Task Force Aegis was a multi-national NATO peacekeeping force that was deployed to the Republic of Altis and Stratis.
Overview[]
| « | As tensions continue to grow in the east, a US-led joint NATO-AAF peacekeeping force stationed on Stratis - Task Force Aegis - is in the middle of a staged drawdown. The remaining units - a company of combat units, a helicopter squadron, and support staff under the command of Col. Andrew MacKinnon - are chiefly involved in dismantling military infrastructure and decommissioning vehicles in preparation of their final withdrawal, as the US shifts the focus of its conventional forces to the Pacific theatre. Official ArmA 3 site description
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Background[]
A joint U.S./U.K. NATO peacekeeping force deployed to the island nation under a strictly limited mandate and combat capacity[4], the task force predominately consisted of both U.S. Army soldiers as well as detachments of the Altis Armed Forces who served as liaisons.[5] A small contingent of troops from the British Army were initially a part of the task force but were later pulled out from the country following the British government's refusal to renew their mandate.[6][7]
The task force was led by a U.S. Army Colonel by the name of Andrew MacKinnon.[4][8] They were initially based on the mainland of Altis but were later restricted to operating solely on the smaller island of Stratis at the Stratis Air Base.[9] Though the exact composition of the task force has not been specified, it is estimated that at the height of its deployment it was at the very least battalion-sized, though this was later reduced to less than two companies' worth of forces following the British withdrawal.[3]
History[]
TF Aegis ORBAT
The task force was established in the wake of the signing of the Jerusalem Cease Fire agreement of 2030 which saw to the end of the civil war[1][10], and the rise of an anti-government organisation that referred to itself as the "Freedom and Independence Army" (FIA).
Deployed alongside the new AAF, now under the command of a hardline leadership under Colonel Georgious Akhanteros, they were to monitor the ceasefire to ensure that there would be no further outbreak of hostilities from either the AAF itself or the guerillas. In addition, they were to provide counterinsurgency training and limited materiel support to government forces wherever necessary.[5] However, their ability to enforce their mandate or directly intervene in AAF operations were heavily restricted the majority of the time.[11]
Events of the Prologue (2034)[]
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NOTE: This section contains spoilers from ArmA 3's 'Prologue' campaign.   Conway bickers with an AAF trooper after discovering the executed civilians. A small detachment of elements from TF Aegis under the command of Staff Sergeant Thomas Adams and Sergeant Conway helped to train the AAF (alongside other squads) in counterinsurgency tactics.[12] Throughout the course of the operation, relations slowly sour between the task force and their AAF counterparts with repeated conflicts of interests. One incident in particular, involved a group of suspected pro-FIA civilians being executed on the spot without warrant by a squad of AAF troopers.[13] Relations between the two eventually hit a new low after a failed FIA uprising in Kavala is violently suppressed by the AAF. The uprising took place amidst the backdrop of supposedly "peaceful" talks which were due to take place. It would have seen the top leaders of the FIA and the AAF negotiate a proper ceasefire.[14]
Much to their disgust, the captured FIA survivors are promptly executed under direct orders from Akhanteros himself despite their protests, and are ordered to stand down by MacKinnon.[15] |
Events of Remnants of War (2034)[]
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NOTE: This section contains spoilers from ArmA 3's Laws of War DLC 'Remnants of War' campaign.   LOAC training in progress at Camp Daybreak (2034) Almost a week after the uprising in Kavala, SSG Adams and his small detachment of NATO peacekeepers are reassigned to the mountain village of Oreokastro, taking charge of the Camp Daybreak LOAC training facility.[16][17] With supplies such as water and medicine at the IDAP camp running critically low, and ground convoys being too risky to send, Adams leads a small AAF fireteam in securing a nearby hill in order to call in a paradrop of vital supplies.[18] During the airdrop, his fireteam runs into a brief encounter with local bandits who attempt to intercept the airdrop.[19] They successfully fight off the attack and bring the much-needed supplies back to the IDAP base camp.[20] |
