Cadets practice urban tactics in 'city' modeled after Iraq, Afghanistan

By Mackenzie Reiss
Staff writer

Welcome to Karjackistan. The artificial city embodies a slum at best, and a breeding ground for terrorist activity, at worst. Four run-down buildings flank a central market area, each zone posing a new challenge in urban warfare for ROTC Cadets.

To expose the least amount of her body to the enemy as possible, Cadet Catherine Hicks, from the University of South Carolina, kneels into a firing position to check for enemy forces. Photo by Mackenzie Reiss

The mission: Clear each building, and deal appropriately with any civilians or enemy inside. Beware of snipers or IEDs, strategically placed around the next corner.

In 16-person squads, over two days of intense training, Cadets of Co. A 1/46th Inf. took to the streets to learn about squad tactics, and themselves.

Decades ago, the buildings that make up the mock city of Karjackistan were used as barracks. Now long out of use and deteriorated, they have been partitioned into multiple rooms to mirror the homes American troops patrol in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“That is one of the most common occurrences that happen in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Cadet Alec Livada said. “We have to go into towns and cities and intermingle with the civilians. And the scariest part is you have no idea who the enemy is.”

The Mobil Operations and Urban Tactics training site, home to Karjackistan, is no different. Inside the paint-peeled walls of the buildings awaits the opposition; their location and strength, unknown.

The past 20 days of training have armed the Cadets with the collaborative skills essential to squad tactics.

It was the task of Cadet Connie Campos, of 1st Platoon, to lead her unit through safely. With masks on and paintball guns at the ready, the team surged into the building. Two four-person squads cleared rooms to the left and right side, while the remaining Cadets brought up the rear to provide security.

Yet despite their teamwork and motivation, one female Karjack stood between the Cadets and their objective. As they began a routine enemy prisoner of war search, she wailed beneath her headscarf that she was pregnant. Only too late did they realize that what some thought was a “baby bump,” had masqueraded as an IED vest.

“Boom,” said 2nd Lt. Kelly Mabry, tugging the cord to “trigger” her vest, “Your squad is dead.”

The communication was there. Both Alpha and Bravo elements filed into the house on cue, maneuvering with tactical precision. But it was their failure to thoroughly search the Karjack that cost them their lives. They made a mistake; they failed their mission.

And they were supposed to.

“The winning or the losing doesn’t matter, it’s what you’ve learned,” said Livada, who pulled security with Alpha team. “You’re not the person in charge and you have to have faith in the fact that the people above you know what they’re doing.”

For authentic MOUT training, Cadets wield paintball guns to combat snipers and terrorists. Photo by Mackenzie Reiss

For many Cadets, foregoing their own ideas in favor of the leader’s approach is among the most challenging aspects of LTC. With so many dominant personalities in a squad, trust in the chain of command is imperative for the Cadets to work effectively.

 “When you have a lot of leaders together who don’t know how to follow, there’s conflict,” said Cadet Perrish Goggins from the 4^th platoon, 4^th squad, Charlie Co., “If you don’t trust your chain of command, you basically lack the confidence to complete the mission. And, if you lack that, then you pretty much condemn the mission to failure.”

Over the two-day training, some 253 Cadets rotated into positions of leadership. Each was a given a chance to assume the role of team leader or to lead one of two squads that compromise the team.

The team leader delivers the operational order, formulates a plan of attack and leads rehearsals prior to the start of the mission. Once completed, the leader will oversee an after-action review, during which the team discusses the strengths and weaknesses of their mission.

Cadet Trent Aitken said the most important facet of leadership is interpersonal, rather than tactical. To gain the trust of teammates and keep them motivated, a strong leader must strike a compromise between confidence and approachability.

“In my opinion, that’s one of the biggest parts of being a leader, is to know how somebody else ticks and knowing what buttons to push and how in order to motivate them,” Aitken said. “I know I need to work on my decision-making skills. The worst thing to do is to not do anything.”

In Karjackistan city, inaction was not an option. With paintballs flying and IEDs lurking in each lane, the Cadets’ ability to adapt was thoroughly tested. A pause for contemplation could make one a sitting duck; both vulnerable to sniper fire and an endangerment to the squad. For Cadet Chayanm Garcia, the implications of squad tactics truly hit home when he took a paintball to the face.

“If this was war, I would have been smoked. It’s a wake-up call,” he said. “Today I realized that this is practice but one day or another, we’re actually going to be out there. Everything has to be taken seriously, every single lesson.”