine out of it into an artificial bag/stoma and due to everything being so badly inflamed and damaged it is going to be something I'm going to be dealing with for until it's safe to have additional follow-up surgery in several months to a year when my insides have properly healed enough that I can take the surgery to attach my intestines back together again and back to, hopefully, normal. I'm currently on 64 medications daily with additional medical checks several times weekly and injections at least monthly. I’m also on a strict fluid intake, primarily allowed only electrolyte drinks of a few different types/brands, and also some food restrictions as well. I'm going to be going back to working on modding when I can, I know I haven't released anything for a while. This has been a physical and emotional roller coaster for me the past two months, so even now post release I’m taking it day by day. I'd also like to thank those of you who expressed support while I was in hospital, as particularly when I was intubated on ICU it really meant a lot to me.

I’m in hospital at the moment, multiple internal organs failed and I was rushed to hospital, and when they had me on the harder drugs in Emergency/ICU on life support I was having Arma based vivid hallucinations while still awake, and trying to write to the nurses about CSAT Pacific (I was intubated but aware, so unable to speak) which was terrifying at the time but almost absurd in hindsight that I was hallucinating this game I’ve put over six thousand hours into by this point. I’m no longer in life threatening danger unless something else goes wrong, started slowly trying to walk again and on the way to a 6 month to a year recovery now just with a bunch of new impressive scars everywhere and some other longer term complications but wanted to share what’s now my biggest ‘You’ve Played Too Much Arma’ moment.

Islamic State [RHS] Updated with MP Signing and compatibility fixes. Special Operation Forces Faction [SFF] that adds terrorist units from the Islamic State/Daesh/ ISIS / ISIL / IS based on photographs and video footage from 2014-2017. It contains a range of ground forces with vehicle supports. Historical Info- The Islamic State, particularly the 'Islamic State of Iraq and and Syria/Levant', known as 'Daesh' in Arabic, are a terrorist organisation that originated in anti-Western groups in the Middle East such as the Taliban and other Jidahist groups. In 2014 it rose to power under the name of Islamic State, and has since been fighting on multiple fronts in the Middle East region, such as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Nigeria and Somalia, among others. IS has become renounced for it's extremist views, acts such as suicide bombings, executions and beheadings, and the belief that the Islamic State heads a global Apocalypse against the entire planet. Motto- " baqiya wa tatamadad" "Remaining And Expanding" The Faction- The Islamic State fighters in the mod are based around a large core of lightly equipped troops, with the most common weapon among the regular forces being the AKMS- because of the folding stock it is more compact for transport so it more common among the forces in Syria because it's easier to smuggle into the country compared to a full stock AKM. Full size AKM's, AK-74's, AKS-74U's and other weapons such as PKM's and RPG-7's are also used by IS, and some weaponry taken from military forces after the defeat of Government forces, such as M16's and M4 rifles. There is no standardisation of equipment, weapons or appearance among the regular forces. Sidearms vary between M9's, M1911's and Makarovs. The faction is based on photographs from 2014-2017 and video footage from December 2016. Specialist Elements- The IS cell known as Jund al-Aqsa form the specialist group within the faction. Many of them are veteran's of the wars in Iraq, Bosnia and Afghanistan, and are known to be better equipped and act more 'professional' than the main IS cells. The units in this part of the faction have greater access to better equipment such as ex-Russian or ex-US body armour, more modern AK rifles and AR platform rifles. They wear a mix of Woodland camo and some have mixes of Multicam and other patterns or stolen Police equipment. Not all of them are of Middle Eastern ethnicity, some are European, to reflect their preference for foreign fighters. Since February 2017 the units from Jund have joined Islamic State forces rather than operate as a whole different faction, but they still retained their unit structure and the higher quality equipment and experience. Supports- IS are supported by a considerable amount of vehicles- the war in Syria has seen much larger numbers of armoured vehicles, even main battle tanks like T-72's, used on all sides of the war. IS have access to both more common technical vehicles, cargo trucks and ZSU-23 trucks, and armoured vehicles like BMP-1's and T72's. IS is well known to use stolen and captured US equipment, such as Humvee's and infantry weapons, which are also used in the faction in some numbers. Static weapons like the KORD, TOW (taken and used by IS after the defeat of Free Syrian Army forces) and IGLA AA missiles are weapon options in the faction. Faction has full Editor, Zeus, Task Force Radio and ALiVE support (faction name IS ) Also supports ACE3 Medical system. Islamic State are an OPFOR faction. I do not in any way support IS. Workshop Link- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=899977490

