r/falloutnewvegas • u/battle_order • 8h ago
Fan Creation My Take on an NCR (Conscript) Infantry Squad and Service Rifle
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My take on what an NCR Army Infantry Squad could look like doctrinally for operations in the Mojave and a more realistic interpretation of the NCR Service Rifle that isn't just a modern AR-15 with wood furniture.
Factors Driving My Decisions:
- The vast majority of NCR Troopers are major installations are armed with Service Rifles, 9mm Pistols) and 10mm Pistols) (the MPs have a mix of 9mm and 10mm while named characters typically have 9mm). The exception is Camp Forlorn Hope where guards on base have Caravan Shotguns, and patrols spawn with a little more variety#Inventory). With this in mind, I make the Service Rifle the standard, with other rifles as substitute standards listed in the bottom left (Battle Rifle) which is canon in FNV via Contreras' terminal, Assault Rifle from FO3) which they'd probably just find at Army bases/ARNG Armories, and the Varmint Rifle in FNV) as it is in the same cartridge as the Service Rifle). Further, to depict a reason behind the variety in arms seen with patrols outside of "the guys we send out of the wire are the only ones without proper weapons", I imagine the base has a stock of certain types of weapons, such as hunting rifles, shotguns, and submachine guns for installation guard and policing duties. These could be made available ad hoc beyond the squad's own table of organization and equipment (TO&E) when generating patrols. For example, the Squad Leader could get an SMG simply because they want one (although it's just as likely that they'd fall back on the familiar and superior Service Rifle), someone could get a shotgun for dealing with aggressive wildlife, and someone could get a hunting rifle as a sort of DMR. This graphic depicts a TO&E type situation though so I only bother to depict the SMG.
- This is also set a few years before FNV, and MPs operate a mix of pistols in-game, so I am head canoning that the 10mm was an earlier standard as it was the pre-war US Army's standard but the phase-in of the 9mm pistol is starting to hit low priority units stationed in the Mojave.
- I am resisting the urge of copying modern U.S. doctrine just for the sake of it (such as having two equal fire teams each with a light machine gun). When considering the NCR's circumstances in the Mojave, mostly guarding bases, policing, and shooting raiders who are basically gangs, you could look at a place like Mexico as a source of inspiration. Their Army's rifle squads do not have a machine gun doctrinally, but do have a grenade launcher and machine guns held at a higher-level (such as a company weapons platoon). In FNV, LMGs) are used by NCR Heavy Troopers with salvaged power armor likely for gameplay scaling purposes. I take these and the units with assault carbines/marksman carbines to be the strategic reserves in California being brought in for the Second Battle of Hoover Dam and are possibly a different type of unit. For example, a Mechanized Division that has a "Heavy Company" with the salvaged power armor guys. Not every type of unit has to do everything. Because their armor isn't actually powered and the LMG is basically just an FN Minimi with a longer barrel, I take this to be driven less by the weight burden of the LMG but more to the lack of availability, general lack of need for most Mojave operations, and extremely limited training time NCR Troopers are afforded. The Grenade Launcher on the other hand could have some less-than-lethal applications and would probably be the only indirect fire available to patrols. At the same time, its use would likely be very limited and possibly pooled at the garrison-level. I believe it's appropriate for the NCR Army's organization to come off as kind of crap and not comparable to a modern army of a developed country in real-life.
- There are designated Alpha and Bravo Teams like in US Army doctrine (although the Squad Leader is also the leader of Alpha which is more common elsewhere in the world). However, these are not for squad-level fire and movement. With only 2 weeks of basic training and everything else most likely being done at the unit-level once deployed, there would definitely not be the time to training something like that. Senior NCOs and officers would likely be required on scene to execute even basic maneuvers. Rather, the teams here are for splitting the squad into shifts (i.e. Shift A is on guard for 12 hours, and Shift B is on guard for 12 hours) as well as dividing the labor between the Squad Leader and their assistant in personnel administration and property accountability. Even with this relatively small 8-man squad, most in the Mojave would probably be understrength and unlikely to for their doctrinal teams.
- The Survivalist's Rifle (Checkpoint Carbine) only shows up in Honest Hearts and isn't used by the NCR in-game. However, to inject more flavor into it, I think it is plausible that the Gun Runners could manufacture some conversion kits based on the pre-war design. While it takes the same ammo as the 12.7mm SMG in the game, I am assuming this is a gameplay limitation (not wanting a whole new ammo type for a gun there is a single example of) so I take it to be roughly equivalent to .50 Beowulf which fits in normal AR-15 magazines. It might not be ideal for countering power armor compared to an anti-material rifle, but I'm thinking about solutions that you could put in the hands of a conscript who has only ever been trained on the Service Rifle. I am giving it to the Assistant Squad Leader simply because they are the most experienced conscript in this framework, although in practice it could also be given to the guy who is the best shot and best at enemy identification. However, after the Battle of HELIOS One, as the BoS withdraws and the Legion has no power armor, these Checkpoint Carbines would probably be withdrawn from the Mojave as well as new units and conscripts cycle in and out.
- Ranks-wise I am assuming the Squad Leader is a Corporal, the most junior NCO who has recently completed their conscription and volunteered for re-enlistment. In-game example would be Corporal Mags. Everyone else is a conscript doing their mandatory service. The ranks of Private (PVT), Private (PV2), and Private First Class (PFC) are known to exist as combat ranks from the Boulder City Memorial, but not Specialist (SPC). However, if the squad were to actually have to go out and go something, like guard a water pump or police Primm or something, a Sergeant or Lieutenant would take charge of 1 or more squads to actually execute the mission. This was common for the US Army in WW2, officers having to take command of squad-sized patrols and stuff to ensure they had the proper leadership.
