The scenarios of Desert Storm – Part 1

March 21, 2019 · Posted in Command, Uncategorized · Comment

The new “Desert Storm” DLC is now well into production, and is set to launch on March 28 (see the trailer!). The companion v1.15 update has also been released, and the dev team is already tweaking the new features and fixing issues based on early feedback. Let us take a look through the scenarios available in this battleset and explore the historical and hypothetical events that it surveys.

1. Invasion

Coalition vs. Iraq

Date/Time: 1 August, 1990/ 23:00:00 Zulu
Location: Middle East
Duration: 48 Hours
Playable Sides: Coalition

On August 2, 1990, the world watched in stunned surprise as Iraq’s elite armor divisions invaded and conquered Kuwait within two days.

This irrevocable act was the culmination of years of disputes between the two states. During the Iran-Iraq war, Kuwait had made a series of large loans to Iraq totaling over $14b. By the war’s end in 1988, Iraq was unable to repay and repeatedly asked Kuwait to forfeit the debt, arguing that by standing up to Iran it had indirectly protected the small, wealthy state. Furthermore, Iraq accused Kuwait of “drinking its milkshake”, i.e. using slant-drilling techniques to exploit oil reserves from the Iraqi portion of the rich Rumaila field.

The US administration, balancing between its long-standing allies Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and its desire to continue using secular Iraq as a bulwark against fundamentalist Iran (as it had done throughout the 1980s), had long been trying to mediate a solution that would placate all sides. During the spring and summer of 1990, Iraq’s military preparations were closely observed by western intelligence but were interpreted as a show of force designed to intimidate Kuwait and third-party negotiators rather than as the prelude to action. On July 25, the US ambassador met with Iraq’s leader, President Saddam Hussein, to reaffirm that (a) the US was committed to a peaceful resolution of the disputes between the two states and (b) that they held no opinion or favor towards either side in the disputes themselves. Hussein apparently interpreted the former as a token statement and the latter as a tacit approval of his regional ambitions. He thus finalized his operational plans and, just one week later, set them in motion.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) had long-prepared plans for the rapid transfer of heavy US forces in the Middle East and Arabian peninsula. The concept of the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) postulated a sudden threat to the oil fields of Iran or Saudi Arabia, in both cases from a sudden Soviet invasion out of Afghanistan or the Caucasus TVD. To counter such a threat, multiple rapid-reaction forces and schemes were put in place: Elements of the 82nd Airborne Division were on a constant two-hour alert, with a brigade-size commitment scheduled 18 hours later; division-sized army forces were to be airlifted and delivered within 2 weeks; multiple container ships pre-positioned in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean carried supplies to be used by the arriving troops; multiple tactical and strategic airwings were earmarked for immediate relocation, and more. CENTCOM regularly practiced these plans in concert with regional allies, e.g. the bi-annual “Bright Star” exercises held in Egypt.

Though nobody on the ground yet knew it, all these plans and preparations were about to be put to the real test.

2. The Thin Red Line

Coalition vs. Iraq

Date/Time: 15 August, 1990/ 20:00:00 Zulu
Location: Middle East
Duration: 38 Hours
Playable Sides: Coalition

“I can tell you this, those first few nights were pretty strenuous, we didn’t have very much to stop ’em. [If the Iraqis attacked], the plan was to hit the supplies for the attacking army, slow ’em down that way, and meanwhile we kept a full tank of gas in all of our cars and we were ready to [withdraw] to Jeddah (Red Sea coast).”

– Charles Horner, commander of coalition air ops on Desert Shield / Desert Storm

Emboldened by his army’s swift success in conquering Kuwait and its oil fields, Saddam Hussein considered a possible advance into Saudi Arabia.

US reinforcements had already started pouring into the country, but slower than required, because the Saudi monarch was unconvinced that Iraq would invade (Saddam had privately assured the Saudis that Kuwait was his sole objective). A massive global air/sea-lift operation was well underway, but forces and supplies were by necessity streaming in piecemeal and simply getting the right people and hardware where they needed to be was challenging. In many ways, the rapid-reaction force being assembled in Saudi Arabia during August & September was a rag-tag motley crew of assets. Opposite them, just across the border stood Iraq’s best armored units, flush with confidence, ready to advance on a moment’s notice.

