The Department of Defense
(DoD) Service Branches



The U.S. armed forces are the world’s largest military in personnel, equipment, and budget. It employs paid volunteers, American and foreign. Many Americans serve or have served in the military, and many more have family members or friends that serve. The military offers education, training, and opportunities that would not be otherwise available to many Americans.

The DoD is composed of three main branches: the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. (The Marine Corps falls under the Department of the Navy. The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security, though it falls under Navy control in time of war.) Each of these branches has a specific mission. The Army focuses on land operations, the Navy on maritime operations, the Air Force on the skies.

The President of the United States is the commander- in-chief and the Congress has oversight and funding responsibilities, as well as the constitutional power to declare war. Each service branch is headed by a civilian secretary. The President and Secretary of Defense (the head of the combined services) are advised by the seven-member Joint Chiefs of Staff, which include the head of each of the service branches and the chief of the National Guard Bureau. The Commandant of the Coast Guard is not a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Army, Navy, and Air Force operate hundreds of bases around the world. These bases serve the equipment and personnel of the services, but also serve as crucial forward locations to allow the United States military a timely global reach. Each base is maintained and staffed by its service branch, but falls under the joint authority of the regional Combatant Command where it is located. In war or crisis, the regional Combatant Command is responsible for the strategic movement of units in area.

BUDGET: Over $600 billion in 2015. That includes the service branches, intelligence, and other components, as well as special combat-support supplementals passed by Congress and classified line-items.

The DoD Operative at a Glance

POWERS OF ARREST? Not usually. Certain specializations such as military criminal investigators and military police have arrest powers, usually limited to jurisdiction over military personnel or actions on bases.

EXPECTED TO CARRY A WEAPON? In combat or on guard duty.

ACCESS TO FUNDS? Limited (no more than Incidental Expenses in most cases).

OPERATIONAL BUDGET/RESTRICTED ITEMS? Varies widely. Using the Bureaucracy skill or Military Science, a military Agent can fly aboard cargo and personnel transports using the “Space-A” process—flying only when extra space opens up (which can be a long wait, sometimes days or weeks). In an emergency, an Agent on combat duty or directly supporting combat operations may request significant support from military assets, such as aircraft/surveillance support (including targeted satellite imagery), or access to restricted intelligence. Requests for missile strikes, artillery, or remote combat support are only available to high-ranking personnel (equivalent to colonel or above) on official combat missions.

The military loves red tape, so any request for equipment comes with the requirement to secure a supervisor’s approval and multiple forms to sign. An officer at colonel rank (or equivalent) or higher does not require a supervisor’s approval for mundane or non-lethal equipment requests, like access to a sedan or unarmored SUV. Rank has its privileges.

The Organizations

The U.S. service branches are massive and complex bureaucracies. Elements have interlocking responsibilities and complex reporting requirements.

The service branches work together under the Unified and Geographic Combatant Commands (COCOMs). Some Combatant Commands are regionally- focused, such as EUCOM covering Europe and PACOM covering the Pacific. Others are functional: STRATCOM coordinates the use of and defense against strategic weapons; TRANSCOM coordinates joint service logistics and transport. The Unified Combatant Commands are second only to the individual services themselves in budget and authority. They also host interagency and international personnel, such as from NATO-allied counties.

Component commands encompass specific services in their regions. Under the EUCOM (Europe) Combatant Command, for example, are component commands and major commands for the Army (USAREUR), Navy (NAVEUR), Air Force (USAFE), and Marines (MARFOREUR). The chain of command goes from the President to the Secretary of Defense to the Combatant Commanders and then on to the Component Commanders and specific units.

DoD Unified Component Commands
»» Africa Command (AFRICOM)
»» Central Command (CENTCOM)
»» European Command (EUCOM)
»» Northern Command (NORTHCOM)
»» Pacific Command (PACOM)
»» Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)
»» Special Operations Command (SOCOM)
»» Strategic Command (STRATCOM)
»» Transport Command (TRANSCOM)

Operatives

U.S. military personnel respect hierarchy and authority. Many young service members use the military as a bridge between high school and their adult careers. Generous training and educational benefits encourage recruitment. Most service members enter the military with a sense of the importance of discipline and patriotism.

All service branches delineate between enlisted personnel and commissioned officers. Officers hold command and oversight positions, while enlisted personnel perform specialized jobs. The Army and Navy also employ warrant officers for jobs that require highly specialized or technical training, such as counterintelligence agents and helicopter pilots. Warrant officers are ranked above enlisted personnel but below commissioned officers.

Interoperability is a high priority. It is common for a Marine to serve with the Army, or a sailor to work within the Air Force. These assignments once were career dead-ends but now are important learning processes.

Authority and Mandate

The DoD’s mission is to fight wars and support civilians in times of emergency. The military’s mandate is the protection of the United States and its allies worldwide. The military maintains a strong domestic logistical network.

In practical terms, the U.S. military usually focuses on areas outside of the United States. Federal law restricts military deployments inside the U.S., including the use of military personnel to support law enforcement. The military often deploys in national emergencies and natural disasters, but only with the permission of a state governor. Most Americans would be alarmed to find military personnel with weapons operating within their communities except in dire emergencies. Domestic deployments are typically managed through USNORTHCOM (U.S. Northern Command), the Coast Guard, and the National Guard.

Field Operations

Generally, there are three types of official travel away from a home, a duty location or base. The first type of travel is a regular deployment, and usually involves traveling as a unit for six months (or more) at a time. These deployments are normally for training, routine repositioning, or patrols. Combat deployment differs from regular deployment in that the tempo is much higher, the unit is sent to an active combat zone, and communications with friends and family becomes much less reliable. Combat deployment also sees a sizable increase in the service member’s take home pay.

There is also a Temporary Duty assignment (TDY or TDA). TDYs are for much shorter durations, usually less than two months. TDYs are often done individually or in small groups, rather than as a full unit. Travel for consultations, conferences, or support of another unit or base (not in combat) is done through the TDY process.

The approach to deployments and temporary duty assignments varies greatly from service to service. Bureaucracy, oversight rules, and budget problems often make official travel, even TDYs, onerous and frequently delayed.

Generally, military budgets for specific personnel or units are not very robust, meaning that temporary duty assignments are very cost conscious. Uniformed and combat personnel are only deployed into the field in national emergencies or natural disasters.

Otherwise, deployments are usually tied to specific bases and are done in units of personnel, sometimes very large. In non-combat situations, the military sends the minimum number of people considered “mission critical.”

The military tends to tightly restrict travel funding. Officers have more control of their unit’s funding and purchases than enlisted personnel, and the choice of when and where to travel. Incessant bureaucratic checks leave an extensive paper trail for travel and purchases. The exception to this is clandestine or counterterrorism operations, where bureaucratic red tape shortens and personnel have more autonomy.

Military personnel in domestic TDY assignments occasionally support U.S. law enforcement or intelligence organizations when national security is involved.  This support is usually behind the scenes, such as providing logistical support in the form of space on an aircraft or access to bases or DoD facilities. Intelligence can be provided to law enforcement agencies. The DoD can also provide personnel to non-combat situations, such as sending a judge advocate general (JAG) to advise on a criminal case or an interrogator trained in a rare language.

Crimes on military bases usually mean a joint investigation: the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) or the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) working with local law enforcement or the FBI.

Areas of Friction

The military often does not work well with other parts of the government. In every service there are qualified individuals available to handle nearly any type of event. A service is reluctant to seek support from outside its ranks as culture clashes are frequent. Many members of the military adopt an antagonistic “prove it” attitude towards members of other services and other government agencies. Many U.S. government professionals, particularly those with no service background themselves or in their family, see service members as standoffish or aggressive. The State Department, in particular, has a reputation for dealing poorly at the personal level with the military.

Promotion into senior military ranks requires working outside of the member’s service, which promotes cooperation.