ALiVE Operation on Kujari, Africa, smaller mission with some new members so it was a simple sweep of a series of towns along the river delta, supported by a MH-60 DAP. Insertion Engagement in a small farmstead outside the first town and the town itself takes a while to fight through, so by the time we fight our way into town night had fallen. Right past that car was an IED on the road which halted the team for a while as we dealt with it and also patrols coming from the jungle. We demo a small cache we found in the town. DAP providing overwatch and killed several technicals patrolling between the towns. We turn our strobes and IR lasers on for IFF. Fighting through the jungle, we've burned quite a bit of ammo, so have the bird come in for a resupply. A suicide bomber in the next town goes off as we reach the town outskirts, downing one of our guys and killing a bunch of civilians in the marketplace, so the fighting in the town takes a while and we heavily use the DAP for support on reinforcements in the surrounding roads and other villages. Bird is downed by AA from the town, and the pilot crashes out in the desert but he gets treated and joins us for the fighting in the town, which we clear and move on towards the final town, which has a farmstead and fields attached. IED's are increasing in number so we leave the roads and cut through the desert instead. We arrive at a farmstead outside the city, and start to run into PMC's who are acting as the ALiVE enemy Special Forces/QRF force, and we didn't expect them to respond so quickly. We kill our lasers and strobes but they had spotted us and arrived with armoured support as well. We start having troops from the town reaching our position, including PMC's, so we retreat from the farmstead to break contact, heal, repack magazines and reorganise. One of our guys is killed during the retreat. Because we fell back, the enemy had advanced from the town and into the open fields and farmstead, which we call for 155MM fire support from the dead player now back at base and then push back into the city proper once the men in the open are dead. Turns out there was a reason for the really heavy enemy presence and IED threat in the area, there was an IED factory in the town we detonate and then RTB. The new guys lived through the whole op, which was nice. Mods- Apricot's Night Vision, CUP, CFP, ALiVE, ACE3, TFAR, DUI Radar, FXP effects.

Special Forces Faction, CUP version [SFF-C] that adds the Provisional Irish Republican Army to Arma 3 updated. Historical Info The IRA are a Republican paramilitary organisation formed to establish an independent Ireland from Britain, and have been active since before the first World War. This mod is more focused on the 1983 to late 1990's time period, and their conflicts with British Armed Forces during that time. The Faction The general Provisional forces will use anything they can get their hands on, from civilian clothing, guerrilla gear or mixed camo captured or purchased from the black market. Darker colours and Woodland or DPM camo's are very common. Weapons used by the IRA vary, but M16A1's and M16A2's, AK and VZ-58's as well FN FAL's are common, supported by PKM's, bolt action rifles and submachineguns like the Scorpion and UZI. Many of these weapons were obtained from overseas via the black market in the US, Libya and the Middle East, as well as firearms from Europe or the UK. Sidearms are not standardised, but revolvers, M1911's and Makarovs are all used, with the RPG-18 and RPG-7 being their primary AT weapons. M60 7.62 machineguns are in limited use in the IRA, being in use after after 1978. Specialist Elements IRA Veteran forces are better equipped and trained compared to the regular IRA fighters, and have better access to ex-British equipment like camo, body armour and have heavier weapons like the FN MAG and Strela AA missile. IED specialists are available for ambushes as well as working with explosives. Supports The IRA forces are backed by Medical, Anti-Tank and Command/HQ Elements as well as a sniper spotter team. ATV's and Dirt Bikes provide scouts and outriders for recce, while Land Rovers work as infantry transports as well as M2 armed fire support vehicles. Faction has full Editor, Zeus, Task Force Radio, VCOM AI and ALiVE support (faction name IRA ) Also supports ACE3 Medical system. Sources- 'Inside the IRA', Jane's Intelligence Review, Sean Boyne, 1996. 'The IRA-Finance and Weapons' 1983 Ulster police report, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. 'I.R.A. Shifts Tactics, and the Results Are Deadly', New York Times 1988. Some weapons and equipment in the mod is not 100% accurate, placeholders or things for a similar gameplay function have been used. Workshop Link- https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1704602923