If that armored fist had crossed the border, would the thin red line have held?

3. First Night

Coalition vs. Iraq

Date/Time: 17 January, 1991 / 00:00:00 Zulu
Location: Middle East
Duration: 48 Hours
Playable Sides: Coalition

Two Soviet generals sit at a café in Paris, watching the Red Army’s victory parade. One of them turns to the other and asks: “By the way, comrade, who won the air war”?

This grim joke, popular in NATO circles in the 1970s and 80s, reflected a common prevailing wisdom distilled from the lessons of WW2, Korea and Vietnam: Airpower alone had never been able to decisively determine the course of a war.

The potential of airpower as a paradigm-shifting strategic weapon had been evident since its inception. Capable of bypassing the front lines to strike at the enemy’s heartland, it might end wars in days, rather than the years of brutal front-line attrition required in past conflicts. A century of failed attempts dispelled the dream; the reality was an attritional war of fighters and flak (and more recently SAMs), as bloody as anything earthbound. The same applied to direct destruction of fielded enemy forces; airpower was important, but as plenty of experience attested, never dominant.

As the US-led coalition air forces prepared for their first round of offensive operations against the Iraqi military, a lot was riding on the men and machines tasked with the job. The machines themselves were a mix of old and tried, and new and untested. The US military still lied in the shadow of the failures of Vietnam, where “a thousand tactical victories” had nevertheless ultimately resulted in strategic and political defeat. The directives from the highest level were clear as crystal: This would not be allowed to turn into another Vietnam. Strategic victory had to be achieved swiftly, massively and decisively – in other words, unlike any previous major conflict the US and its allies had ever fought.

Some students of airpower pointed to Israel’s swift victory in 1967 (and especially the first-day annihilation of the Egyptian air force) as a possible model to emulate. While there was indeed much to learn from the Arab-Israeli conflicts of the past (indeed, Israel’s extensive use of electronic warfare in 1982 did not go unnoticed and was to be intensely replicated), the reality was that the conditions that enabled the IAF to triumph in 1967 had come and gone. Low altitude was no longer a safe sanctuary for strike aircraft; Radars had become more resistant to jamming; Aircraft were no longer parked in long rows in the open begging to be bombed & strafed, each instead now being individually protected by a hardened aircraft shelter (HAS) seemingly impervious to anything but a dead-on nuclear impact. Catching the Iraqi air force on the ground and wiping it out within a few hours was a pipe dream. The Iraqi integrated air defence system (IADS), an odd mix of Soviet-supplied radars and SAMs together with a backbone of mostly French-originated command, control and communication infrastructure (a detail that turned out to be eminently exploitable) appeared to be a very tough nut to crack. Campaign planners, by every right a conservative group, estimated potentially heavy aircraft losses for the first nights of intense airstrikes.

Desert Storm would famously prove the “never dominant” claim invalid, but before airpower savaged the Iraqi army itself, it reached one more time for the first and dearest dream – overwhelming and instant strategic supremacy. The first night’s strikes on Iraq proper saw a dizzying ballet of assets, coordinated by modern AWACS and satellite communications, overwhelm Iraq’s air defenses, plaster its airbases and hammer its C3 infrastructure – simultaneously. Assets ranging from fighters and bombers to attack helicopters to drones to cruise missiles struck their targets with impunity, but none more boldly than the F-117s which braved Baghdad itself, hit their targets, and returned without loss.

To what extent those first-night strikes realized the traditional goals of strategic airpower – especially the shattering of enemy morale – is a question still debated and might never be truly answered. But one promise, beyond a shadow of a doubt, had finally been realized: At long last, the bomber had gotten through.

4. The Gates of Hell

Coalition vs. Iraq

Date/Time: 18 January, 1991 / 04:00:00 Zulu
Location: Middle East
Duration: 36 Hours
Playable Sides: Coalition

Prior to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, it had been established that Iraq possessed a significant chemical weapons capability. Iraq’s military had used chemical weapons on numerous occasions against Iran, as well as various rebel groups such as in Kurdistan. By the time of the coalition build-up during Desert Shield, the consensus of western intelligence agencies held that Iraq still had a sizable chemical arsenal, had likely forward-deployed these weapons, and was prepared to use them against coalition forces.

