squad roles

[impi]

For newbies like myself who need to figure what where you fit in on the battlefield :

Force Deployment
Although some players may disagree, force deployment is an important part of airsoft. Teams work together and coordinate to achieve bigger goals. Reliable team members can be counted on when things get hectic and it is important to understand your role within the bigger picture. Although Wolf Recon is based on a rifle squad, the most fundamental building block of force deployment is the buddy team. If players cannot stay together as a simple two man buddy team, then there is no way an eight man rifle squad will ever perform efficiently.

Buddy Team

“Two is one, and one is none” - GI Jane
This saying is true in aspects of airsoft combat. A buddy team is made up of two soldiers, usually an NCO and a Rifleman, which are always together on the battlefield. The NCO provides the thinking and decision-making part of the team and rifleman provides the security and combative part of the team. An NCO trusts his rifleman to help him by being a gun pointing out that is tactically aware and a rifleman trusts his NCO to lead him to where he needs to be. Buddy teams always work in tandem and should never be separated on the field. If one buddy team member is prone, the other should be prone. If one is moving, the other should be moving. If one is engaging, the other should be engaging.

Fire Team
A fire team is composed of two buddy teams. A fire team is the standard force deployment on the field and should be practiced quite often. A Sergeant leads a fire team and the two buddy teams work together in this force. An example of what a fire team would be tasked with doing is providing covering fire on an enemy, flanking around, or providing security at a rally point.

Squads
A squad is made up of two fire teams. Although fire teams work together, they are usually far enough apart to complete different tasks but always work towards the same goal. An example of what a squad would be tasked with doing is taking an objective by sending one fire team to flank while another suppresses the objective.


Rifleman
A rifleman is the backbone of all squad level deployments. A rifleman is capable of sustained firefights throughout the day and is equipped as such. They are frequently assigned to support gunners, snipers, and team leaders with a focus on tactical awareness, spotting, and security. Riflemen are often tasked with being point man, spotter, and rear security.

A recommended load out for a Rifleman:

-M16 or M4 variant rifle

-Two to four hicap magazines

-Extra ammunition for in-field reloads

-Binoculars or spotting scope

-Communication Radio

[Righteous]

That's all very nice and it can be found in US Army FM 7-8, but the realities of the limited ranges of airsoft weapons dictate that you remain relatively close to the other members of your unit. You just can't shoot very far and the bit about squads being apart but working together really means that four people are effectively one element on the battlefield if they are to work together in a useful manner. Be cautious of the good advice you see on the internet with respect to airsoft tactics that is obviously paraphrased from open source military infantry manuals. I doubt any of the posters have actually conducted an immediate action drill for, say, a react to contact. Marching fire is usually the most effective tactic in airsoft with effective and fast flanking a close second or complementing it. This is why you see so many Koreans with high RoF AEGs.

[krobinson103]

In my experience the most important thing is not defining roles, but efficient communication and the flexibility to be able to react to a situation. The reason we win more often than a lot of Korean teams is simply
that we are mobile and use tactic number one a lot. One team or player drawing fire to pin the enemy and a squad to flank. You don't really need anything more compicated than that in most airsoft skirmishes.
I also disagree that you 'should' use an m4. Why? There are so many other cool weapons out there. I make it a point to get weapons that a lot of other players don't have. Sure sharing ammo is easier with
similar weapons, but then a canteen full of bbs on your belt ensures you can stay in the fight for a very long time.