Command: The Silent Service announced

January 31, 2018 · Posted in Uncategorized · Comment 

Announcement at MatrixGames

Product page at MatrixGames

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Command PE v1.13 released, plus new editions

January 30, 2018 · Posted in Command PE · Comment 

Command_PE3It took a while, but it has been worth the wait. The v1.13 update to Command Professional Edition is now available for download by existing users, and will also be integrated to the installers for new customers.

The new update includes a wide range of tweaks, fixes and improvements, but the headline feature is undoubtedly multiple-instance execution. Put simply, it is now possible to run multiple instances of Command-PE in parallel. This can offer two main advantages, particularly in the context of scenario analysis with multiple scenarios or variations of the same basic scenario:

  • The multiple scenarios can be set up to run for analysis concurrently on the multiple instances, instead of sequentially. As the outputted results can be examined as they are generated, well before each analysis run is concluded, this allows much faster comparison of the results of different scenario inputs.
  • It allows better utilization of system resources in modern powerful hardware (especially with lots of cores/threads available, like AMD’s Ryzen/ThreadRipper/Epyc or Intel’s new HEDT beasts), thus dramatically reducing the time necessary for sophisticated analysis runs.

Version 1.13 is also important for other reasons, as it introduces two additional editions for Command-PE:

  • Student Edition is suitable for use by military academies and other teaching/training environments where an affordable, mass-deployed software solution is desirable. It is very similar in feature set to the commercial version of CMANO but differs in licensing and pricing options.
  • Academic Edition is suitable for government & private-sector organizations that require Command-PE’s powerful analysis features but do not need to alter the simulation’s default data & models.

A detailed breakdown of the features & functionality available in each edition can be found on the Command PE page.

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Opening the new year in style: The community scenario pack hits 400!

January 2, 2018 · Posted in Command · Comment 

imageMiguel Molina has released the updated version of the Command community scenario pack. In addition to updated and refresh versions of existing scenarios, the new release includes twelve new creations, bringing the total number of community scenarios to four hundred!

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Merry Christmas (1985): On Christmas Eve of 1985, the ongoing Middle East crisis erupted into full scale global war with Warsaw Pact forces crossing the Inter-German Frontier and assaulting NATO Forces worldwide as of 10:00 UTC. Intel indicated a Soviet Victor I was southbound and moving in the direction of the Kings Bay Submarine Base and Naval Station Mayport, possibly to interdict forces sortieing out of Mayport or Kings Bay. VP-30 out of Naval Air Station Jacksonville was assigned to detect and neutralize the threat posed by the Victor. USS Mahan (DDG-42) is patrolling outside of Mayport in case the Victor breaks free. Weather conditions are extremely poor with a gale center west of Bermuda and strong high pressure centered over Ohio. The gradient flow between the two is causing near gale conditions over the Operations Area (OpArea) with seas of 12 to 18 feet. Heavy shipping in the area will also increase the ambient noise in the water column.

Sanitizing NORLANT (1962): During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the United States Navy’s Atlantic Fleet was fully engaged in creating and enforcing the "quarantine" ordered by President Kennedy with few resources to spare for the defence of the coast north of Bermuda. Although Cuba dominated American naval operations, there were also an unknown number of Soviet patrol submarines of the Zulu SS type and ballistic missile submarines of the Golf SSB type believed to be operating in the northwest Atlantic.
You are Commander, Anti-Submarine Warfare Atlantic Fleet (COMASWLANT), now designated Commander Task Force-83 and based at Norfolk Naval Base. Your mission will be to locate, track and if necessary prevent Soviet submarines from closing the US east coast. It’s a big ocean, resources are limited and the stakes are high.

Strike Quick (1999): After a contentious budget battle, the F/A-18 now plays second fiddle to a reinvigorated Tomcat. With production of new Super Tomcats spooling up, the USMC has gotten modestly upgraded Navy birds to replace their A-6s. And just in time, for they are called to action: A semi-botched coup in the Philippines has led to the gruesome specter of multiple political factions engaged in a bloody fight for control. The US seeks to stop and intervene, and its closest aircraft are in Okinawa. No sooner have they been introduced than the Super Tomcats will receive their baptism of fire.

