NationStates Jolt Archive


A Closer Look at the Omzian Mechanized Infantryman

Omz222
04-07-2005, 22:19
A Look at an Omzian Mechanized Infantryman

Introduction
The backbone of the Omzian Army, the mechanized infantry has long been the standard symbol of the rather small sized (when compared to others) but professional nature of the Army, representing the Omzian Army's significance as a mechanized ground force. He is an expert marksman and can painlessly handle fieldcraft work, possesses strong leadership qualities, and is trained to fight in a variety of environments and respond to multitudes of threats and evolving situations. He is also selected among a large group of recruits, many of whom may not pass the rigorous selection process, and is physically, academically, and psychologically fit. He is also the rolemodel for any and all Omzian soldiers, and places teamwork and integrity above his image as being a professional warfighter of the Omzian Army.

Gear
Unlike many other armies, the gear of an Omzian Mechanized Infantryman is quite spartan when compared to the advanced and excessively "battlesuits" of many other armies. This is a direct reflection on the Omzian Army's "Skills First, Appearance Second" philosophy, holding mobility and reliability as very important traits of any gear or equipment of an Omzian infantryman. However, the Omzian soldier uses his warfighting, fieldcraft, physical fitness, leadership, and survival skills as a quality that cannot be replaced by any battlesuit or the so-called "supersoldiers".

The garments and clothings of a standard Omzian soldier typically consists of a battle dress uniform with a digital universal camouflage system similar to the ACU, blending various designs and colours to make it compatible in both natural and urban environments around the world. With the soldier's name and the name of the Omzian Army on his chest, rank insignia on his shoulder and collar, he is easily identifyable. With his unit patch on his sides and infrared identification devices, he can easily engage in teamwork in both day and night. Beneath, a tan t-shirt and a pair of shocks paired with two large combat boots provides him with comfort. Further, an amazing array of pockets and his Standard Load Bearing System (SLOBES) allows him to carry a wide amount of gear, ammunition, and supplies. The BDU and garments also possesses several other features, allowing the soldier to be less affected by moisture and humidity while protecting him against fire as well. Under special conditions, specialized urban fighting, jungle, and mountain/cold-weather garments are available as well.

The soldier's body is protected with the standard Individual Protection Systems (IPROS), which is an armour system consisting of an extensive arrangment of various chemical fibres and inserts, protecting the soldier's head, upper neck, chest, stomach, back, shoulder, groin, upper leg, and his sides against shrapnel and light rifle rounds as well. He also wear kneecaps, a google to protect him against intense sun rays, dust, and other things harmful to the eye, and a helmet-mounted visor as well. A flexible hydration, urination, water processing, and body-cooling system allows him to hydrate himself with both water and performance-enhancing drinks that contains various nutrients. For food, both standard MREs and special "Endurance Meals" are available, along with performance-enhancing bars to add onto the ration.

Along with that, the Omzian mechanized soldier wears the Mk.IV version of the Omzian Standard Warfighting Soldier Combat System (WASC), consisting of an array of electronic equipment and other systems that will make him not only more effective on the battlefield, but more mobile and comfortable as well. Unlike many "battlesuits", it is a system of electronics that the soldier wears. The Omzian soldier is always equipped with a standard radio and digital communications system, a GPS-aided locationing and mapping system (in the form of a PDA-like handheld), a dual uplink-downlink system to link the soldier with other assets and platforms, a dual nightvision-IR goggle system, and a helmet-mounted video camera. This is all linked to a central computer system compacted into the form of a PDA-like computer system, with two colour LCD screens allowing not only the display of information, but the exchange of information among individual soldiers as well. The communication system linked to the computer can also allow the soldier to fully communicate with armoured vehicle crews and even aircrews for coordination, allowing the soldier to exchange information through both digital voice and text delivery methods, and even live video feeds as well. The computer is normally placed on the side of the soldier's torso, and it is normally controlled with a touchscreen system, though an array of sensors placed within the mouth cavity allows some flexibility in the control of the computer. This computer system is powered by a battery system, linked to a integrated recharger system, along with a backup solar battery.
Aside from the computer's LCD screens, the soldier can also optionally adopt a HUD system as well, replacing the stadard visor on the helmet.

Weapons
Unlike many soldiers of other countries, it's quite common to see the Omzian mechanized infantryman to only stick with one weapon at a time. Thus, officially-issued sidearms are rarely seen aside from the occasional personal revolvers and automatic pistols brought by the soldiers themselves. A standard Omzian mechanized infantryman operates the standard M20 rifle, which is based on the G45 design and utilizes a variety of composite materials in its construction, chambered in the 6.5mm Grendel round. It comes with a standard 30-round magazine or occasionally a 100-round drum magazine, and is configured to operate in single-shot, three-round burst, and full automatic modes as well - though full automatic is strongly discouraged and is very rarely used. The rifle also adopts a rail system, allowing the mounting of a low-power scope, a close-in combat sight to substitute the standard iron sight. On the bottom, a flashlight, a bayonet, a M203-like 40mm grenade launcher, or a special shot-gun like system can also be used. On the sides, a variety of items can be mounted, including an Optiwand-like system for peeking around corners.

Aside from the rifle, a number of other weapons are available for those aside from riflemen. The automatic rifleman carries the M21 SAW, which is a modified version of the highly modular M21 designed as a light machine gun. The grenadier normally carries the M22 LGW, which is based on the OICW and utilizes the 25mm airburst round, thugh it can be substituted by the M23 Revolver-Based Grenade Launcher (RBGL/"Rebagel"), which is a 8-round revolver-based automatic grenade launcher utilizing the 40mm launched grenade. The Rocketeer carries the imported M81 Weasel LAW, which is a light anti-armour weapon than is highly versatile, and can be used against other targets such as bunkers, light-skinned vehicles, or even personnel. For special situations, a carbine rapid-fire version of the M20, termed the M20S Shortened, can also be carried for urban combat; in other situations, a sharpshooter version of the M20, termed the M20P Precision, can be carried by those seeking a sharpshooter role (note: not shiper).

Aside from these, the Omzian infantryman also carries a wide array of other items, including the M55 standard fragmentation grenade, the M56 golfball-sized mini-fragmentation grenade, WP and smoke grenades, thermite grenades, flashbangs, and even occasionally CS grenades (for riot control) as well. A standard combat knife is always carried, typically used for field craft but can also be used for close-in combat as well.