Military criminal investigative services are generally much smaller than their federal law enforcement counterparts. Lack of funding means they often must rely on help from agencies like the FBI. Sometimes this builds confidence between the FBI and the armed services, but just as often it engenders resentment. Some FBI agents view the military investigators as out of their depth, and some military investigators view the FBI as unhelpful.

Playing the Services

A service member in a non-combat position—human resources officer, construction worker, dentist, police officer, bureaucrat, what have you—probably works in whatever passes as a normal environment for that job in the civilian world. You write reports on a computer, look forward to vacation days, and worry about your parking spot. Where working for the military differs is in pay, benefits, hierarchy, and jargon.

The military places a much stronger emphasis on chain of command than the civilian world. A person’s rank is of utmost importance in military culture. Patches and insignia on uniforms advertise where that person falls in the overall hierarchy and give a general idea of what that person does. You are expected to refer to someone senior in the ranks as either “sir” or “ma’am.” Even civilians working for the military are expected to know the ranks of the uniformed personnel and act appropriately, though they are not expected to salute. The military, like most of the government, loves specialized jargon and acronyms.

All branches of the military promote the importance of working in a team. Every service member is part of a unit and is responsible to that unit. If you don’t buy into that ethos, life in the military is miserable.

With hierarchy comes bureaucracy, and no one does bureaucracy like the U.S. military. The paperwork can be labyrinthine. There is a form for everything you do, and the staff that is supposed to provide you with that form isn’t likely to be helpful unless you are a colonel or above. Outside of specialized organs like the NSA, military computer systems are often decades out of date.

If you are in a combat position, then you are a breed apart. You may have seen multiple combat tours and lived for many months under extreme pressure. There is no civilian counterpart to what you do. The closest are in law enforcement, which is why many combat personnel wind up in police work. You identify with other combat veterans and tend to value their opinions over others.

In a combat position, you spend your days training and preparing. When you aren’t training, you are sleeping, eating, or deployed. Units train together and are deployed together. Constant and realistic training makes the American military formidable.

You are expected to understand your equipment intimately. You have disassembled and reassembled your weapon so many times you dream about it.

Training builds mental strength and “muscle memory.” It makes even the most complex tasks routine, even under the extreme pressure of combat. It builds instincts and mental toughness that help you survive combat.

Combat Veterans

Post-traumatic stress disorder is the plague of the military. If you serve, you know someone who suffers from PTSD. If you don’t know anyone, then you’re probably the one struggling with it. Stress, late nights, lack of sleep, micromanagement by commanding officers, and, of course, combat catch up to you. Even if you use the mental health resources that the military provides, you withdraw from society. You are constantly on edge. You don’t sleep well, and may well struggle with waking nightmares. Your marriage suffers. Your work suffers. Nothing seems to work right. You may struggle with alcoholism.

You might be able to fake it for quite a while, to conceal the symptoms, but it is an act. Those who haven’t done what you do simply can’t understand. It is not a failure on their part. But it’s a rift that can’t easily be crossed.

DG Note:

Millions of personnel around the world. Bottomless budgets. Whatever hardware or skill-set you need, you can find in the military. If you know where to look and which forms to falsify. In general, combat vets make the best recruits. If they coped with seeing the elephant.

Bonus: Veterans stick together when things go bad. And everybody already expects them to have PTSD.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:00, Wed 18 Oct 2023.

U.S. Army


The U.S. Army seizes and holds terrain. It is the largest and oldest of the military branches. It integrates air assets, armored vehicles, infantry, and artillery. It is well-equipped, especially compared to most other militaries, and it excels in the logistics of moving, supplying, and coordinating large numbers of soldiers and support units.

BUDGET: Approximately $250 billion in 2015.

The Organization

Army personnel, including reserves, National Guard, and civilian support, number over a million people. The Army is made up of three components: the active component, called the regular Army, and two reserve components, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.

The reserve components are primarily composed of part-time soldiers. The Army National Guard is organized, trained, and equipped as part of the U.S. Army, but when it is not in federal service it is under the command of state governors.

The Army is divided into specialized branches such as artillery, infantry, aviation, the Signal Corps, the Corps of Engineers, special operations forces, and armored vehicles.

The Corps of Engineers (USACE) has a large peacetime mission supporting federal and state construction projects.

Operatives

A member of the Army is called a “soldier” or, unofficially, a “grunt.” Most can be represented with the Soldier or Marine profession (see page 26).

The Army boasts uniformed personnel of all types, from human resource specialists to veterinarians, police, and traditional warfighters. The Army employs many civilians in highly skilled support roles and office-management jobs.

Basic training for uniformed personnel takes ten weeks, including combat training. Basic training is followed by Advanced Individualized Training (AIT), where soldiers receive training for Military Occupational Specialties (MOS).

In combat situations the Army fields a four-soldier fire team as its smallest grouping: a team leader, a rifleman, a grenadier (equipped with a rifle and grenade launcher), and an automatic rifleman (equipped with a light machine gun). Other units include sniper teams (two soldiers), explosive ordnance disposal teams (one to three soldiers), engineers, cavalry scouts, and others.

Army veterans know they are the core of the largest and most powerful military in the world. A powerful esprit de corps is inevitable. Many soldiers, even those that never see combat and work in an air-conditioned office for most of their career, believe they are combat ready. But combat veterans tend to be clannish, gravitating together in an influential subculture.

For many soldiers, even veterans, the Army is a stepping stone to other careers. Those who stay in the Army as “lifers” tend to appreciate discipline, camaraderie, purpose, and stability.

Suggested Professions

U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID)
USAMRIID (pronounced “you-sam-rid”) combats the use of biological agents in warfare. The Institute, as it’s called, cooperates closely with the FBI and CDC.
   PROFESSION: Scientist.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Bureaucracy, Military
Science, Pharmacy, Science (Biology).
   EQUIPMENT: Large library on infectious diseases and biowarfare; access to high-tech lab equipment (including the highest level of biohazard protective gear) and samples of the deadliest microorganisms in the world.

902nd Military Intelligence Group
Analysts of the 902nd advise and support counterintelligence, counterterrorism, and counterespionage operations.
   PROFESSION: Soldier.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Bureaucracy, HUMINT,
Foreign Language (choose one), SIGINT.
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR (page 85), and access to specialized intelligence products as well as a wide range of survival gear.

10th Mountain Division
The 10th Mountain is designed to deploy quickly in force to austere environments, especially mountainous and arctic terrain.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 50%
»» Athletics 60%
»» Bureaucracy 30%
»» Drive 40%
»» Firearms 40%
»» First Aid 30%
»» Military Science (Land) 40%
»» Navigate 50%
»» Persuade 30%
»» Survival 50%
»» Unarmed Combat 50%
Choose three from:
»» Computer Science 40%
»» Craft (choose one) 40%
»» Demolitions 40%
»» Foreign Language (choose one) 40%
»» Heavy Machinery 50%
»» Heavy Weapons 40%
»» Search 60%
»» SIGINT 40%
»» Swim 60%
   BONDS: 3
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Athletics, Firearms, First
Aid, Heavy Weapons.
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR (page 85), and also has access to specialized cold weather, alpine, and desert survival gear and equipment.

1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division
A long-range surveillance and reconnaissance force.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 50%
»» Athletics 50%
»» Bureaucracy 30%
»» Drive 50%
»» Firearms 40%
»» First Aid 30%
»» Heavy Machinery 40%
»» Heavy Weapons 40%
»» Military Science (Land) 40%
»» Navigate 50%
»» Stealth 30%
»» Survival 50%
»» Unarmed Combat 50%
Choose one from:
»» Artillery 40%
»» Computer Science 40%
»» Craft (choose one) 40%
»» Demolitions 40%
»» Foreign Language (choose one) 40%
»» SIGINT 40%
   BONDS: 3
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Firearms, Heavy Machinery,
SIGINT, Survival.
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR (page 85) as well as advanced visual and audio surveillance equipment including a long range and hardened laser marker.