For the final mission in the WW2 campaign we decided to run 3 teams, 1 American (mine), 1 British (which I'm not around much so lack many photos of) and a tank crew in a modified 76MM Sherman for fire support. We had been doing enough raids and town clearing in the past few weeks that the French civilian population had been converting into ALiVE French Resistance fighters and fighting alongside us the last few days, so we decide to attack a series of towns in order to prevent the German forces from re-establishing a foothold in the towns near the central river valley. I did not take the weather into account, and when we got everyone on for the op it was day, thank God, but also a thunderstorm, so I spent alot of time running around between guys and screaming orders over the gunfire, rain and thunder as the only people with radios were the team leaders and tank crew. The UK Airborne team is a few hundred M down the road, and stays supporting our American team or the tank most of the op. The Sherman is tracked by Panzershreks so the UK team digs in and covers while it is repaired and both teams plus the armour then fight their way down though several smaller villages. We clear the first and second town without issue, as resistance fighters had already killed most of the Germans in the second town, and make our way to the third, which bordered the river and an island. The rain clears by the time we reach the third town and get engaged by a STUG 3 and dug in infantry in the buildings. Fighting our way into the town, our Sherman engages and kills a Pzr 4 on the far side of the river. Smoke mortars cover us while we fight through some bunkers and trenches on the central island on the river while the Sherman is on the bank behind me. While fighting on the island and into the trenches across the river we hear rocket fire, and start taking Nebelwerfer rockets from our NW, immediately changing our plan to clear the town to the west and instead find that before it drops a rocket on our heads. Engaging some of the town and a checkpoint near it before pushing into the village. We now start to fight Fallschirmjäger (ALiVE military objective AI) in addition to the regulars, likely due to the military checkpoints and bunkers. While the American ground team and the Sherman are climbing a hill to a nearby town we have a Panther come at us from behind, but the UK team is in the treeline and kills it for us. Sherman engaging enemy vehicles after climbing the hill. Both ground squads link up for the assault on the hilltop town. Clearing the town of Fallschirmjäger with both teams linked up. The Sherman covering one approach to the town. While the infantry hold the other, but barely, with low ammunition or scavenged weapons and no remaining AT. We clear some bunkers and located the Nebelwerfers in the town, blowing them up with TNT before mounting up and making our way back to base before we are overwhelmed by reinforcements. Fighting our way back across the river, minus 1 KIA from the American team during the uphill assault into the town. Close contact with a STUG 3 caused all the infantry to bail out while the tank engaged, and killed it, but the explosion was close enough to track the Sherman, leaving us dig in against the Infantry accompanying the STUG, but we eventually fight our way free and make it back to base with only 1 KIA, which is pretty good. Mods- ALiVE, CUP, IFA3, DUI radar, ACE3, Secret Weapons

