IHS General Information
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[edit] Motto
"Celeritas, Impetus, & Pugna Violentia"
I am the shadow that follows you.
I am the air that moves around you.
I am the darkness that engulfs you.
I am the corner of your eyes.
I am the feeling of uncertainty.
I am that which you misplaced.
I am the elevator that closes behind you.
I am the glitch in the camera.
I am the scent that can't be hunted.
I am the ghost in the machine.
I am the light switch.
I am the valve.
I am life.
I am death.
I am the last line of defense.
I am the 5th Freedom.
I AM A MEMBER OF S.W.O.R.D.
[edit] History of the 303rd
The war on terror proved not only how effective terrorist operations could against an unprepared, peace-loving Americans, it showed just how deficient the TG community and the In House Squads Special Operations Branch in particular were when it came to dealing with the frequency and ferocity of missions carried out by Terrorist supported forces.
Tactical Gamers' Special Warfare Operations/Rapid Deployment Team (S.W.O.R.D) is one of two Tactical Gamers' In House Squad principle units tasked with counter terrorist operations inside and outside the TG Community (the other being the 32nd Strike Force). S.W.O.R.D. was created by |TG-PCS| Jack Bauer on June 23, 2008 in direct response to numerous, well-publicized terrorist incidents that occurred prior to and during the counter-strike tournaments. From its inception, the counter terrorist teams of the late 20th and early 21st centuries have heavily influenced S.W.O.R.D. The British SAS, US Army Delta Force, US Navy SEALs, & Team Rainbow, are all units that have influenced S.W.O.R.D. in one way or another.
While the 4th Force Recon, E1st European Division, and 32nd Strike Force, none were able to deploy and react fast enough to counter the many attacks propagated against allied forces and citizens. The E1st Team defused many hostage situations, but required a minimum amount of lead-time to train and rehearse each specific operation, and time requirements varied wildly from operation to operation. The 32nd Strike Force, while effective in procuring stolen vessels, were ill equipped and under prepared when the terrorists responsible for several hijackings switched tactics away from ship-based operations. The 4th Force Recon team were to busy conducting proactive operations and supplementing the 10th Tactical Guard team to be of much assistance with counter-terror operations.
The 303rd Tactical Gamer Special Activities Division is based off of a standard US Marine Corps rifle platoon, and our sister platoon company ShackTactical, with some minor differences. Weighing in at 18 players when fully fleshed out, SWORD consists of four main elements - the platoon headquarters (also known as the 'command element') and one rifle squad, Alpha. Alpha squad consists of three fireteams - labeled as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd fireteam - and each fireteam contains three players plus their fireteam leader. The main difference between the 303rd TGSAD Platoon and a USMC/ShackTactical platoon is the addition of corpsmen (medics) at the squad level as well as the platoon level, giving us a total of two medics in the platoon.
[edit] Fort Griffith
Headquartered in a remote section of the Tactical Gamer community. Reports of the compound indicate that no expense has been spared, including numerous shooting facilities (both for close quarters battle and longer range sniping), and one of the largest tactical library facilities in the gaming community. Yet, as lavish as these accouterments may seem, they all serve vital roles in training counter-terrorists. S.W.O.R.D. team members continually train as if they are in actuality, a terrorist cell. As such, they must train for any eventuality. These skills are enhanced by the unit's participation in an ongoing exchange and training programs with domestic counter-terrorist units such as Tactical Gamers' Elite Force Squads, 32nd Strike Force,4th Force Recon, European Division and foreign counter-terrorist units, such as (as might be expected) E1st (Covert Action Teams). Such close cooperation with other groups provides innumerable benefits, including exchanges of new tactics and equipment as well as enhancing relations that might prove useful in later real-world operations. S.W.O.R.D. team members are also equipped with the most advanced weaponry and equipment available in the Tactical Gamer arsenal. A significant portion of their gear is highly customized and cannot be found anywhere but in S.W.O.R.D.’s lockers. An example of this is a specially constructed energy inhibitor for suppressing noise and sound on various hand guns and M4A1 rifles. Little is known about the day-to-day operations of the S.W.O.R.D. teams, but as much as they avoid publicity and conduct covert operations, S.W.O.R.D. does not appear to be as secretive as the (unconfirmed) Omega Team, which is apart of the Special Activities Division(SAD)of the 303rd Logistical Studies Group's National Clandestine Service, responsible for covert action paramilitary operations.
