OPFOR: The U.S. Army's professional opposing forces 1982-2022

OPFORs evolved from a Cold War-inspired simulacrum to a dedicated, real-world training adversary shaping strategic readiness

The U.S. Army’s permanent opposing forces can trace their origins to 1946, when the Army stood up the fictional ‘Circle Trigonist’ aggressor force based loosely on Second World War German and Soviet forces, which gradually morphed into a more Soviet type of opponent for Army exercises as the Cold War progressed. While there were no dedicated aggressor units, the Army e...