The concern about Iraq using WMDs as a counter to the coalition’s superiority in conventional forces prompted numerous US officials to implicitly or even explicitly state that the US would respond to such an attack with WMDs of its own, probably employing tactical nuclear weapons.

At the tactical and operational level, Iraq’s chemical weaponry constituted one of the prime strategic targets of coalition air power. The effort to neutralize it was two-pronged: chemical agents still stored in their rear-area bunkers were attacked before they could be deployed; and ready-forces already outfitted with chemical warheads (Scud missile batteries, artillery units, etc.) were prioritized by coalition airpower. But as frequently happens with such plans, the best efforts still resulted in misses and leakers.

On January 18, the second day of Desert Storm, Iraq’s President Hussein – dismayed by Iraq’s inability to resist the coalition’s massive aerial onslaught – conveyed an ultimatum to CENTCOM headquarters: unless coalition forces immediately ceased offensive actions and withdrew from Kuwait, Iraq would strike coalition troops and/or any city of their choice with chemical weapons.

While US forces scrambled to locate and neutralize the chemical threat immediately, other standing-alert assets prepared to deliver the nuclear response the US had committed to. The gates of hell were about to swing open…

5. Scud Hunt

Coalition vs. Iraq

Date/Time: 19 January, 1991 / 00:00:00 Zulu
Location: Middle East
Duration: 36 Hours
Playable Sides: Coalition

Saddam Hussein’s first serious reaction to the commencement of Desert Storm was to unleash a protracted bombardment of Israel (and to a much lesser extent Saudi Arabia) using Iraq’s considerable arsenal of SS-1C Scud-B tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs). While the strikes against Saudi Arabia were merely punitive gestures, attacking Israel was an astute political gambit: if Israel retaliated, as Hussein hoped, reawakened anti-Israel fervor in the various Arab states that had either remained neutral or actively joined the coalition could fracture the alliance mere days into the campaign.

CENTCOM planners and Schwarzkopf himself had neglected the Scud threat up to that point, correctly considering the missiles as militarily insignificant without WMD warheads (which the US nuclear deterrent would preclude.) Though tactically and operationally ineffective, they had suddenly become a serious strategic/diplomatic threat. Persuading Israel to hold back was no easy task, again demanding multiple parallel measures. First, several Patriot batteries with PAC-2 missiles (optimized for TBM engagements) were hurriedly deployed to key Israeli target areas like Tel Aviv. Secondly, Iraq’s TBMs and launchers became priority targets for air campaign planners.

The missiles installed in fixed launchers at the large H2 and H3 airbases in western Iraq were straightforward enough to attack; however, most Iraqi Scuds were deployed on highly mobile 8×8 transporter/erector/launcher (TEL) vehicles exploiting the vast Iraqi desert to hide themselves. To destroy them, a large portion of available coalition aircraft and special operation forces (SOF) teams were re-tasked to seeking out and eliminating Scud TELs exclusively. This veritable “needle in a haystack” hunt would become the longest operation of the entire conflict and a maddeningly frustrating experience for everyone involved.

6. Reviving a Giant

Coalition vs. Iraq

Date/Time: 24 January, 1991 / 00:00:00 Zulu
Location: Middle East
Duration: 48 Hours
Playable Sides: Coalition

By January 20^th, 1991, the initial strikes on Iraq had been highly successful, destroying or degrading much of Iraq’s communication and anti-air capabilities. However, the coalition naval fleets in both the Eastern Med and Persian Gulf had by this point expended most of their long-range land-attack capability. In particular, the Persian Gulf Task Force needed to replenish its stock of Tomahawk cruise missiles as soon as possible.

Historically, two Iowa Class battleships, Missouri (BB-63) and Wisconsin (BB-64), played a part in the Gulf War. Four Iowas were built during WWII and two other keels were laid – the Illinois (BB-65) and Kentucky (BB-66). These two hulls were to be the Iowa’s follow-on class, the “Montana Class” battleships. In real life, the end of WWII halted their construction and they were never commissioned. The BB-65 hull was broken up in September 1958.