Northern Fury 23 – Swift, Silent, And Deadly (1994): The new global war between East and West has been raging for the past 10 days, the situation is stabilizing but violent clashes abound. The US 2nd Fleet is now entering the final phase of its first major counter-attack. A ceaseless combination of bomber and carrier borne attacks over the past 60 hours has reduced the defences on Iceland significantly. Now all that is left is the task of sweeping up the last few targets and preparing the ground for the amphibious assault by the Marines tomorrow. You are the CO of the Force Recon Battalion of 2nd MEF (Marine Expeditionary Force) and you will be leading a risky para drop onto Iceland tonight. If all goes well you will link up with the landing elements of the two assaulting Marine Regiments by this time tomorrow. A quick scan of the Drop Zone names however, reminds you that on operations such as these don’t always go right…

Northern Fury 24 – Battlewagons To War! (1994): The US 2nd Fleet is now entering the final phase of its first major counter-attack. A ceaseless combination of bomber and carrier borne attacks over the past 60 hours has reduced the defences on Iceland significantly! Now all that is left is the task of sweeping up the last few targets and preparing the ground for the amphibious assault by the Marines tomorrow. The Marine Force Recon element is going in right now and a Battalion landing team seized the airport at Vestmannaeyjar late yesterday. Your job is to soften up any defences and support the buildup of the new airbase. As commander of the Covering Force for the Amphibious assault arriving in a few hours, you command two Battleship Task Groups, and for tonight’s operation you are also protecting the advance element of the Amphibious Task Force, LPD Shreveport. You have a busy night ahead of you, targets to shoot at, marines to deliver, supplies to position and bases to prepare – not many in your force will sleep tonight…

Northern Fury 34 – The Longest Battle (1994): A week into World War III and your life has changed dramatically. As a rather young, newly promoted Rear Admiral (lower half) you were six months into a staff job at the Pentagon, now with a second star on your shoulders, you are in charge of organizing and protecting merchant traffic in the Atlantic! You and your staff of 60 arrived aboard the USS John F. Kennedy 3 days ago in Miami. Fresh after defeating Cuba, Nicaragua and Honduras in an impressive 3-day strike campaign, the Commander and crew of the CVBG is not overly welcoming. They want to be part of the campaign to evict the Russians from Iceland, but instead, they have lost 20% of their hanger space to your HQ (a maze of trailers, shelters and tents for both sleeping and working), and traded in two thirds of the Hornets for more Vikings and Sea Kings.
Because CINCLANT (VAdm Falkner) is heading north with 4 CVBG’s, 2 BB SAGs and the Amphibs accompanied by the British and French carriers and a couple other SAGs, his flagship and staff are quite busy. (See the Northern Fury background document for more details). Therefore, he directed that the John F. Kennedy (CV-67) reconfigure to conduct Sea Control and command all forces securing the SLOC (Sea Line of Communications) between Europe and North America.
Your task is to assemble escorts and aircraft from across the Atlantic, organize hundreds of merchant vessels into convoys and defend them from upwards of 60 Soviet submarines. All this while preventing any escalation of the war, and not losing any of your assets…

Northern Fury 36 – Wrestling An Octopus (1994): Strike Fleet Atlantic (STRIKFLTLANT) is now in the second phase of its counter attack in the Atlantic. Fighting on Iceland continues but 2 MEF believes that they will have the island clear within the week. A massive NATO attack two days ago halted Soviet plans to seize Oslo but with Berlin and Copenhagen in Russian hands, the situation is not yet assured. The Soviet Ground Commander in Norway has one final shot in his quiver that will put NATO back on it’s heals and stabilize the situation.
You are commanding 2nd Bde, 82nd Airborne Division and have recently been deployed out of Theatre Reserve to Norway in a last ditch effort to halt the Soviet advance. Your limited forces are being hindered by a general shortage of ammunition – it will only get worse if you fail…

Indian Fury 1 – Persian Pounce (1994): You are commanding the US 5th Fleet (re-established Dec 93, HQ – USS La Salle), based in Manama, Bahrain. Your command oversees both afloat and shore-based units that rotationally deploy or surge into the Gulf. Units under your command are American (USN, USMC, USAF and US Army), British, French, Italian, Spanish, and Australian. Although much of your force is off on independent operations in the Indian Ocean and beyond, the primary responsibility in this region is safe and secure passage of commercial shipping through the Persian Gulf and Straights of Hormuz.
For this task you have: The USS Saratoga CVBG patrolling in the Gulf of Oman; 16 independent warships patrolling different areas of the Gulf and Straights, from several nations; one submarine; several support vessels; several air squadrons; and a mine countermeasures group.