British Commando night raid mission, ALiVE, 4th SFG op photos from 3 perspectives. A pre-dawn raid on a few smaller objectives before a town assault proper. Loading up the bird- We would be running 2 ground teams supported by an allied pilot (who would drop us from the bird and then swap out for a fighter) We have not used the static line drop much, let alone at night, so the men are scattered over 2KM of woodlands and we move to regroup at the rally point, engaging Germans in the woods as the scattered guys move to the regroup point. At the rally point with most of the guys, we get into a small firefight with some enemies here but eventually everyone arrives. Our Mustang air support gets into a prolonged engagement with 2 German birds overhead while we push down the road towards the first objective, Dog, a fortified bridge crossing that was engaging our bird with a Flak truck as well, so was our first target. One of the German birds, a Stuka, comes in over our heads only to get nailed and crash right next to us, knocking several guys out when the bombs on it cook off, but not causing any deaths for us. The explosion from the downed plane lights up the area, alerting the Germans near the bridge and we fight our way to it. By now the sun is starting to rise, meaning we can actually see the enemies and are not just engaging muzzle flash and relying on our flares. While the dogfight with the 2nd enemy plane continues overhead we push up to the bridge and are heavily engaged there. It appears like an enemy convoy was passing through when we arrived, so we engage it and kill the vehicles and the flak gun. Our pilot wins the dogfight overhead and from now on provides recon and CAS support for the ground teams. Fighting at some buildings and the dead convoy while more enemies rock up across the river. We take a nearby trench and reconsolidate ammo and medical supplies. Moving from Obj1 to Obj2, a small farmstead which our bird had been engaging due to it having machineguns, trenches and a PAK gun, with my team over watching the assault team. The fog is a real pain for our pilot, because we were in the river valley it all collected there and made him spotting targets harder. Cleared out the PAK position and buildings of infantry and demo the PAK gun, which cooks off. Moving to the next objectives, a French town, with my team while the other team moves down the road. Our pilot RTB's to refuel and rearm before we reach the last objective, the town. We spot trenches and dug in guys in the buildings so avoid attacking them head on by sneaking down the river, before fixing bayonets and going over the lip towards them. We clear out the trenches while the 2nd team begins to enter the town itself. Our pilot returns. Fighting our way into the town proper, our pilot gets into another dogfight above us, and the German attempts to strafe my team on the ground. The 2nd team is now fighting house to house to the left. Both teams link up and we kill a Panzer 4 in the town and then pull back, as we had achieved our objectives and did not want to get into a prolonged engagement now ALiVE armour QRF had rocked up. Our MMG covering the retreat of the last few guys out of the town before more enemies arrive. We did pretty well, only 1 of our guys got killed during the whole pre-dawn to mid-morning mission. Mods- ALiVE, CUP, IFA3, DUI radar, ACE3, Secret Weapons

How does the AI use of flares at night work? It would be really handy for AI to use flares during night missions, but it seems really inconsistent on who uses them, like for example some of the CFP factions use them while others don't, and I haven't seen any of the IFA3 WW2 or Hanson's CUP Vietnam factions using them- do they require the unit to have a grenade launcher or something for them to use them?

