Special Ops Mission
Encyclopedia
Special Ops Mission is an American reality television series that premiered on August 13, 2009 on the Military Channel
. The program features former United States Army Ranger and Air Force Pararescueman Wil Willis, who performs solo special operations missions against groups of opposing-force
(OPFOR) operatives, which consists of regular and special forces
veterans in a simulated wargame
mission.
Master Sergeant
Tom Minder or U.S. Army
Sergeant
Matt Anderson, which he must complete solo. It is Willis' call as to how he wishes to infiltrate, collect intelligence, complete objectives, and how he will deal with the OPFOR (opposing force). The OPFOR are then introduced, with backgrounds and call sign
s given. Both parties separately discuss plans, though neither side is told how many enemies they will face. Equipment and weapons are introduced, which typically consists of M4 carbine
s and M16 rifle
s loaded with Simunition
rounds. It is predetermined that a simulated hit to the torso is a kill shot, while a hit to an extremity only wounds.
Willis also carries a variety of other equipment to cover mission variables such as environment (weather and terrain), expected resistance, and infiltration
/exfiltration plans. Digital camera
s for intelligence gathering
, a remote-controlled 2 wheeled surveillance robot
equipped with a night vision
camera for scouting ahead, and body armor are just some examples of what he uses. Likewise, the OPFOR may have access to special equipment of their own, such as motor vehicles, various grenades, and early detection gear.
offers suspicion regarding the realism of the program. Viewer response, on the other hand, has been primarily positive, and the show had an average rating of 5/5 on the iTunes
store.
Military Channel
The Military Channel is a cable and satellite television network which broadcasts television programming related to the military, warfare and military history. It is part of the group of networks owned by Discovery Communications within the United States and Canada...
. The program features former United States Army Ranger and Air Force Pararescueman Wil Willis, who performs solo special operations missions against groups of opposing-force
Opposing force
An opposing force or enemy force is a military unit tasked with representing an enemy, usually for training purposes in war game scenarios...
(OPFOR) operatives, which consists of regular and special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
veterans in a simulated wargame
Military simulation
Military simulations, also known informally as war games, are simulations in which theories of warfare can be tested and refined without the need for actual hostilities. Many professional contemporary analysts object to the term wargames as this is generally taken to be referring to the civilian...
mission.
Plot
At the beginning of each episode, Wil Willis, call sign Whiskey Whiskey, is given information on a specific special operations mission by U.S. Marine CorpsUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Master Sergeant
Master Sergeant
A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in some armed forces.-Israel Defense Forces:Rav samal rishoninsignia IDF...
Tom Minder or U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Matt Anderson, which he must complete solo. It is Willis' call as to how he wishes to infiltrate, collect intelligence, complete objectives, and how he will deal with the OPFOR (opposing force). The OPFOR are then introduced, with backgrounds and call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
s given. Both parties separately discuss plans, though neither side is told how many enemies they will face. Equipment and weapons are introduced, which typically consists of M4 carbine
M4 carbine
The M4 carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 designed by Eugene Stoner and made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle, with 80% parts commonality.It is a gas-operated,...
s and M16 rifle
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
s loaded with Simunition
Simunition
Simunition is a trademark for training ammunition produced by General Dynamics - Ordnance and Tactical Systems Canada Inc. of Québec, Canada. Simunition encompasses many types of training rounds, the best-known being the FX Marking Cartridge....
rounds. It is predetermined that a simulated hit to the torso is a kill shot, while a hit to an extremity only wounds.
Willis also carries a variety of other equipment to cover mission variables such as environment (weather and terrain), expected resistance, and infiltration
Infiltration tactics
In warfare, infiltration tactics involve small, lightly equipped infantry forces attacking enemy rear areas while bypassing enemy front line strongpoints and isolating them for attack by follow-up troops with heavier weapons.-Development during World War I:...
/exfiltration plans. Digital camera
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
s for intelligence gathering
Intelligence (information gathering)
Intelligence assessment is the development of forecasts of behaviour or recommended courses of action to the leadership of an organization, based on a wide range of available information sources both overt and covert. Assessments are developed in response to requirements declared by the leadership...
, a remote-controlled 2 wheeled surveillance robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
equipped with a night vision
Night vision
Night vision is the ability to see in low light conditions. Whether by biological or technological means, night vision is made possible by a combination of two approaches: sufficient spectral range, and sufficient intensity range...
camera for scouting ahead, and body armor are just some examples of what he uses. Likewise, the OPFOR may have access to special equipment of their own, such as motor vehicles, various grenades, and early detection gear.
Episodes
| # | Title |
|---|
Reviews
Mike Hale of The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
offers suspicion regarding the realism of the program. Viewer response, on the other hand, has been primarily positive, and the show had an average rating of 5/5 on the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
store.