In the 1950s, several proposals were floated to complete the Kentucky as a guided missile battleship. This project was authorized in 1954, and Kentucky was renumbered from BB-66 to BBG-1, only to be canceled later.

Conversion of the 73% complete Kentucky would have entailed extensive refits to replace the two original aft 16″ turret barbettes with an assortment of missile launchers and sensor systems. Apart from Phalanx CIWS, quad Harpoon launchers and Tomahawk armored-box launchers received by the four Iowas during their 1980s modernization, the Kentucky would also have room for multiple SM-2 Standard area-defence missile and Sea Sparrow point-defence missile launchers, plus their associated air search and SAM-illumination radars. Its original twin 5-inch gun turrets would’ve been replaced with modern Mk45 guns. If employed correctly, the last of the BBs would have been a fearsome addition to coalition naval power.

In this hypothetical scenario, the conversion was completed instead of abandoned, and BBG-1 Kentucky has been commissioned into service, receiving subsequent modernization during the 1980s similr to the Iowas. The Kentucky and her accompanying escorts and supply ships have been tasked to reinforce the Coalition’s naval force in the Northern Persian Gulf and relieve the first-strike shooters.

7. Israel Stands Up

Israel vs. Iraq/Gaza

Date/Time: 26 January, 1991 / 23:00:00 Zulu
Location: Middle East
Duration: 36 Hours
Playable Sides: Israel

Desert Storm was arguably the strangest war in Israel’s military history. Even though a nationwide state of emergency was declared, and the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) were put on alert, the order to commence offensive operations never came.

Saddam Hussein had attempted to turn Iraq’s dispute with Kuwait into a larger Arab-Israeli matter long before the air campaign started. For example, on August 12, 1990, just ten days after the Iraqi invasion, he had publicly suggested that Iraq might withdraw from Kuwait if Israel withdrew from all occupied Arab territory and Syria withdrew from Lebanon. Unsurprisingly this proposal drew considerable praise from the Arab world, even from principals that were otherwise critical of Iraq and its invasion.

Hussein’s order to fire a protracted barrage of Scud missiles against Israel right after the beginning of the coalition air campaign was therefore a step-up in this shrewd political maneuver: he attempted to draw Israel into battle, thus transforming what had started as an Arab-Arab conflict into an Arab-Israeli conflict, one in which Iraq would suddenly find new allies. Realizing this, the US-led coalition urged Israel to “stay down” and take the punches on the chin. It was necessary to keep Israel out in order to keep the Arab states on the side of the coalition. To demonstrate the US commitment to Israeli defence, a number of Patriot missile batteries were hastily ferried to Israel to provide additional ABM cover, and a substantial part of the coalition’s tactical airpower was dedicated to eliminating the Scud threat at its source. The Israeli government understood the stakes and, despite suffering repeated Scud impacts on Tel Aviv and elsewhere, held fast.

In this hypothetical scenario, Saddam’s gamble paid off: mounting public pressure in Israel from the relentless Scud bombardment has reached the breaking point. Rumors are spreading that dissident Arab factions within Palestine and the Gaza Strip are assembling material, supplies, equipment and personnel to launch independent attacks against Israel in support of Iraq’s pressure. The government feels that it has to respond, even in a limited fashion, or completely lose legitimacy. Israel’s gloves are about to come off.

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Command: The Silent Service announced

January 31, 2018 · Posted in Uncategorized · Comment

Announcement at MatrixGames

Product page at MatrixGames

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Matrix Games LLC is hiring!

January 31, 2017 · Posted in Uncategorized · Comment

http://www.matrixgames.com/news/2143/New.position.open.at.Matrix.Games.LLC

This is an excellent opportunity to join our professional simulation and wargaming team in the U.S.A.

Professional strategy gaming developer and publisher Matrix Games LLC is looking for a Strategy Gaming Specialist to help develop the next generation of professional Battlespace Simulations.

Role: Strategy Gaming Specialist

This position will support a new effort in strategy gaming for operational customers.

The position will require an understanding of strategy gaming structures, LUA scripting, and military operations.

