As in real black op, participants only know their original mission and respective roles. Situations change and unexpected events occur as the operation progresses, requiring participants to analyze new information, be resourceful and develop on-the-fly solutions to shifting challenges.

UNITS / LEADERS

Participants will be organized into units led by CVJTF specialists-leaders. These leaders will provide training, information and safety support throughout the operation, but will not make final decisions regarding which strategy and tactics to take - that is up to the participants.

DURATION

Depending on each participant's skills and chosen strategy/equipment, preparation can take anywhere from a year to 3 days. The operation itself can last anywhere from 2 to 10 days.

SAS SPECIALIST - DRUG CARTEL

- In the real world, the situation always changes and new factors come into play.

For example, once we saved a peace-mission worker, a doctor that was taken hostage by a drug cartel deep in the jungle. During the assault, we discovered that in addition to the doctor, there were several sick children from the local tribe. The doctor refused to leave without them. As a result, we sent her and the children to safety in our helicopter, which had limited space and had to figure out how to extricate ourselves from the hostile area through the jungle on foot.

Traveling at night, we accidentally came upon a cartel patrol and got into a fight. One of our group was seriously wounded, and we were in danger of being trapped by a convoy of cartel soldiers approaching us in heavily armed vehicles.

We were able to get out of the situation, but this goes to show that on missions and combat situations, not everything goes according to plan.

GRU OPERATOR - DIVERSION IN THE SIBERIAN VILLAGE

- The human factor creates unexpected challenges and you have to come up with creative ways to accomplish your objective.

During one of our training exercises in Siberia, we had a seemingly easy, straightforward task: "Get behind enemy lines and locate a map in a secret cache containing instructions for the next stage of the exercise."

The cache was built under a huge rock, which stood at the intersection of two local roads. Our “enemy” were local military security with organized dog patrols. They knew nothing about the secret cache or our training exercise. But it turned out that they had positioned their camp right next to our destination objective. What to do now? How to get to the cache without revealing our objectives?

We changed into ordinary civilian clothes, borrowed an old car at the local village, bought a bottle of vodka and went back to the location.

Upon arrival, we were surrounded by the patrol group and they demanded that we leave because it was prohibited for anyone to be there. We pretended to be sad drunks mourning an old friend who was killed a year ago when his car crashed into the rock on top of the cache and pleaded with them to give us 10 minutes to commemorate him. After a short conversation, they let us through. We were able to seize the map and continue with our training operation. 

As demonstrated by the example scenario below, you will be presented with options throughout the mission. Use your judgment and skill to determine which mode of transportation, reconnaissance and attack will fulfill your objectives.

OIL TANKER CREW RESCUE SCENARIO

A Russian oil tanker is attacked by a group of Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. You are part of an elite unit of special GRU operatives sent to rescue the crew.

You and your unit can either (1) board the ship by rappelling from a helicopter or (2) approach the ship from the water by diving from a fishing boat.

Your unit decides to approach by water and in the course of the assault, gains intel that the crew is being held as hostages by pirates on the mainland, in a nearby coastal village.

Your unit lands on the coast at night. Your unit has the choice of using infrared devices to try to stealthily locate the pirate compound or to gain information through direct contact with locals.

In the meantime, another gang of pirates arrives to transfer the hostages to another location.

Assuming you can locate the compound, your unit faces a choice: to conduct a full blown armed assault on the enemy compound before the hostages are transferred, or to try to track the convey and rescue the hostages en route to their next destination in the jungle.

What will be your next step?

Maybe it doesn't matter which step you take, because one of the villagers has already alerted the pirates to your presence...