Army Medical Corps
The Corps consists of experienced primary care physicians that can be forward deployed or attached to units in the field. (This is distinct from medics, who deploy at the squad and platoon level and are not part of the Medical Corps. They can be represented with the Nurse or Paramedic profession on page 25 and the Soldier or Marine background package on page 26.)
   PROFESSION: Physician.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Athletics, First Aid, Medicine,
Surgery.
   EQUIPMENT: Extensive medical tools for diagnosis and treatment, including mobile surgical or specialized equipment.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:01, Wed 18 Oct 2023.

U.S. Air Force (USAF)


The United States Air Force (USAF) secures air superiority and provides air support to ground forces. It operates the world’s most advanced aircraft, missiles, and communication equipment. It also is responsible for nuclear deterrence, special operations, cyberspace, wireless communications, data management, and missions in space and low-Earth orbit.

BUDGET: Approximately $170 billion in 2015.

The Organization

The Air Force has over 300,000 uniformed personnel, 185,000 civilians, and almost 200,000 reserves and National Guardsmen. It is made up of an active component, the Air National Guard, and a Reserve. The active Air Force includes a complex network of commands. The Air Combat Command controls the air-superiority forces. The Global Strike Command controls bombers and strike wings. Other commands include the Reserve Command, the Space Command, Special Operations Command, Air Mobility Command, the United States Air Forces in Europe–Air Forces Africa, the Pacific Air Forces, and others.

Operatives

A member of the Air Force (of either gender) is called an “airman.”

The many Air Force officer specialties include combat systems officer, intelligence officer, maintenance officer, judge advocate general (JAG), and medicine. Officer and enlisted occupational fields include computer specialties, mechanic specialties, cyberspace operations, avionics technicians, medical specialties, civil engineering, public affairs, law, drug counseling, and search-and-rescue specialties. Other careers include civil engineers, vehicle operators, and Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI).

Beyond combat flight crew personnel, USAF specialists include pararescue, security forces, combat control, meteorologists, and special operations units who disarm bombs, rescue downed or isolated personnel, call in airstrikes, and set up landing zones in forward locations.

Pilots are the princes of the Air Force, and the Air Force does little to dissuade their brash personalities. There is nothing more miserable than a former pilot now “flying a desk.”

Airmen are often drawn to the high technology of the Air Force. The Air Force tends to attract aspiring engineers and airmen pursuing specialized technical careers.

Airmen have a reputation with the other services for being part of the “chAir Force,” being a “country club,” and overvaluing creature comforts. Members of the Air Force see themselves as the most progressive and technologically advanced service branch.

Suggested Professions

41st Rescue Squadron
The 41st specializes in combat rescue of downed aircrew behind enemy lines using advanced (and aggressive) flying techniques. The Squadron also provides pre-launch surveillance and after-mission astronaut recovery for NASA.
   PROFESSION: Pilot.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Alertness, First Aid, Navigate,
Pilot (Helicopter).
   EQUIPMENT: Troubleshooting manuals, flight checklists, access to data files of classified geospatial and photographic classified material.

614th Air and Space Operations Center
The 614th is part of Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). The 614th provides command and control as well as space asset (satellite) coordination for the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC). Members of the 614th work closely with NASA and other branches of the military in Cheyenne Mountain.
   PROFESSION: Intelligence Analyst.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Computer Science, Craft
(Microelectronics), Persuasion, SIGINT.
   EQUIPMENT: Access to Cheyenne Mountain and classified reporting related to space from across the defense and civilian world.

432d Operations Group
The 432d operates remotely piloted aircraft (drones). While the drones operate around the clock and across the globe, the pilots work from Creech Air Force Base in Nevada.
   PROFESSION: Pilot.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Alertness, SIGINT, Pilot
(Drone), Craft (Electronics).
   EQUIPMENT: Troubleshooting manuals, flight checklists, access to data files of classified geospatial and photographic classified material.

70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing
The 70th supports the Air Force and the wider intelligence community with cryptologic and signals intelligence. It is stationed at Fort Meade in Maryland.
   PROFESSION: Computer Scientist or Intelligence
Analyst.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Bureaucracy, Computer
Science, Science (Math), SIGINT.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT (page 85).

354th Fighter Squadron
Specializes in close air support (CAS) using the tough A-10. The 354th is based in Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
   PROFESSION:Pilot.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Alertness, SIGINT, Pilot
(Aircraft), Craft (Electronics).
   EQUIPMENT: Troubleshooting manuals, flight checklists, access to aircraft and operational facilities.

318th Cyberspace Operations Group
An operational group of U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM), the 318th develops new technologies and tactics in information and cyber warfare.
   PROFESSION: Computer Scientist or Engineer.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Bureaucracy, SIGINT,
Craft (Electronics), Craft (Microelectronics).
   EQUIPMENT: Troubleshooting manuals, flight checklists, access to aircraft and operational facilities.


This message was last edited by the GM at 00:02, Wed 18 Oct 2023.

U.S. Navy (USN)


The Navy fights on the high seas, on coasts and on rivers. It projects force from international waters, protects international shipping lanes, and responds to regional crises. The U.S. Navy is the largest and most powerful navy in the history of the world, and is a key component to protecting commerce and American interests across the globe. The Navy maintains a large presence throughout the United States, even in cities and regions far from the ocean.

The Navy provides the Marine Corps with support services such as medical personnel, transport, and logistics. The Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy make up the Department of the Navy and jointly report to the Secretary of the Navy; however, the Marines are their own service component, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps is a member of the Joint Chiefs.

The Coast Guard also coordinates closely with the Navy, posting law enforcement personnel on some Navy ships.

BUDGET: Approximately $150 billion in 2015.

The Organization

The Navy employs about 500,000 uniformed personnel and a large number of civilians. The Navy’s forces consist of a central body, Fleet Forces Command. Fleet Forces Command supports fleets and functional commands like Cyber Command, the Navy Reserve, Special Warfare Command, and Operational Test and Evaluation Force (OPTEVFOR). Fleet Forces Command is responsible for the Military Sealift Command, which manages most of the Navy’s transport ships. Navy sealift can transport vast amounts of cargo, military forces, and civilians rescued from disaster.

There are six fleets: Third Fleet (West Coast and Pacific), Fourth Fleet (Central and South America), Fifth Feet (Middle East), Sixth Fleet (Europe, the Mediterranean, and Africa), Seventh Fleet (South Asia, Central Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific), and Tenth Fleet (which supports the Navy’s Cyber Command). In general, the Navy operates three “type commands” for each fleet: an air force, surface forces, and a submarine command.

Operatives

A member of the Navy is called a “sailor.” Many can be represented with the Pilot or Sailor profession (see page 25).

The Navy relies on a large number of skilled tradesman, technical operators, and construction personnel to maintain its ships, aircraft, equipment, and buildings. Technical specialists are in high demand in the Navy, everything from radar operators, aircraft technicians, and nuclear and electrical engineers to medical doctors, criminal investigators, and psychiatrists.

Maritime conditions complicate many jobs. For example, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)
specialists are expected not only to disarm bombs or mines, but to do so in SCUBA gear while battling high currents and low visibility.

The Navy provides support personnel to the Marine Corps, primarily hospital corpsmen who serve with Marine units as field medics.

Surface warfare sailors are the most numerous and visible of Navy personnel. They serve on ships and bases around the world. Surface warfare sailors see themselves as the “real” Navy.

Naval aviators and air crews are rarer, and often act as if they are part of an exclusive community. Navy pilots consider themselves even more elite than their Air Force colleagues. Air Force pilots get a stationary runway, after all. Navy aviators land on a piece of metal on a moving ship.

Submariners operate on different cycles and with significantly more secrecy than the others, and can be insular by comparison.