Halloween Horror (1991): To avenge the arrest of the “Gang of Eight” following the failed August 1991 coup in Moscow, the captain of a Soviet Delta-IV ballistic missile submarine has deployed his sub unauthorized to the open sea, threatening to launch a nuclear attack on the US eastern seaboard unless Gorbachev and Yeltsin are executed. With the clock ticking to the deadline given, and in the midst of the gathering “perfect storm” of 1991, the US and Soviet navies must join forces to stop the rogue submarine.

Hunter-Killer Duel in the Celtic Sea (1987): In the early days of the War, one of NATO’s concerns was the threat posed by Soviet submarine forces. British submarine forces in the northeast Atlantic are tasked with eliminating this threat. Some of RN’s finest are under your control, with numerous missions underway.

Mediterranean Tsunami (2019): The Russian cyber-attack on the Baltic States on Saturday, April 20th succeeded far beyond all expectations! Within hours the banking systems of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania completely collapsed as did much of the power grid and governmental functions. On Sunday, the attack spread to telecommunications and a general denial of service attack on the internet system itself. On Tuesday the 23rd violent disturbances broke out in Navra, Tartu and Rezekne with young Russian men clashing with police. As the crisis entered its fifth day the Prime Minister of Latvia was shot and killed by an assassin while visiting the town of Balvi. On Thursday full scale food riots had broken out across all three countries and, blaming Russia, fighting between ethnic Russians and Latvians became intense in the eastern portion of the country. Up until this point Russian President Vladimir Putin had been very silent on the Baltic developments, but now he called for “Volunteers” to aide their beleaguered and oppressed fellow Russians.
As chaos continued to descend upon the Baltic all three jointly invoked NATO Article Five asking Brussels for aide. Debate raged in NATO General Council over the weekend until it was proven on Monday that “Little Green Men” were appearing more and more often in the growing civil unrest. Late that day NATO authorized support for the Baltic Republics and that evening a British Tornado air strike destroyed a convoy of “volunteers” crossing the Russian border near Luta, Estonia. Tuesday became a free for all over the skies of the Baltics with NATO and Russian Jets mixing it up over the border area and several NATO aircraft were downed by Russian S-400 missile sites. To date the crisis had been confined to the Baltics and Baltic Sea but at 18:00 UTC a French satellite pass noted the Russian SSBNs getting underway from the Kola Peninsula and other satellite passes confirmed the rest of the Northern Fleet was getting ready to stand up…

Mediterranean Fury 3 – Casbah Crunch (1994): In the Allied Forces South (AFSOUTH) Area of Operations (AO), the Soviets attempted an airborne and amphibious assault on the Bosporus in the opening hours of the war. This failed but it was a bold and bloody fight (Med Fury 1, not yet built), and linked to an attempted coup of the Turkish Government. Ankara is in lockdown and it is unclear how successful or not the coup actually was, news footage of street fighting, explosions and aircraft circling the city are airing around the world but the president of Turkey is still claiming power via radio broadcasts. Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary have joined the fight, seemingly reluctantly, and are contesting the airspace in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
Nearly simultaneous to the attack in the Black Sea, a Container ship transiting through Port Suez exploded and caught fire; quick action by the local authorities pushed and towed it out to open water where it burned to the waterline and sank, but the Suez Canal remains open.
During the first night of the war Syria made a surprise and somewhat uncoordinated attack on Israel through the Golan Heights supported by Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Beirut government has decried the violence but unrest is rapidly spreading and it very likely Lebanon will quickly plunge into a renewed civil war.
Your mission is to sink the Soviet Ship Leningrad, hopefully without causing war with Libya. This is a delicate task and you have significant force at your disposal, but your forces are very dispersed and if Libya enters the war, the balance will equalize quickly.

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

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