Mission Brief and High Value Target Overview
The training opens with a detailed mission brief for a force-on-force close quarters battle exercise focused on capturing or killing a designated high value individual. Instructors describe the HVT’s physical appearance and emphasize his role in funding terror cells operating in the Kansas–Missouri region. Surveillance photos are shown so students can positively identify the target under stress. The cadre explain that this is a capture/kill mission, not just a simple building clear, and that success hinges on confirming the correct individual. They outline the overall concept of the operation, stressing coordination between elements, disciplined communication, and strict adherence to rules of engagement. Students are told how they will signal mission success using the radio call sign “jackpot” once the HVT is confirmed. The brief sets expectations for realistic opposition, multiple unknown personnel on site, and the need to balance speed with positive identification and evidence collection throughout the exercise.
Target Building Layout and External Security Plan
The instructors shift to the target building layout, using diagrams to walk students through the structure and surrounding area. They highlight that the primary focus is the south side of the compound, where the HVT is most likely located. The brief covers key entry points, likely choke points, and potential danger areas such as blind corners and interior hallways. An external surveillance and security team is assigned to cover possible escape routes, particularly windows and doors that could allow the HVT or associates to flee once the assault begins. The cadre emphasize the importance of containment, explaining that external elements must be ready to interdict runners without compromising the main assault. Students are reminded to maintain situational awareness of friendlies outside the building to avoid blue-on-blue incidents. This planning phase reinforces how exterior security, observation, and communication support the assault force and prevent the target from slipping away.
Vehicle Approach and Cell Positioning
Planning then moves to the approach phase, detailing how Charlie cell and Whiskey cell will arrive at the objective in vehicles. Instructors specify where each vehicle will park to minimize exposure while still allowing rapid dismount and movement to the doors. The cells are assigned distinct entry points and sectors, ensuring they do not overlap or cross each other’s lines of fire. The brief stresses maintaining cell integrity from the moment they step off, with each team responsible for its own slice of the problem. Students are told how to move from the vehicles to the structures, how to use available cover, and how to coordinate timing so both elements hit their respective buildings simultaneously. The cadre underline the importance of noise and light discipline during the approach, as well as pre-arranged radio calls to synchronize movement. This phase sets the conditions for a coordinated, multi-point assault on the target area.
Simultaneous Breach, Clearance, and Post-Assault Procedures
The instructors describe how Charlie and Whiskey cells will execute a simultaneous breach on separate structures, hitting the objective at the same time to overwhelm resistance and limit the HVT’s escape options. They discuss initial entry priorities: dominating the threshold, quickly identifying threats versus non-combatants, and pushing momentum into the first rooms. Once the buildings are secured, teams are expected to establish security positions, control movement inside and outside, and methodically clear remaining spaces. The cadre emphasize systematic room-by-room clearance, searching for weapons, documents, and electronics that could tie the HVT to broader networks. Students are instructed to confirm the target’s identity using the surveillance photos, then broadcast “jackpot” over the radio once the HVT is captured or neutralized. Post-assault procedures include consolidating detainees, preserving evidence, and preparing to either exfiltrate or pivot to a follow-on target based on intelligence gathered on site.
Pre-Mission Brief, Kit-Up, and Radio Checks
Before the live run, an instructor reiterates mission completion criteria, reminding students that the operation is not over until the HVT is confirmed and the “jackpot” call is made. He outlines how the post-mission breakdown will work and explains that any intelligence found could trigger a follow-on target. Students are then given about 15 minutes to kit up, don protective gear, and configure their weapons and training ammunition for force-on-force. They set radios to the assigned channels and conduct comms checks to ensure every element can talk before stepping off. The cadre stress the importance of clear, concise radio traffic once the scenario begins. This pre-mission phase mirrors real-world preparation, forcing students to manage time, equipment, and coordination under a deadline. Once checks are complete, the environment transitions from classroom-style briefing to a darkened, high-stress CQB scenario with role-players and opposing forces.
Initial Entry, Contact, and Room Clearing Under Fire
The force-on-force run begins with commands to cut the lights, plunging the environment into low visibility as the team moves to the entry. Students receive a “contact front” call and push into the structure, applying stairwell and hallway procedures under simulated fire. Inside, they encounter multiple role-players, some compliant and some representing threats. Commands are issued to face the wall and show hands, while shooters maintain muzzle discipline and sector coverage. The team works through rooms, clearing corners, establishing cross-cover on open doors, and reacting to gunfire heard elsewhere on the property. They must quickly differentiate between engaged or neutralized threats and unknown individuals who may be hiding weapons. The scenario forces them to balance speed with control, using verbal commands, physical positioning, and coordinated movement to dominate the interior. This phase tests their ability to make rapid decisions while maintaining team integrity and communication.
Detainee Control, Searches, and Intelligence Discovery
As rooms are secured, the team transitions into detainee management and detailed searches. Role-players are placed against walls or on the ground, hands visible, while team members conduct systematic pat-downs for weapons or contraband. Students must maintain security on doors and hallways while others search, ensuring no one loses awareness of potential threats. They separate engaged threats from unknowns and begin to control the flow of people within the structure. During the search, they discover a folder containing critical intelligence: references to an American host and information about a missing NGO worker whose description matches one of the individuals on site. This discovery changes the mission focus. The cadre guide students through interpreting the intel, deciding to exfiltrate the current location and plan a dismounted movement to a follow-on target about a mile and a half away. Arrangements are made for pickup and protection of the identified individual as the team prepares to move.
Follow-On Target Brief, Movement, and Jackpot Extraction
The scenario shifts to an operations brief for a follow-on target roughly a mile and a half from the first site. Instructors explain that the building layout is largely unknown, forcing students to apply principles rather than rehearsed routes. Cells plan their movement, including how to cross linear danger areas and quickly consolidate at the entry point. After hitting the second objective, they locate and capture the high value individual, confirming another “jackpot,” but the HVT is now treated as an injured casualty. The team must escort him about three-quarters of a mile to an extraction point in the rain, using a litter under simulated direct fire. Along the way, they encounter contacts to the left and right, execute bounding, clear additional rooms, and secure suspects at gunpoint. The realism peaks when actual police arrive on scene, underscoring how lifelike the training appears. The segment closes with light-hearted jokes about calling in an airstrike and discarding the orange-tipped training weapon, highlighting both the intensity and the controlled nature of the exercise.
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