The successful candidate will provide technical support to strategy and wargaming tasking, including database development, scenario development, and process definition support. Some ancillary software support will be required.

The majority of work will be to support government customers; the successful candidate must be able to obtain a US security clearance.

Requirements:

Bachelor’s of Science Degree, or experience in LUA scripting and strategy simulations and gaming

Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint

Experience with complex strategy gaming environments

Understanding of LUA scripting

Attention to Detail

Excellent written communication skills

Self-motivated with ability to work with minimal supervision

Due to the nature of this position, US citizenship is required

Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or Electrical Engineering

Experience in complex strategy gaming design, application, or use

Demonstrated experience working with customers at various levels

Effective interpersonal communication skills

Demonstrated effective verbal communication with clients at all levels

Demonstrated successful collaboration within a multi-disciplinary team

Strong organizational and time management skills to effectively manage various project activities ensuring accurate task completion

The candidates should apply in writing to jobs@matrixgames.com.

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Blood-Red Christmas: Fourteen new Command scenarios available

December 4, 2016 · Posted in Uncategorized · Comment

Miguel Molina has released the updated version of the Command community scenario pack. The new release includes fourteen new scenarios:

Air Incident Over Mageroya, 2016: Tensions have increased between Norway and Russia. Russia has repeatedly violated Norwegian airspace, testing both that nation’s defenses and its resolve. Norway has cautioned, and finally warned Russia that it will not tolerate this activity. Two days ago, after a Russian fighter flew within 50 yards of a Norwegian passenger aircraft, Norway announced that any armed Russian aircraft entering its airspace without permission would be shot down.
BALTAP-Representative Schnellbootlage, 1970: In 1967 the Federal German Navy played a wargame to evaluate the cost-value ratio of the planned modernization of the "Zobel Class" (Type 142) FPBs to "Type 142A" (upgrade with M-20 fire-control radar and DM2A1 wire-guided torpedoes). This study also showed how the operational situation of FPBs in the Baltic was assessed by the experts of the Navy.
Caspian Darts, 2018: The Caspian Sea holds large energy resources both tapped and under development. Territorial claims and ambiguities fester amongst the nations bordering the inland sea. Russia’s modernized Caspian flotilla just announced another “Flash Exercise” that began roughly 3 hours ago. NATO is on alert. The USN has a small group of observers on the Caspian shore in Azerbaijan. Russia-backed rebels are shelling the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Begin patrolling, remain flexible and await developments as they unfold via in-game messages.
Debt of Honor, 1996: Japan has “accidentally” damaged the USS Enterprise and USS John C. Stennis with torpedoes during an exercise, as well as sinking 2 American submarines. Concurrently, a computer virus sends the US stock market into a downward spiral, as Japanese forces simultaneously occupy Guam and Saipan. Japan follows up with formally announcing that they have fielded a small fleet of ICBMs. The US has struggled with a response to these acts, but through small complex operations, manages to destroy the entirety of Japan’s E-767 fleet, as well as successfully destroying the ICBMs without loss. Now, the time has come to liberate the islands of Guam and Saipan. You are in control of the repaired John C. Stennis, operating on 2 screws instead of 4. Your task is to clear the skies of Japanese fighters and close the airports they are operating from with tomahawk missiles. Can you successfully liberate the American Islands once again from Japanese occupation?
Goodnight Irene, 2016: The influence of the United States in the Persian Gulf region rapidly diminishes in light of ongoing political, financial, military and world events. The final act of withdrawal, which was intended to foster peace and goodwill, turns into a much more difficult exercise as coincidental world events take center stage.
Limited War – The Siret River, 2020: Tensions between Romania and Ukraine have increased over the last several months. Disputes over the use of the Siret River have led to a series of increasingly violent border incidents. A new government has taken power in Ukraine and in the last year it has strengthened ties with Russia. Accusations of corruption, that the current leaders of Ukraine have received extensive financial and even military support from Russia, are rampant but as yet little concrete evidence exists.