Suggested Professions

Naval Criminal Investigative Service
The NCIS performs criminal investigations on behalf of the Navy and Marine Corps. About half its 2,500 employees are civilian special agents, supported by analysts and forensic experts. A few counter-intelligence investigators are Navy reservists.
   PROFESSION: Federal Agent.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Criminology, Persuade,
HUMINT, Law.
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT (page 85).

Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Group One
EOD techs disarm all types of ordnance, including improvised, chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. They are expected to forward deploy with any type of unit, including special-operations forces. Navy EOD techs are also elite divers.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 60%
»» Athletics 40%
»» Bureaucracy 30%
»» Craft (Electrician) 40%
»» Craft (Mechanic) 40%
»» Demolitions 60%
»» Military Science (Sea) 50%
»» Navigate 50%
»» Pilot (choose one) 40%
»» Science (Meteorology) 40%
»» Search 50%
»» Swim 60%
   BONDS: 2
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Alertness, Athletics, Craft
(Electronics), First Aid.
   EQUIPMENT: Mechanical and engineering tools, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), hardened gloves and goggles, a large library on physical sciences, chemistry, and demolitions.

Hospital Corpsman
The Hospital Corps provides highly trained enlisted medical personnel to Navy facilities and vessels and to the Marine Corps. They are often embedded with Marine units and forward deployed.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 50%
»» Athletics 50%
»» Bureaucracy 40%
»» Firearms 40%
»» First Aid 60%
»» HUMINT 40%
»» Medicine 40%
»» Persuade 50%
»» Pharmacy 40%
»» Science (Biology) 40%
»» Survival 50%
Choose two from:
»» Drive 60%
»» Forensics 40%
»» Navigate 50%
»» Psychotherapy 50%
»» Search 60%
   BONDS: 2
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: First Aid, Medicine, Psychotherapy,
Surgery.
   EQUIPMENT: Portable medical tools and equipment.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:03, Wed 18 Oct 2023.

U.S. Marine Corps (USMC)


The Marines are the U.S. military’s power projection and shock force. They specialize in opening beachheads and serving as advance forces. Unlike the Army, they do not focus on securing territory.

The Marine Corps is a component of the Navy, and is designed to work closely with naval forces for transportation, support, operations, and logistics. The Marines operate bases throughout the United States and in allied countries like Japan. Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) are typically stationed at sea. This allows the MEU to respond swiftly to international incidents and be the first on site during a conflict.

In peacetime, the Marine Corps is often given non-combat missions such as the evacuation of Americans from unstable countries and providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

BUDGET: Approximately $40 billion in 2015.

The Organization

The Secretary of the Navy oversees both the Marine Corps and the Navy. The most senior Marine officer is the Commandant.

The Marines are organized and operate differently than the larger DoD branches. The Marines are an unofficial fourth branch of the military, with their own budget, unique equipment, and culture. The Corps has approximately 200,000 uniformed service personnel and another 100,000 reserves.

The Marine Corps is organized into four principal subdivisions: the Headquarters, the Operating Forces, the Supporting Establishment, and the Reserves.

The Operating Forces are divided into three categories: Marine Corps Forces (MARFOR) assigned to regional and functional Combatant Commands;Security Forces guarding high-risk naval installations; and Marine Security Guards (MSGs) at U.S. embassies.

Marine doctrines emphasize speed and power. The basic structure for all deployed units is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF, pronounced “Mag Taf”), which integrates a ground combat element, an aviation combat element, and a logistics combat element under a common command element. More than any of the other services, the Corps integrates close air support, armor, and artillery in support of the infantry. Marine operational units tend to be smaller but more versatile than similar units in the U.S. Army or other militaries. That allows the Marines to deploy quickly and remain relatively self-sufficient.

The Marines tend to shy away from high-tech equipment due to a tight budget and the expectation of rough conditions with little outside support. They rely on gear that’s old but reliable.

Operatives

A member of the Marine Corps is known as a “Marine,” or informally as a “Leatherneck” or “Jarhead.” Most can be represented with the Soldier or Marine profession (see page 26).

Marine Corps training is grueling, with a high washout rate. Recruits are physically and mentally pushed and tested. The old way of doing things is stripped away, replaced with the Marine way. Tough training builds high morale and pride in the Corps.

“Every Marine is a Rifleman” is the corps’ mantra. Moreso than the other branches, every Marine is expected to keep up marksmanship skills. Even pilots and support specialists train frequently with firearms. The Marines do not recruit or train noncombatants such as chaplains or medical or dental personnel, and have few office personnel. The Navy fills those roles.

Marines have a wide range of specializations, but all are focused on supporting combat missions. Fixed wing and helicopter pilots, combat engineers, construction personnel, police, vehicle drivers, and, of course, the infantry are all common specialties.

Sharing functions and equipment with both the Army and Navy ensures the Marines are well-positioned to work alongside those service branches.

Authority and Mandate

The Marines are generally focused outside of the United States. One third of the USMC is forward deployed outside of the U.S., primarily in Okinawa, Japan. The Marine Corps’ specialization in quick response, small but adaptable units, and integrated firepower makes it uniquely suited to counterterrorism. The Marines are utilized more often than the Army, Navy, and Air Force in counterterrorism operations where small, special operations units are insufficient. Marines are also tasked with protecting U.S. embassies and consulates.

Field Operations

Tight funding makes non-combat deployment of Marines relatively rare. The USMC restricts travel funding for all except officers. Marine officers have less leeway for initiating their own field operations than their counterparts in the other branches.

The smallest operational infantry unit, and the basis of all deployments, is the four-man fireteam. A fireteam has a team leader who is equipped with a rifle and underslung grenade launcher (called “Team”), a support gunner who uses a machine gun (called “Fire”), and two riflemen, one of whom carries additional ammunition for the machine gun (called “Assist”) and another that acts as a scout (called “Ready”).

Areas of Friction

The Marines have a reputation of being rough around the edges, unruly and violent. When interacting with non-Marines, even other service members, a Marine must often overcome some level of wariness.

Playing a Marine

Being a Marine means being an elite warrior. As a Marine, you were accepted into an organization that has a long and illustrious history that has not tarnished. You are expected to know and study the Corps’ history. You are expected to exude confidence in all you do.

You are expected to meet exacting standards in your appearance, even when off base. Your haircut is conservative. Your clothes are well pressed. Everything is tidy. You stand straight, and can do so for hours if needed.

The Corps was forged in centuries of trial and error, and it has a right way and a wrong way to do things. From your first day in Basic Training, you are taught the Marine way of thinking: quick and decisive, with a reliance on training and the lessons of those who have gone before.

But you aren’t an automaton. “Improvise, Adapt and Overcome” is an unofficial motto of the Corps. Unanticipated problems and challenges arise. You have drilled to fall back on your knowledge and training to figure out the best and most expeditious way to resolve any problem. It doesn’t matter if it’s a pretty process; if it works, it works.

The USMC emphasizes strength and confidence. It encourages “alpha” personalities. This makes Marines less likely to seek mental or physical help with trauma, for fear of admitting failings or weakness and letting down their units and the Corps.

The official motto of the Marines is “Semper Fidelis” (“Always Faithful”), typically shortened to “Semper Fi.” As a Marine, you respect the Corps and your fellow Marines and love the United States, warts and all. Marines share a bond of physical and mental toughness. The only people that can understand you are (maybe) your closest family members and (assuredly) other Marines.

This sense of community extends across generations, even to Marines no longer in the service. Once a Marine, always a Marine. The term “ex-Marine” is only used when referring to someone who left the Corps under suspicious or less than honorable circumstances. If you meet fellow Marines—active or otherwise—in your civilian or professional life, you are likely to give them an overwhelming benefit of the doubt.

From the outside looking in, the Marines can look cultish. The process of building a closed and select group of like-minded people with an “us against the world” mentality has a lot in common with traditional indoctrination techniques. For most Marines, the order of identity goes: God, country, Corps, family, and finally, self. Many Marines are happy to move on from that ethos when their term is done. Others stick with it for life.