We acted on those recon pics this weekend to do an ALiVE mission inside a trigger area with a 1H 30M time limit to prevent 4x missile sites from firing on a nearby city via being linked to a VLS cruise missile trigger when the timer ended. 11 guys on, inserted via VTOL's (dropped via parachute out of the back of the birds was 1 Marshall with all the troops inside and 1 120MM MGS for support as the undercover recon earlier spotted tanks) Our original drop zone was further inland on the South island of Sahrani, but the pilots were worried about the AA missile sites so dropped us early, meaning we would need to fight across the desert first before reaching the main objective area. Time remaining before missiles launch- 1H 30. Landing on the beach and spreading out. The trigger had fired by now and we were in our first engagement of the mission against these two villages. We had 1 Hour 26M remaining when the MGS got nailed by an ATGM team from a window in the village below while it was cresting a hill. Both crewmen were killed instantly, and not very happy, as you can see with this amazing art I did of it. 1H 23M. Our first objective was a fortified hotel that was originally going to be our landing and resupply zone if we had not had to drop early, so we pushed all the infantry and APC towards it at full speed, crossing the desert under fire and just breaking through the contact. Our APC took several RPG hits during the push, destroying some of it's SLAT armour. 1H 19M. We get into an engagement with troops inside the hotel, garrisoning a checkpoint outside, as well as more forces coming down one valley side supported by 50. cal technicals. During the engagement one of the bad guys hit our APC where the SLAT was destroyed earlier and killed the driver, but the gunner managed to bail out before it cooked off. 1H Remaining. We sweep and clear the hotel with both ground squads + APC gunner, and get our support element with MG's and MAT (Yellow) on the roof and both squads deal with incoming infantry before linking up 46M Light to moderate contacts, no armour, on our way to the first (of four) missile locations we found via recon earlier and we kill a ZU-23 truck and T-72 coming from the city in the background before we push into the small village itself to kill the launcher and radar. 45M Pushing into the village, where one team rigs the radar dish with demo while the second digs into the houses and holds off forces from the nearby city 40M left We begin pulling back from the first missile town into the mountains before more troops come from the city. 32-30 M - We have reached the 2nd missile location, inside a military base, and several members of Yellow team volunteer to move in and demo the radar and missiles and then dig in to hold off reinforcements while the other team members all keep moving, leaving them behind as we are worried about the time. 22-23M We continue to hear gunfire in the distance behind us until 22M when the military base blocking force killed to the last man. Troops and vehicles, including a Shilka that killed them are now pursuing behind us. Yellow team members (not the ones at the mil base, others) destroy the 3rd missile location and we merge both squad for the final objective, which is inside a major city and right next to the enemy airfield and HQ. We get into a fight with that Shilka in the city outskirts and kill it, but several team members are wounded. 20-9M We now have 6 men of 11 still alive and fight our way into the city. By 14M we had fought through the streets to a military checkpoint outside the city centre, which contains an embassy, church and some housing. We reconsolidate here and are running low on ammo and medical supplies, so our most wounded man, who was injured are unable to run, only limp. We tourniquet his legs and give him extra ammo. He holds the checkpoint alone to give the rest of us time to find the last missile launcher and radar. 8M We push into the city centre, and I'm debating with the pilots over LR about what to do. I want to know if it would be better to call for no extraction, as the fighting in the city centre is heavy enough we don't want more casualties from a failed extract, but we decide to get a bird as close as possible despite the AA threat for a quick exfil as soon as the missile is down. 7-6M We get into a gunfight in the church and graveyard area while our rear is being held by the wounded man at the checkpoint. . First attempt at our extraction bird reaching the AO is driven off by the missile site, but the pilot evades the missile and waves off coming closer. 5-4M Fighting around the church itself as we still can't locate the launcher. At 4M the checkpoint volunteer is overrun and killed, so from now on we are being attacked from all directions. 3M We distribute our ammo so everyone has at least 1 magazine or pistol ammo and fight over the street from the church to the large embassy building and main road. The overrun checkpoint means we are being engaged from both directions at once, and we are down to 5 men. 2-1M We finally locate the missile launcher but our last AT shot misses the launcher itself and hits the radar dish instead, blowing that up. We frantically scavenge an RPG but not before the missile is able to fire, meaning that a civilian town on our side of the island is destroyed by the cruise missile. We kill the launcher and call for immediate extract. Post Launch. We dead sprint back out of the city, weaving around enemy contacts coming towards us, but sadly another of us is killed fighting our way out of the city, so we are down to 4 survivors of 11. Now the AA is eliminated we have AH-6 support to cover our retreat out of the city proper. Post Launch. The AH-6 provides cover for a hot extract via MH-60. I'm down to 23 rounds left, our SAW was using his pistol, and we failed to stop the missile launch from destroying the town, meaning the civilian population in ALiVE became more hostile towards our presence there. The mission was a failure, but in my mind the objective changed from 'destroy the missile launchers' to just by the end. Mods- CUP, CFP, ACE3, Australian Commando Weapons (Great, give em a look), NIA, ALiVE, MLO, RobTac backpacks, S and S.

Me and other guy doing some undercover intel gathering for an ALiVE operation later in the week. HMM, yes, bad guys garrisoned in buildings. We dressed as civilians and activated an undercover mode (Spyder) to allow us to gather information and do some scouting of the AO before we do a larger mission in the region. More urban areas are pretty heavily populated by both civilians and SLA OPFOR. As we get closer to the airbase and military areas we start to encounter armour like T-72's and BTR/BMP's. Scouting out the enemy airbase, with a really nice view of the mountains and sunset. A close encounter of the AI kind. Spooky. We got compromised while trying to investigate a military base after night fell and had to leg it while pursued by an enemy Huey and infantry patrols in the area. One nice thing about civilian clothes and not wearing helmets or body armour means you can LEG IT when needed. We reach the coast and take our RHIB out onto the ocean, only to still be pursued by that same Huey from the military base earlier- we get into a moving gunfight with him and his doorgunners. We disable his tail rotor with the 12.7 and he turns back, allowing us to get back to base safely and use the intel we gathered to plan the op. Mods- ALiVE, Spyder's alive expansion, CUP, CFP, MLO, S and S, Apricot's night vision, ACE3