[edit] Mission Profiles
S.W.O.R.D deploys throughout the world, and both the Army and United States government have the ability to deny the existence S.W.O.R.D and any of its members in order to prevent the onset of international incidents. Their uniforms are commonly not standard Army issue, which makes it easier to deny their connection with the US Army if killed or captured. They also carry weapons that are not always standard-issue. Like all Special Forces units, the Unit's personnel are well-familiarized with weapons from around the world and can make themselves look like military personnel from other organizations.
| (Code Word “Broken China”) | S.W.O.R.D. is the Tactical Gamer Community's first-line unit for proactive operations in a counter-terror environment. The team conducts intelligence gathering missions, surveillance operations, agent extractions, equipment seizure, and other deep-cover operations where violence-of-action may become necessary. Elimination and destruction of terrorist training camps is a prime example of S.W.O.R.D.'s primary covert mission. | Proactive Counter Terrorist Operations |
| Code Word “Crazy Dagger” | The primary overt mission of S.W.O.R.D. is to conduct security operations at Tactical Gamer facilities community-wide. These “penetrations” will be conducted in such a way that they are as realistic as possible without undue violation of safety procedures and causing permanent damage to the facility’s equipment. Temporary disruption of facility operations is authorized under some circumstances. S.W.O.R.D. will simulate terrorists acting against a predetermined facility. Prior to the commencement of operations, S.W.O.R.D. will arrange the estimated time and duration of the operation with the facility’s commanders or civilian operators. Threat conditions may be set at the base commander’s prerogative. S.W.O.R.D. will notify the facility upon the commencement of active operations (though intelligence gathering may be done covertly and ahead of time). At that point, the facility will be fair game for S.W.O.R.D. operations. While no permanent damage will be done, Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) may be used, and signs of the penetration will be left in all major areas. Hostages may be taken as long as the safety of civilians is not compromised. S.W.O.R.D. is authorized to enter any and all secure areas in order to assess the security of the facility. In the case of delicate areas, care will be taken to cause no damage (using signage only). Upon the conclusion of operations, S.W.O.R.D. representatives will conduct debriefings of the facility’s operations and security departments to recommend changes and upgrades to security procedure. | Terrorist Security Examinations |
| (Code Word “Dark Arrow”) | S.W.O.R.D. is the Tactical Gamer Community's first-line unit for proactive operations in a counter-terror environment. The team conducts intelligence gathering missions, surveillance operations, agent extractions, equipment seizure, and other deep-cover operations where violence-of-action may become necessary. Elimination and destruction of terrorist training camps is a prime example of S.W.O.R.D.'s primary covert mission. | Reactive Counter Terrorist Operations |
[edit] Weapons
S.W.O.R.D shows the use of a variety of weapon platforms, determined by their mission objectives and area of operations. Because of the specialised and/or covert nature of their operations, S.W.O.R.D operators do not always use standard issue weapons for deniability reasons. They are however, often seen with AR-15-style rifles, namely the Colt M4A1 with or without the optional M203 40mm grenade launcher, and the Heckler & Koch MP5 with optical sights (normally the Trijicon 4x ACOG, Aimpoint CompM2 and/or EOTech 552 Holographic sight). Other noteworthy assault rifles the Colt M16A4 rifle (outfitted with precision sniper scope), HK G36C, SIG SG 552 Commando rifle and the Fabrique Nationale FAL assault rifles. It is also worth noting that S.W.O.R.D operators have on occasion, employed the supressor-fitted AK-47 assault rifle for operations in Iran. For many of their undercover operations and close protection details, S.W.O.R.D operators also utilize submachine guns such as the Heckler & Koch MP5K and MP5N. Although the operators rarely carry support weapons (such as squad machine guns) in order to keep mobility, they have also been seen using the FN M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. Needless to say, they are also proficient with crew-served emplaced weapons such as Browning M2 .50 caliber heavy machine gun and FN M240B mounted on military Humvees.
As all S.W.O.R.D operators are expert marksmen trained to hit head sized targets at various ranges, they have also used various rifles such as Knight's Armament Company M-24, MacMillan TAC-50, Drugonov, and others. Several pistols are noted, as it would seem that each operator takes the weapon of their personal preference. Some include the SIG Sauer P226 carried by Jack Bauer, a custom 1911 carried by Dredge and Adiventure, and 9mm Silenced pistols carried by other members of the Task Force