Suggested Professions

Force Reconnaissance Company (FORECON)
Force Recon detachments are light infantry units that perform deep reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, raiding, and forcible boarding/seizure operations.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 60%
»» Athletics 60%
»» Demolitions 40%
»» Dodge 50%
»» Firearms 60%
»» Heavy Weapons 50%
»» Melee Weapons 50%
»» Military Science (Land) 60%
»» Navigate 60%
»» Stealth 60%
»» Survival 60%
»» Swim 50%
»» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 1
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Drive, Firearms, SIGINT,
Survival.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR (page 85); and advanced surveillance equipment, weapon-mounted laser designator light, Mossberg 500 shotgun, long range thermal imager.

Division of Public Affairs Combat Camera
Combat Camera documents Marine experiences for use in public relations, intelligence, and training.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Art (Photography or Videography) 50%
»» Athletics 60%
»» Bureaucracy 50%
»» Computer Science 30%
»» Craft (Electronics) 30%
»» Firearms 40%
»» History 40%
»» HUMINT 50%
»» Melee Weapons 40%
»» Persuade 50%
»» Survival 40%
»» Unarmed Combat 50%
Choose one from:
»» Art (choose another) 50%
»» Foreign Language (choose one) 50%
»» Military Science (choose one) 50%.
   BONDS: 3
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Art (Photography or Videography),
Athletics, HUMINT, Survival.
   EQUIPMENT: Camera or video camera, production and surveillance equipment.

Maritime Special Purpose Force
This unit supports larger elements of the Navy, Marines and SOCOM with high-firepower surgical insertion and raiding capabilities. The MSPF is sometimes called upon for hostage rescue.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 60%
»» Athletics 60%
»» Bureaucracy 30%
»» Demolitions 40%
»» Dodge 50%
»» Drive 40%
»» Firearms 60%
»» First Aid 30%
»» Foreign Language (choose one) 40%
»» Heavy Machinery 50%
»» Heavy Weapons 50%
»» Military Science (Land) 40%
»» Navigate 40%
»» Persuade 30%
»» Swim 60%
»» Unarmed Combat 50%
   BONDS: 2
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Heavy Weapons, Navigate,
Stealth.
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR (page 85).

Marine Corps Security Force Regiment
The Security Force Regiment provides security at high-value Navy facilities, such as those containing nuclear submarines and nuclear weapons. It houses two rapid response units, the Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST) and the Recapture Tactics Team (RTT). RTTs operate like SWAT units at particular facilities, while FAST teams deploy around the world to augment the defense of U.S. government installations.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 60%
»» Athletics 60%
»» Bureaucracy 30%
»» Drive 40%
»» Firearms 60%
»» First Aid 30%
»» Heavy Weapons 40%
»» Military Science (Land) 40%
»» Navigate 40%
»» Persuade 30%
»» Survival 30%
»» Unarmed Combat 50%
Choose two from:
»» Demolitions 40%
»» Foreign Language (choose one) 40%
»» Heavy Machinery 50%
»» Search 60%
»» SIGINT 40%
»» Swim 60%
   BONDS: 3
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Alertness, Firearms, Melee
Weapons, Unarmed Combat.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR (page 85).
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:03, Wed 18 Oct 2023.

U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM)


Special Operations Command (SOCOM, pronounced “Soh Com”) coordinates U.S. special operations around the world. SOCOM was born as a result of the disastrous attempt by special-operations forces (SOF) in 1980 to free American hostages being held by the Iranian government. The takeaway from so many dead service members was the pressing need to better coordinate SOF. The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines all have special- operations forces of their own. When different units need to work together, SOCOM takes over.

SOCOM’s role has increased dramatically since 9/11, and it is involved with most operations that have any sort of SOF aspect. In addition to being able to direct the special operations units of the service branches, SOCOM also has direct operational control of such forces as the Army’s Delta Force, the Navy’s Special Warfare Development Group (“SEAL Team Six”), the Marine Raider Detachment, and the Air Force’s 24th Special Operations Wing. While technically loaned by the service branches, these units are controlled at almost all times by SOCOM and, as a result, are particularly good at joint operations and working with one another.

BUDGET: Approximately $8 billion in 2015 officially;likely significantly more due to black-book funding.

The SOCOM Operative at a Glance

POWERS OF ARREST? No, but can detain if “national security” or imminent terrorism is at stake.

EXPECTED TO CARRY A WEAPON? Yes

ACCESS TO FUNDS? Can be supplied with a credit line if needed. (Up to a Major Expense without eliciting an official review.)

OPERATIONAL BUDGET/RESTRICTED ITEMS? Using the Bureaucracy skill, the Agent can request military-grade weapons (including heavy or prototype weapons) and vehicles of all types (including armored vehicles). Approval of weapons is usually done for training purposes or in advance of an operation and is heavily monitored. SOCOM operatives also may request extensive communications equipment. In some circumstances the Agent may also request significant support from military or intelligence assets, including aircraft.

The Organization

SOCOM is a Unified Combatant Command within the Defense Department. The SOCOM commander answers directly to the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and often reports directly to the President. SOCOM not only gains “temporary” operational control of a service’s special-operations forces during a joint mission, it maintains full-time operational control of the most elite special operations forces in the world, including the Army’s First Special Forces Group Operational Detachment-Delta (“Delta Force”), the Navy’s Special Warfare Development Group (“DEVGRU”), the Marine’s Raider Regiment, and the Air Force’s 24th Special Operations Wing.

SOCOM’s component command, the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), trains, helps to equip, and coordinates SOF units involved in SOCOM missions. SOCOM also operates the U.S. Army Intelligence Support Activity as an in-house intelligence unit that focuses on collecting HUMINT and SIGINT for DEVGRU and Delta Force. Special Operations Command-Joint Capabilities (SOC-JC) is the training wing of SOCOM and JSOC.

SOCOM and JSOC have at least partial control of almost all SOF combat missions. In non combat situations, the command structure for the special operations units under SOCOM becomes more muddled.

They face a complex reporting structure: reporting to SOCOM, another Combatant Command, and possibly the unit’s service command (such as Army Special Operations Command). For SOCOM leadership, there is a constant push-pull regarding the need to detail mission parameters to as few people as possible, but also to secure the approval and resources of the service branches’ own special operations commands.

Besides the “permanent” SOCOM units of Delta Force, Marine Raiders, DEVGRU, and the 24th SOW, SOCOM gains temporary operational control of other special operations units when they participate in joint operations. The Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), Navy Special Warfare Command (NSWC), Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC), and, occasionally, the CIA’s Special Activities Division (SAD) provide irregular and SOF units to SOCOM missions on a temporary basis. SOCOM also coordinates with regular military units when the mission coincides with traditional operations.

Operatives

If you’ve earned the right to participate in a SOCOM mission, you have already proven your capabilities in years of combat experience and specialized training. Training is the secret to being a special operator. Again and again. Over and over. The amount of drilling in SOF makes the other services look lax. Special-operations commanders want to make sure every operator maintains composure during stressful situations, not just combat. Hyper-realistic training regimens push the operator past the brink of mental and physical breakdown. SOCOM leadership demands that operators know their breaking points.

Special operations personnel are drilled not only in combat, survival, and specialized field knowledge, but also to serve as intelligence collectors. Operators are trained to resist interrogation if caught. They are also skilled in techniques for quickly and effectively interviewing sympathetic locals for critical information and how to report that information for maximum utility.

In 2016, the Department of Defense officially opened all combat positions to women—including
special operations forces and senior leadership. Female Delta Green Agents in SOCOM have undergone the same rigorous applications process and brutal training as their male colleagues. Female Agents may also have seen extensive combat before 2016 due to the unpredictable nature of counterinsurgency operations. Even non-combat positions deployed overseas were occasionally dragged into battle throughout the War on Terror.