Events of The East Wind (2035)[]
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NOTE: This section contains spoilers from ArmA 3's 'The East Wind' campaign. With their mandate having being rescinded and limited to just the smaller (and devoid of civilian populace) island of Stratis, the task force was no longer permitted to be on the Altis mainland itself.[21][9] As their five-year long deployment was coming to a close and their mandate expiring with no hope of renewal, TF Aegis prepares to pack up and leave the country.[22] By this point, the majority of the task force's combat units have already been withdrawn, with only engineers and other logistical personnel staying behind to decommission the remainder of NATO facilities on the island.[8][23][24] SurviveA year of mistrust and miscommunications between the AAF and NATO have led to a great increase in tensions between the two sides. Eventually, in response to a supposed unprovoked attack on their forces, the AAF retaliate against the task force and attack the remaining personnel left on the island.[25]   Outnumbered but not outmanoeuvred, TF Aegis attempt to take back the initiative by conducting a set of raids against the AAF. The surprise attack results in the deaths of almost a hundred peacekeepers, the destruction of vital NATO infrastructure, as well as the loss of their only high-ranking officer, COL MacKinnon.[26] Scattered and disorientated from the attack, remnants of TF Aegis eventually consolidate at the long-since abandoned Camp Maxwell.[27][28] Now led by CTRG Captain Scott Miller, they attempt to fight back against the AAF while at the same time try to raise communications with NATO MEDCOM.[29] But their efforts are ultimately futile, as the AAF eventually discover their base camp and almost wipe out the remnants in an artillery strike.[30][31]   Kerry's squad return to Camp Maxwell only to find it in complete ruins from the AAF attack.
To their luck however, Miller reveals that although they were hit hard by the attack, his team managed to communicate with NATO MEDCOM and received word of an impending invasion to retake the island from the AAF. But in order to prepare for their arrival, the survivors need to mount one last attack on the town of Agia Marina with their remaining forces.[32]   The survivors mount an all-out assault on Agia Marina. The attack is initially successfully and the AAF are forced into a complete retreat from the town. But to their surprise (and disbelief), CSAT forces mount a full-scale counterattack against TF Aegis.[33][34] The counterattack almost results in the complete annihilation of the remaining units[35], with only Miller's CTRG team and Kerry's squad being left alive who promptly escape from the island in boats.[36] But even then, their escape is immediately thwarted by the AAF after an air raid destroys both boats.[37] |
Post-The East Wind[]
After the U.S. Army's 111th Infantry Division (111th ID) retakes Stratis[38], almost a month after the initial AAF attack, then-CPL Kerry (now promoted to Sergeant) is revealed to be the sole survivor of the entire task force.[2] TF Aegis is mentioned in passing on several post-flashpoint news reports, and by members of the brigade combat team.[39][40][41]
The official cause behind the AAF's attack has yet to be revealed to the public.[42]
Equipment[]
MTP camouflage pattern (ArmA 3)
The members of TF Aegis utilised the same standard-issue equipment shared by all Mediterranean NATO forces. However, as the majority of its remaining personnel consisted of support units rather than frontline combat troops, peacekeepers could usually be seen wearing baseball-style caps and bandanas in lieu of their ballistic helmets mixed in with either shirts and/or tactical vests.
After British forces pulled out and their mandate was gradually rescinded, the majority of their heavy equipment was either shipped back to the United States or were decommissioned at specific facilities on Stratis.
As such, TF Aegis had no access to any armoured vehicles aside from a small number of anti-aircraft assets. They largely relied on MRAPs, heavy trucks and UH-80/MH-9 helicopters to travel around the island.
Gallery[]
References[]
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External links[]
See also[]
| Sub-factions | |
|---|---|
| ArmA: Armed Assault | Black Element • Resistance • USMC |
| ArmA 2 | Bystrican Militia • Takistani Militia |
| ArmA 3 | CTRG • IDAP • Task Force Aegis • The Visitors* • Viper |
| ArmA: Mobile Ops | Attidan Guerrillas • Task Force |
| * this sub-faction does not canonically exist within the main Armaverse timeline. | |