AAR Arma Reforger | Operation Steel Halo

[MacMillan.M]

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
S3 BATTLE STAFF
Headquarters
7th Cavalry Regiment
COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT
​

Name of Combat Mission: Operation Steel Halo
Campaign of Combat Mission (If applicable):
Server Hosted on: TS2
Date of Combat Mission: 04OCT25
Time of Combat Mission (Zulu): 2300z
Mission OIC: Captain Hilberg.A
Mission Controller: Specialist MacMillan.M, Private First Class Pearl.F, SSG.Blake.H [RES]

Number of Attendees: 45

7th Cavalry Personnel Involved in Action:
Captain Hilberg.A
First Lieutenant Davis.D
First Lieutenant Whitsel.M
Second Lieutenant Corbin.R
First Sergeant Molitor.K
Sergeant First Class Geki.T
Sergeant First Class Mazinski.H
Staff Sergeant Lucander.P
Sergeant Turner.L
Sergeant Vaughn.V
Corporal Blackburn.Z
Corporal Mack.A
Corporal Mendoza.R
Corporal Mobius.T
Corporal Zimm.L
Specialist Bayer.MW
Specialist Clegg.M
Specialist Flint.J
Specialist Harry.J
Specialist Hartshock.P
Specialist Keene.R
Specialist King.MJ
Specialist Kron.D
Specialist MacMillan.M
Specialist McGahan.L
Specialist Nance.T
Specialist Russell.JG
Specialist Valiante.M
Specialist Van Auken.P
Specialist Webbel.R
Specialist Walker.R
Private First Class Adams.T
Private First Class Garrick.S
Private First Class Macintosh.S
Private First Class Pearl.F
Private First Class Ross.S
Private First Class Von Knispel.K
Private First Class Walker.TR
Private Bolte.D
Private Cormac.M
Private Madlock.B
Private Tanner.N
Private Woods.F
Private Colbert.L
Staff Sergeant Crowley.T
Specialist Woodford.F

Recruit Hickman.K (BCT)

 

[Woods.F]

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
S3 BATTLE STAFF
Headquarters
7th Cavalry Regiment
COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT
​

Time of Combat Mission (Zulu): 2300z

Element Callsign: Raven-1
Element Leader: Private First Class Woods.F
7th Cavalry Personnel Within Element:
Specialist Macintosh.S

Pros:

• Gave us the opportunity to practice our SERE training in a down range environment.
• Good stick time and great cooperation between flight elements and ground elements both before and after being rescued in the beginning of the operation.

Cons:

• Had issues with reaching people on the radio.
• Overall confusion at the beginning of the op as to what the downed pilots were supposed to do.

 

[Nance.T]

Element Callsign: Bandit 2
Element Leader: Specialist Nance.T

7th Cavalry Personnel Within Element:
Specialist Valiante.M
Specialist Kron.D
Corporal Mack.A
Private Tanner.N
Second Lieutenant Corbin.R
Corporal Flint.J
Corporal Russell.JG
Specialist Woodford.F
Specialist Kron.D
Specialist Clegg.M
Private First Class Walker.TR

Pros:

• Troopers all noted it was a fun op, felt well utilized
• Troopers and FTLs noted improves for themselves
• FTLs did a good job keeping the squad moving through lots of chaos
• Fun op, definitely a unique objective

Cons/Improves:

• Platoon convoy movement felt disorganized
• Squad needed a resupply after second objective
• Gained several members to the squad as it went leaving us with over 10 members
• Noticed some troopers carrying weapon systems outside of roles

 

[King.MJ]

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
S3 BATTLE STAFF
Headquarters
7th Cavalry Regiment
COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT
​

Time of Combat Mission (Zulu): 2300z

Element Callsign: Chaos
Element Leader: Specialist King.MJ
7th Cavalry Personnel Within Element: CPL Mobius.T, PFC Ross.S


Pros:

• Did not get captured or killed during SERE.
• No fratricide amongst Sparrow.
• Paid for CHAOS dinner with Hilberg's wallet.

Cons:

• Still feel less effective than I would like to be with the lack of designator tools, CTAB/ATAK.
• Not as much training time as I wanted with Ross and Mobius.

 

[Mendoza.R]

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
S3 BATTLE STAFF
Headquarters
7th Cavalry Regiment
COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT
​

Element Callsign: Bandit-4
Element Leader: Corporal Mendoza.R
7th Cavalry Personnel Within Element:

Corporal Blackburn.Z
Sergeant Vaughn.V
Staff Sergeant Lucander.P
Specialist Harry.J
Private First Class Riley.D
Staff Sergeant Crowley.T
Private First Class Adams.T
Private First Class Macintosh.S

Pros:

• Great variety this op in taskings, objectives, and contact
• Troopers performed excellently providing critical security and SBF
• Succession of command handled smoothly after multiple instances of squad leader going down
• PCCs and PCIs completed very quickly
• Gun teams covered assigned sectors with good discipline

Cons:

• PCCs and PCI might have been too quick, I forgot to assign a 2IC, got to it after the convoy was in motion
• I should have communicated command's intentions to the squad, troopers felt unsure about the purpose of some orders
• We would have preferred if our vehicles were spawned close to our arsenal to make it clear what our assigned vehicle would be and to allow us to load ammunition and supplies into the vehicles.
• Heavy casualties taken, at least 5 black tags
• Convoy overshot dismount points twice
• Communications between squads felt lacking. Rifle squads can and should call the Weapons squad for supporting fires, shift and lift fires, etc. in support of their maneuvers.
• Convoy ORPs should be placed farther from objectives to allow for a smoother transition from convoy movement to infantry maneuver.