Authority and Mandate

SOCOM is particularly focused on anti-terror operations, but is also equipped and trained to deal with non-conventional and asymmetrical missions. SOCOM’s missions include direct action, hostage rescue, extraction and rendition, reconnaissance, training guerillas, unconventional warfare, psychological warfare, civil affairs, and counter-narcotics operations.

SOCOM operates within the United States only under the heaviest security. Such operations are always heavily classified. SOCOM is deployed domestically only when the national security risks outweigh potential public backlash and uncomfortable congressional inquiries. These missions target serious and extremely dangerous threats—all of which will involve grave national security implications if not eliminated. Domestic operations must be approved at the Joint Chiefs level. They are conducted in conjunction with NORTHCOM and, often, the FBI.

Field Operations

SOCOM operates almost exclusively under Top Secret or higher clearance. SOCOM missions have a very wide grasp in terms of equipment and support, and can pull in resources from across the U.S. government.

Special operations missions are usually staffed and equipped in advance. The nature of the mission is dissected and wargamed. Key pieces of equipment are
identified and assigned. Most missions are expected to go in with what equipment they need for the duration of the operation, but are still expected to travel light. Special operators are trained to use non-standard and non-American gear, so that they can buy or seize whatever they need as the operation unfolds. Most SOCOM operatives also know many U.S. government black sites in which to hide themselves or something of value (a body, perhaps).

When special operations forces have the luxury of operating openly, SOCOM’s resources are formidable. Air and missile strikes, “stealthed” extraction by specialized craft, drone cover, vehicles, resupply, specialized mapping or geospatial intelligence, and large amounts of currency are all available. The biggest issue with SOCOM’s resources isn’t availability; the problem is time. A request for top-end or specialized resources must be reviewed and dispatched, and the delivery of those resources can be painfully slow in a dynamic or deteriorating situation. The need to anticipate support and have it waiting in theater is one reason for the detailed planning of SOCOM missions.

Areas of Friction

SOCOM’s Intelligence Support Activity (ISA) and the CIA often find themselves at loggerheads. The CIA wants to retain its position as the lead intelligence agency in
the U.S. and demands constant briefings on the intelligence- related activities in SOCOM. ISA, on the other hand, is never enthusiastic with the idea of cooperating with the CIA’s large bureaucracy. It’s a sometimes cool relationship characterized by the CIA believing ISA doesn’t understand its junior position and ISA believing the CIA’s oversight is redundant and bloated. Information and intelligence sharing is helped along by cooperation between JSOC and the CIA’s SAD/SOG.

The complex reporting and command structure for SOCOM units poses a recurring challenge. In many cases, special operations personnel report to three or more commanding officers at different points around the globe, and possibly an ambassador as well. Each service component tries to assert its influence and control of a special operations unit, which can lead to mutually exclusive orders and more paperwork.

Playing a Special Operator

Your job is to complete the mission. You boast a quick mind, a strong body, and world-class organizational resources behind you. There are very few people in the world that can do what you do. You aren’t here for respect. If that was ever a motivation, it was beaten out of you during your qualification. You do this because it excites you. You are at the top of the game.

When in doubt, act quickly. Decisive and forceful action can make up for bad intelligence or being outnumbered. SOCOM operators are trained to assess a situation quickly and thoroughly, and then to rely on quick action and decisions as a means for making up for their relatively small numbers. By acting decisively, special operators seize the advantage of surprise and keep the initiative. Doing something dumb quickly is certainly better than doing something dumb slowly.

You are prepared for anything. You are confident there is nothing that you can’t handle. You have trained and drilled, as an individual and as a unit, for thousands of contingencies. Training showed you your limits and taught you to use that knowledge as an asset. Combat doesn’t scare you. Operations and missions are nothing compared to the grueling training you go through as a matter of course.

You value intelligence and preparation, so you plan to not be put into dumb situations. Good intelligence and situational awareness are the best weapons.

You respect people who get things done. Talking for the sake of talking doesn’t impress you. Titles and awards don’t impress you. This doesn’t mean everyone needs to be a warrior. Bureaucrats and politicians who produce results are your type of people. Needless to say, you are no fan of red tape.

This is a hard and demanding job. Those in it for glory were weeded out long ago. The physical demands are grueling. The mental demands are even harder. Mental stamina sets you apart. You can focus better than your contemporaries. You mentally process things under stress remarkably well. You can see the most horrible things in the world and compartmentalize them so that they don’t interfere with the bigger picture.

DG Note

Winning bet: A DG agent who isn't FBI is probably SOCOM. Toughest around. Combat veterans. Steady and professional. Trained specifically to recognize their breaking points. Good at keeping their mouths shut (Mostly). SOCOM has a lot of practice sheep-dipping SOF as federal LEO Agents.

Suggested Professions



Wing / 720th Special Tactics Group
The 24th houses a number of Special Tactics Groups like the 720th. The 720th conducts combat search and rescue missions, collects intelligence, and calls in close air support or airstrikes against enemy combatants—all behind enemy lines.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 60%
»» Athletics 60%
»» Demolitions 40%
»» Firearms 60%
»» Heavy Weapons 50%
»» Melee Weapons 50%
»» Military Science (Land) 60%
»» Navigate 50%
»» Stealth 50%
»» Survival 50%
»» Swim 50%
»» Unarmed Combat 60%
Choose one from:
»» First Aid 60%
»» SIGINT 50%
   BONDS: 1
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Athletics, Navigate, Survival,
Stealth.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR (page 85) as well as field medical kits (pararescue),advanced surveillance and electronics suites (combatcontrollers and combat weather technicians).



Army—1st Special Forces Group (Green Berets)
The Army’s Special Forces Groups are light infantry tasked with asymmetrical missions including unconventional warfare, training friendly foreign troops, reconnaissance, direct action, counterterrorism, and search-and-rescue. Operational Detachment Delta, called Delta Force, is designed to operate deep in hostile territory and perform intelligence-gathering, reconnaissance-in-force, direct military action, search and rescue, and seizure of key installations.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 50%
»» Athletics 60%
»» Demolitions 40%
»» Firearms 60%
»» Foreign Language (choose one) 20%
»» Heavy Weapons 50%
»» HUMINT 40%
»» Melee Weapons 50%
»» Military Science (Land) 60%
»» Navigate 50%
»» Persuade 40%
»» Stealth 50%
»» Survival 50%
»» Swim 50%
»» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 1
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Firearms, Demolitions,
Persuade, SIGINT.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR (page 85).



Army—75th Ranger Regiment
The Rangers specialize in raiding and forcible seizure of critical installations or assets.
   PROFESSION: Special Operator.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Athletics, Melee Weapons,
Stealth, Unarmed Combat.
  EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR (page 85).



Army—4th Military Information Support Team (MIST)
MISTs deploy into countries with active groups that have ideologies hostile to the United States and work to undermine those ideologies through psychological operations and material/monetary support of friendly organizations.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 50%
»» Athletics 50%
»» Bureaucracy 30%
»» Drive 40%
»» Firearms 40%
»» First Aid 30%
»» Foreign Language (choose one) 40%
»» HUMINT 50%
»» Military Science (Land) 40%
»» Navigate 40%
»» Persuade 50%
»» SIGINT 40%
»» Unarmed Combat 50%
Choose one from:
»» Art (choose one) 40%
»» Computer Science 40%
»» Craft (choose one) 40%
»» Foreign Language (choose another) 40%
   BONDS: 3
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Athletics, Foreign Language,
Psychotherapy, SIGINT.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR (page 85).