Patton Seamount Emergency, 2020: Tensions between America and Russia have increased during the last few years. In part, this is because the collapse of fish populations around the world have led to increased poaching by fishermen in the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of various nations. In the last few months, the waters south of Alaska have seen a number of unfriendly encounters between American and Russian fishing boats. The United States has closed some of its fisheries to foreign vessels and has moved a destroyer into the region to keep an eye on things.
Save the Day, 2017: The Islamic terrorist group ISIS has splintered under military and economic pressure into several factions. While newer members are hiding in what remains of northern Syria, a militant group calling themselves "Allah’s Fire" has caused world concern since the beginning of the summer. Intel reports and never ending "chatter" have indicated no particular concern this morning until stuff hit the fan a 0630. Reports hint at a major operation centered on the area around the Suez Canal and Israel.
Stalin’s Bulls, 1951: Stalin orders the deployment of Tu-4 Bull bombers (reverse-engineered copies of B-29s) in Korea in 1951.
Threat Vector, 2012: Internal political and economic strife has pushed China to the edge of disaster. To distract from its internal troubles, China once again turns to harassing Taiwan and the Americans. A sharp air-to-air engagement between PRC and ROC/USMC fighters results in the loss of 11 ROC aircraft and 5 PRC aircraft, with Marine pilots scoring 3 kills. China retaliates by threatening to attack the American carrier groups, and successfully drive the Americans to the outer edge of a 300nm "Economic Exclusion Zone". However, the US covertly sends 2 squadrons worth of experienced USMC pilots to Taiwan to man old F/A-18C Hornets and resume the fight for Taiwan. The Americans and Taiwanese have a daunting task: Protect Taiwanese airspace without revealing the identity of the F/A-18C pilots – and starting a war!
Under African Skies, 2017: Following a state-sponsored terrorist attack against the US, France and the UK, the western powers attack the China-backed Nigerian armed forces. (NOTE: This summary doesn’t really do justice to the epic story; just read the whole damn thing already: http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/fb.asp?m=3700311 )
Surface Group vs. Subs – Marakei, 2020: China’s relationship with Kiribati–always strained because Kiribati recognizes Taiwan rather than China–has virtually disintegrated during the last several months. Taiwan is increasingly concerned that China may commit an act of aggression against its small Pacific ally. It has taken the unusual step of reactivating a retired S-2 Tracker and moving it to Kiribati. Its stated purpose is to assist with search and rescue operations, but it is capable of conducting military missions as well. Taiwan has also taken the very unusual step of sending a small task force to Kiribati, ostensibly as a "good will tour," but in actuality to discourage any adventurism on the part of Beijing.
Baltic On Fire, 1988: On 12 February 1988 the USS Yorktown (CG-48) was bumped by the Soviet Krivak I class Frigate Bezzavetnyy in the Black Sea. As a result of the collision two Harpoon canisters were torn lose from their mounts onYorktown, causing a fire that detonated both warheads. The resulting fire severe damaged the American ship but the explosion also set the Bezzavetnyy ablaze. The Soviets were finally able to get the conflagration under control but only after a heavy loss of life. The succeeding months led to ever increasingly recriminations by both sides placing blame for the incident on each other. As diplomatic efforts became increasingly futile both sides began mobilizing their forces for war.
BALTAP – Mining Fehmarn Belt, 1983: Tensions are rising between NATO and Warsaw Pact. There are indications that United Baltic Fleets consisting of Soviet, Polish and East-Germany (GDR) naval forces could plan an amphibious assault on Danish and West-German (FRG) beaches to get control over Danish Straits and Baltic Approaches (BALTAP). NATO plans for mining the Fehmarn Belt area (and some Danish sounds) as preparation for an upcoming hostilities. You are commanding a Task Force consisting of German (FRG) forces with Danish support for mining Fehmarn Belt and Fehmarn Sund. Leave open a narrow shipping lane in the south of Fehmarn Belt for further transit of own naval forces.

As always, the community scenario pack is available for download from the Command downloads page: http://www.warfaresims.com/?page_id=1876 . The scenarios will also become available individually for download later on the Command workshop on Steam.

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Command LIVE #4 launched: Don of a New Era!

November 2, 2016 · Posted in Uncategorized · Comment

It’s out! v1.11 Service Release 6, containing the new Command-LIVE DLC, is now available through MatrixGames and Steam . Includes the snazzy new high DPI-friendly side column!