 

[Molitor.K]

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
S3 BATTLE STAFF
Headquarters
7th Cavalry Regiment
COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT​

Element Callsign: Bandit-5
Element Leader: First Sergeant Molitor.K

Pros:

• Really enjoyed the mission design and the opportunity to do milsim stuff. The objectives were challenging in a good way and simulated a realistic environment against a dynamic enemy.
• The balance between planning and flexibility was really good. The SLs rolled with last minute changes reasonably well and were able to stay on mission.
• First convoy went pretty well.
• The squads fought well above their weight classes this evening and managed to survive through a triple MASCAS scenario.
• Communication amongst the Platoon was solid.
• Was a great experience working with Raven all night.

Cons:

• Consolidation and Movement between 2nd and 3rd objectives was a bit rushed and I missed a few things communication wise that came up from squads during the AAR.
• Probably could have utilized CAS a bit more once it came online.
• Little bit of task saturation during the second objective MASCAS event caused me to be a bit less than useful at a time when it was needed.
• K17s

 

[Zimm.L]

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
S3 BATTLE STAFF
Headquarters
7th Cavalry Regiment
COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT
​

Time of Combat Mission (Zulu): 2300z

Element Callsign: Bandit-7
Element Leader: Corporal Zimm.L
7th Cavalry Personnel Within Element:
Corporal Zimm.L
Private First Class Von Knispel.K

Pros:

• platoon leadership very attentive
• good security for 7
• we had good amount of medical
• everyone backed off when 7 showed up to the wounded, and gave report
  
  

Cons:

• time it took to get call out from squad lead to platoon

 

[Keene.R]

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
S3 BATTLE STAFF
Headquarters
7th Cavalry Regiment
COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT
​

Time of Combat Mission (Zulu): 2300z

Element Callsign: Bandit - 1
Element Leader: Keene.R
7th Cavalry Personnel Within Element:

• Bolte.D
• Cormac.M
• Hickman.K
• Turner.L
• Bayer.MW
• Hartshock.P
• McGahan.L
• Van Auken.P
• Webbel.R

Pros:

• Troopers had a good time, lots of action
• Squad comms good - clear communication on objectives, what we are trying to do, and on responsibilities
• Good teamwork
• Loved the diversity of objectives and the challenge it presented
• 7 did an excellent job getting up to us when necessary

Cons:

• GREENFOR/militia was confusing - before stepping off for 3rd objective observed some militia, didn't engage, then they started shooting and killed a gunner in a humvee immediately
• Hesitation on the assault (2nd objective) led to a mass cas
• Got real chaotic after mass casualty, did recover, but was pretty hectic at some points
• Convoy comms could have been better

 

[Hilberg.A]

Element Callsign: Bandit-6
Element Leader: Captain Hilberg.A

Pros:

• PCCs and PCIs were complete, and the convoy was ready to roll H-Hour +15
• Outstanding job by Bandit-4 holding CP Mike from all angles, with appropriate rates of fire
• Appreciated the complexity of the OP
• 7 was on point responding
• Outstanding job by 5, fighting 4, setting up all the map markers, prepping the convoy movement, and also good comms. Appreciate you, Top.
• Good individual actions heard when I was bumping around from 1 and 2 during their movements and assault
• Squads did a good job keeping up the momentum that I pushed them to keep

Cons:

• Hesitation will get you killed; violence of action is a must
• Limited use of CAS during the gap from OBJ B to KT02 Ambush site
• ACE reports are always necessary if the momentum Platoon kept you on made you feel like you never really stopped
• I own the execution of the final movement for the ambush. My plan was quickly covered with the GM during the main OP planning, but the actual order was a rushed FRAGO. We missed some important information for the Squads, but they performed extremely well, showing great flexibility in adapting to the situation.

 

[Madlock.B]

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
S3 BATTLE STAFF
Headquarters
7th Cavalry Regiment
COMBAT AFTER ACTION REPORT
​

Time of Combat Mission (Zulu): 2300z
Element Callsign: Sparrow-1
Element Leader: Private Madlock.B
Platform(s): AH-6M
Task(s): ISR, CAS

7th Cavalry Personnel Within Element:
First Lieutenant Davis.D

Pros:

• Communication between Sparrow, and Chaos was exceptional to say the least.
• Communication between Sparrow, and Raven was also exceptional.
• Routes and orbits seemed to go smoothly (No close calls pertaining to mid air collisions).
• Utilizing our SERE skills was quite enjoyable at the beginning of the operation.

Cons:

• CAS was only utilized twice other than carrying out ISR duties.
• Sparrow experienced a catastrophic failure of the primary rotor after it was shot by multiple 30mm rounds. This ultimately led to a crash landing and the loss of the aircraft.
• Wish there could have been a tad more direction for the pilots at the start of the operation as to what our purpose was at the plane crash. We were more or less just plopped down. Wish there was a tad more contact for the pilots.

 

[Murdock.T]

S1 Locked.

 

[Mobius.T]

S1 Operations Processed