Army—160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)
The 160th SOAR (A) consists of the Army’s best-qualified aviators and support soldiers. The “Night Stalkers” provide a wide range of helicopter-borne support for SOCOM, including high-risk attacks, insertions, and reconnaissance.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 60%
»» Athletics 50%
»» Bureaucracy 30%
»» Craft (Electrician) 40%
»» Craft (Mechanic) 40%
»» Firearms 40%
»» Heavy Weapons 50%
»» Military Science (air) 60%
»» Military Science (land) 20%
»» Navigate 60%
»» Pilot (helicopter) 60%
»» Science (Meteorology) 50%
»» Swim 50%.
   BONDS: 1
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Alertness, Pilot, Survival,
Stealth.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR (page 85), as well as operations manuals and field manuals on repairing helicopter equipment.



Army—Intelligence Support Activity
Operating under many code-names, ISA is composed of special operators with extensive specialized training in reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 60%
»» Athletics 60%
»» Firearms 60%
»» Heavy Weapons 50%
»» HUMINT 50%
»» Melee Weapons 50%
»» Military Science (Land) 60%
»» Navigate 50%
»» SIGINT 50%
»» Stealth 50%
»» Survival 50%
»» Swim 50%
»» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 1
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Firearms, Navigate,
Search, Stealth.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR (page 85) as well as access to classified reporting.



Marines—Raider Regiment
Formerly the Marine Special Operations Regiment (MSOR), the Marine Raiders are an asymmetrical anti-terror unit that has the additional capability to operate on its own in hostile environments. The Raiders have been called upon to conduct hostage rescues, gather intelligence, and train friendly forces.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 50%
»» Athletics 60%
»» Demolitions 40%
»» Firearms 60%
»» Heavy Weapons 50%
»» Melee Weapons 50%
»» Military Science (Land) 60%
»» Navigate 50%
»» Persuade 40%
»» Pilot (Small Boat) 40%
»» Stealth 50%
»» Survival 50%
»» Swim 50%
»» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 1
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Athletics, Heavy Weapons,
HUMINT, Melee Weapons.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR (page 85).



Navy—Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) / Naval Special Warfare Group One (SEALs)
DEVGRU and SEAL (Sea, Air and Land) teams are exceptionally trained small units that execute lightning- quick operations in all environment. These teams specialize in high-risk anti-terror operations, and hostage extraction, and are often involved in the most sensitive missions. Where the Army’s Special Forces train to work with local forces and populations, the SEALs train strictly for combat.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
»» Alertness 50%
»» Athletics 60%
»» Demolitions 40%
»» Firearms 60%
»» Heavy Weapons 50%
»» Melee Weapons 50%
»» Military Science (Land) 60%
»» Navigate 50%
»» Pilot (Small Boat) 40%
»» Stealth 50%
»» Survival 60%
»» Swim 60%
»» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 1
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Firearms, Melee Weapons,
Stealth, Unarmed Combat.
   EQUIPMENT: See TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR (page 85); and SCUBA and swimming gear. All equipment is waterproof.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:11, Wed 18 Oct 2023.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)


The Coast Guard patrols the maritime borders, ports, and rivers of the United States. The USCG prevents unauthorized vessels from entering, responds to maritime disasters, and conducts search and rescue operations. It occupies an odd space between the military and federal law enforcement, and has a mandate that applies to both. The USCG is a member of the the armed forces but is part of the Department of Homeland Security. It is the only branch of the military with widespread federal law enforcement powers, and the only military branch within DHS. Coast Guardsmen are officially called “sailors,” and colloquially referred to as “coasties.”

BUDGET: Just over $8 billion in 2015.

The Coast Guard Operative at a Glance

POWERS OF ARREST? Yes

EXPECTED TO CARRY A WEAPON? Yes

ACCESS TO FUNDS? Can be supplied with a credit line if traveling or on an investigation or mission, up to a Standard expense without eliciting official review

OPERATIONAL BUDGET/RESTRICTED ITEMS? A Bureaucracy roll can provide a wide range of maritime and survival gear. Survival and nautical gear such as thermal suits, wetsuits, and well-stocked medical kits are available as a Standard expense. Surveillance and navigational data and logs are available as Incidental expenses.

The Organization

The USCG normally operates under the Department of Homeland Security during peacetime, and can be transferred to the U.S. Department of the Navy by the President or by Congress during times of war. The Commandant of the Coast Guard reports to the Secretary of Homeland Security and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. The USCG employs approximately 40,000 active duty personnel, with another 18,000 civilian employees and reservists. The Coast Guard auxiliary employs another 30,000 civilians as specially-trained support personnel.

The Coast Guard divides its geographic responsibilities into two area commands, the Atlantic Area Command and the Pacific Area Command. Each command includes sub-district commands with their own assets like cutters, boats, aircraft, installations, other vehicles, and equipment. Aside from the area commands, “functional commands” provide support, intelligence and training and are all based at Coast Guard Headquarters. The functional commands include Intelligence and Criminal Investigations, Response Policy, Command/Control and Information Technology, Prevention Policy, Operations, and administrative commands like Human Resources, Acquisitions, and Engineering and Logistics.

Coast Guard specialized units respond to highthreat or difficult circumstances. These elite forces answer to the area commands. They include the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON), Port Security Unit (PSU), Tactical Law Enforcement Teams (TACLET), the Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSST), the Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT), and the National Strike Force.

HITRON is an armed helicopter squadron specializing in the use of force to disable hostile watercraft in drug-interdiction missions. The Tactical Law Enforcement Teams conduct boarding, interdiction, and armed security operations. The PSUs are manned primarily by reservists. They rapidly deploy patrol boats and security personnel to protect installations. The MSST use armed and transportable patrol boats and provide high-threat interdiction and direct action. The MSRT is the Coast Guard’s primary SWAT equivalent, focused on maritime tactical entry and boarding. The NSF provides technical personnel (such as divers) and specialized equipment to respond to oil spills, hazardous materials releases, and possible weapons of mass destruction incidents.

Key Coast Guard Commands
» Operations Command (G-0)
  › Intelligence and Criminal Investigation
(CG-2)
  › Response Policy (CG-5R)
» Mission Support Command (G-M)
» Investigative Services (G-I)
  › Office of Investigations & Casualty Analysis
(CG-INV)
» Pacific Area Command
» Atlantic Area Command

Operatives

Unlike the other branches of the United States Armed Forces, which are largely prevented from acting in a domestic law enforcement capacity by the Posse Comitatus act, the Coast Guard has law enforcement powers which apply to all commissioned officers, warrant officers, and petty officers. They are subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and receive the same pay and allowances as members of the other uniformed services.

As a small service, the Coast Guard invests junior officers with more operational responsibility than other military branches. There is too much to do under difficult circumstances to consolidate command and control in the same way as the Army or Navy. Instead, the Coast Guard empowers officers to lead, especially when deployed on operations. This fosters self-reliance and confidence. The Coast Guard does not emphasize training as strongly as the other military services, because its personnel are always on missions, giving significant opportunities to learn on the job.

Authority and Mandate

The Coast Guard’s primary missions include maritime safety, security, and stewardship. It has a number of sub-missions including maritime homeland security (border protection), maritime law enforcement (MLE), search and rescue (SAR), marine environmental protection (MEP), and the maintenance of river, coastal, and offshore Aids To Navigation (ATON).

The Coast Guard patrols all of America’s coastlines, including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and other territories and protectorates. Rivers and ports also fall under Coast Guard jurisdiction, though that responsibility is often concurrent with other federal agencies like Customs and Border Patrol and the EPA. USCG vessels patrol international waters, especially the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. The USCG is especially active during and after maritime or coastal disasters such as hurricanes and floods.

The USCG supports military operations overseas, working closely with the Navy

Field Operations

The Coast Guard is best known for its search and rescue missions. When a call for help comes in, the local installation commander evaluates the suspected size of the distressed craft and what assets are available, then dispatches a helicopter or boat (or, rarely, shore based fixed-wing aircraft or a nearby cutter).

Daily responsibilities involve maintaining location buoys and maritime navigational aids as well as inspecting suspected toxic spills or failing infrastructure. The National Response Center (NRC), which is operated by the Coast Guard, is the primary point of contact for reporting suspected oil, chemical, radiological, and biological spills in the United States and its territories.

When conducting counter-drug and interdiction operations, USCG cutters and aircraft (cutter-based helicopters and shore-based maritime patrol aircraft, or MPA) search for unidentified vehicles, usually boats. If an MPA locates a suspicious craft that refuses to identify itself, a helicopter or interceptor boat launches to check it out. If the vessel fails to stop after visual and verbal warnings, things become more serious. The chase craft fires warning shots. If those do not convince the suspects to stop, the gunner attempts to disable the vessel by shooting its engines. Once the craft is stopped, it is boarded and searched.

Areas of Friction

The Navy provides support in terms of personnel and ships, platforms, and installations. The USCG also works closely with ICE and Customs and Border Patrol.

Sometimes the Coast Guard comes into conflict with other law enforcement agencies when mandates overlap. The DEA is interested in the Coast Guard’s role in stopping and confiscating illegal narcotics entering the U.S. When traffickers operate at a port, the coasties and DEA may trip over one another due to miscommunication or parallel investigations. Similarly, ICE and Customs and Border Protection often have crossover of mandates once illegal activities reach a point of entry into the U.S.

Generally, the Coast Guard is seen as competent and effective, if a little slow in producing necessary paperwork.

Playing a Coastie

Working for the Coast Guard means you understand the importance of taking responsibility. Your mission is law enforcement focused but with military tools. It’s a good thing, too, because with anything less, many more lives would be lost. The unofficial motto of the Coast Guard is, “You have to go, but you don’t have to come back.” Whether you fly a helicopter, man the radar on a cutter, or process travel vouchers for reimbursement, the ethos of the Coast Guard is to do your job and to take responsibility for your actions. For most coasties, this is empowering.

The operational tempo of the Coast Guard is unrelenting. If you are on the operations side of things, you are busiest when weather or conditions are the worst. Your “office” may involve rough seas, darkness, bitter cold, equipment failure in the middle of nowhere, and Murphy’s Law. This is why the Coast Guard trusts you with tactical, operational, and command decisions. If it always relied on the chain of command, nothing would be done in time. The Coast Guard has to trust you to make smart decisions.

Because of the challenges, you take pride in your work. The Coast Guard gets things done. It saves lives. It makes the region safer. It catches bad guys. It does all these things because of its strong reliance on the team. You are often most comfortable working within a group. You put a lot of faith in leaders who work with the people they lead and who use the team member’s strengths.

You likely value practical solutions to problems. The mission is key. If the standard operating procedure is an impediment, figure out a better way. Coasties prefer to ask forgiveness rather than permission. More often than not, leadership supports decisions that promoted a successful mission despite going against the “book.” But if you make a bad call, that’s firmly on you. There will be analysis after the fact, rest assured. A fundamentally bad decision means punishment, especially if it cost lives.

Coast Guard basic training teaches that you aren’t a hero. You may have signed up because you want to be a hero, but that is drilled out of you quickly. Heroes make stupid decisions. Heroes dive into obviously dangerous waters when it would be smarter to use a harness. No, you aren’t a hero. You are a professional. Save yourself so you can save others.

Suggested Professions

Search and Rescue Team (SAR)
In many ways SAR teams are the hearts and soul of the Coast Guard. SAR units are expected to face the worst environmental conditions head on to save lives.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
» Alertness 60%
» Athletics 60%
» Craft (Electrician) 40%
» Craft (Mechanic) 40%
» First Aid 50%
» Foreign Language (Spanish) 20%
» HUMINT 40%
» Navigate 50%
» Pilot (Small Boat) 50%
» Pilot (Helicopter) 30%
» Science (Meteorology) 50%
» Swim 60%
   BONDS: 2
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Alertness, First Aid,
Navigate, Swim.
   EQUIPMENT: Portable search and rescue gear, water
survival equipment, thermal wetsuit, swimming gear.

Office of Response Policy (CG-5R)
Response Policy works closely with other military branches to create joint counterterrorism programs and training opportunities. Response Policy is also the primary point of contact on counterterrorism missions involving Coast Guard assets.
   PROFESSION: Program Manager
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Accounting, Bureaucracy,
Persuade, Military Science (Sea).
   EQUIPMENT: Contacts throughout the military and
access to classified terrorism or military operations files.

Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis (INV)
INV builds detailed case analyses of deaths or serious injuries that are the result of Coast Guard operations.
   PROFESSION: Anthropologist or Historian.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Craft (Electrician or Mechanic), Forensics, HUMINT, Search
   EQUIPMENT: A sizeable online and physical library
of disaster history and data (crashes, hurricanes,
flooding, and so on).

The Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON)
HITRON combines the mobility of a helicopter with some of the military’s best and most experienced sharpshooters. HITRON snipers specialize in disabling watercraft with large caliber precision shots.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
» Alertness 60%
» Athletics 40%
» Bureaucracy 30%
» Craft (Electrician) 50%
» Craft (Mechanic) 50%
» Firearms 60%
» Heavy Machinery 40%
» Military Science (Sea) 50%
» Navigate 50%
» Pilot (Helicopter) 50%
» Science (Meteorology) 40%
» Swim 50%
   BONDS: 2
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Alertness, Craft (Mechanic), Firearms, Pilot (Helicopter).
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook, as well as a custom Barrett M82 .50 caliber sniper rifle with telesopic, infrared, low light, holographic, or laser sights.

Tactical Law Enforcement Team (TACLET)
These teams deploy aboard U.S. and allied naval vessels to conduct maritime law enforcement missions such as interdiction of narcotics smugglers and arresting suspected pirates.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
» Alertness 50%
» Athletics 40%
» Bureaucracy 40%
» Criminology 50%
» Drive 50%
» Firearms 50%
» Foreign Language (Spanish) 50%
» Forensics 30%
» Heavy Weapons 50%
» HUMINT 60%
» Law 30%
» Persuade 50%
» Search 50%
» Swim 60%
» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 2
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS:  Alertness, Firearms, Military Science (Sea), Pilot (Boat).
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook, as well as basic
water survival gear.

Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST)
MSSTs patrol the waterways around large ports with a focus on combating national security threats.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
» Alertness 60%
» Athletics 50%
» Bureaucracy 30%
» Craft (Mechanic) 40%
» Criminology 40%
» Firearms 40%
» Heavy Weapons 50%
» Law 40%
» Military Science (Sea) 50%
» Navigate 50%
» Pilot (Small Boat) 60%
» Science (Meteorology) 40%
» Search 30%
» Swim 60%
   BONDS: 1
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Alertness, Forensics,
HUMINT, Stealth.
   EQUIPMENT: Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: FEDERAL AGENT
on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook as well as basic
water survival gear.

Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT)
MSRT are a waterborne SWAT team that boards and secures vessels held by terrorists or hostage-takers.
   PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
» Alertness 60%
» Athletics 60%
» Demolitions 40%
» Dodge 60%
» Firearms 60%
» Heavy Weapons 50%
» Melee Weapons 50%
» Military Science (Sea) 60%
» Navigate 50%
» Search 40%
» Stealth 50%
» Survival 50%
» Swim 50%
» Unarmed Combat 60%
   BONDS: 1
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Alertness, Athletics,
Firearms, Law.
   EQUIPMENT:  Per TOOLS OF THE TRADE: SPECIAL OPERATOR
on page 85 of the Agent’s Handbook, as well as
restraining gear to make arrests and hold suspects.

National Strike Force (NSF)
These teams mitigate disastrous oil discharges, hazardous substance releases, events suspected to involve weapons of mass destruction, and other environment-related emergencies. Strike teams are based in Alabama, California, and New Jersey.
   PROFESSION: Scientist.
   SUGGESTED BONUS SKILLS: Bureaucracy, Science
(Chemistry), Science (Environmental), Science (Meteorology).
   EQUIPMENT: Environmental and chemical surveillance and technical gear.