Mountaineer Troops

Mountaineer Troops 등산 부대 / 登山部隊
Mountaineer Troops rappelling down a cliffside in winter
Active	2010 – present
Country	Menghe
Branch	Menghean Army
Type	Special forces
Role	Mountain warfare
Size	3 Brigades (est. 3,600 personnel total)
Nickname(s)	Mountaineers
Motto(s)	"Vigilance is Strength"
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief	Supreme Marshal Choe Sŭng-min
Commander of the Mountaineer Troops	Lieutenant-General Jo Yŏng-sŏb

The Mountaineer Troops (Menghean: 등산 부대 / 登山部隊, Dŭngsan Budae), also known as the Mountain-Climbing Troops and the Mountain Infantry, are a special forces arm of the Menghean Army which specializes in mountain warfare. They are tasked with long-range border patrol missions along the Western Chŏnsan Mountains of northern Siyadag province, in the vicinity of the Menghe-Maverica-Dzhungestan border triangle.

History

The Mountaineer Troops were formed as a separate administrative unit in December 2010, after unconfirmed reports that Maverican special forces had infiltrated Menghean territory by cutting through allied but thinly-patrolled Dzhungestan. This prompted the Ministry of Defense to establish a dedicated brigade of Mountaineer Troops to guard the difficult terrain of the West Chŏnsan range. This was also a response to the formation of dedicated mountain warfare units in the Maverican Army, and concerns about a diversionary offensive in this region.

In 2015, Menghe responded to the continuing buildup of Maverican forces north of the Chŏnsan range, and to the high uptick in tensions after the Innominadan Crisis, by approving the formation of two additional brigades of Mountaineer Troops. As part of the same move, the Ministry of Defense expanded the Mountaineer Troops' area of operation further along the Menghe-Dzhungestan border, as a further defense against infiltration.

Selection and training

The Mountaineer Troops are one of the few military units in Menghe to conduct extensive cold-weather training.

Selection for the Mountaineer Troops uses the same initial screening process as the Deep Mission Troops, but the organization has lower requirements for most skills and qualifications, and may accept applicants who were denied entry into the Deep Mission Troops. It does, however, have much higher requirements for physical endurance in cold temperatures and thin air. Mountain Troops also continue to emphasize recruits' political loyalty, to prevent soldiers from defecting or allowing the enemy through.

The training period itself lasts one year, and places a continued emphasis on thin-air performance, with recruits conducting all of their training in the Eastern Chŏnsan Mountains. Trainees face relentless tests of physical endurance and resourcefulness, in addition to rock-climbing abilities with and without rappelling equipment, all at a training camp 2,200 meters above sea level. They do not practice parachute operations, but do practice extensively with helicopter travel, including both direct landings and rope assaults.

The graduation test for the Mountaineer Troops requires trainees to scale a 1200-meter cliff, then run 30 kilometers without rest, all while carrying a simulated combat load. While the dropout rate is lower for the Mountaineer Troops than the Deep Mission Troops, the overall training routine produces highly specialized personnel experienced in mountain equipment.

Organization

Currently, there are three active brigades of Mountaineer Infantry in Menghe. All are subordinate to the 9th Army and stationed in Siyadag Province. As with the Deep Mission Troops, the 4th Training Brigade can also be converted to a combat unit if necessary.

Missions

In addition to high-altitude areas, Mountaineer Troops also patrol sparsely populated foothills and passes along the border, and must be prepared to fight under a variety of weather conditions.

In peacetime, the Mountaineer Troops serve as a form of border guard, tasked with preventing spies, special forces, smugglers, and saboteurs from crossing the mountainous borders between Menghe and its neighbors Maverica and Dzhungestan. Elsewhere in the country, where the terrain is less demanding, this duty falls to the Border Patrol Forces, a subordinate body of the Ministry of Internal Security.

In times of war, this nominal mission would continue, but at a greater level of urgency. Maverican special forces are known to have units specializing in mountain warfare, and Menghe's Mountaineer Infantry would be tasked with countering their operations and preventing infiltration. Additionally, if Maverican ground forces attempted to invade through southern Dzhungestan, the Mountaineer Infantry would be called upon to delay their advance, either through direct attacks on armored columns, raids on supply units, or covert monitoring of enemy movements.

Based on the deployment locations of the 2nd and 3rd Mountaineer Brigades, it appears that in either scenario these units would be deployed across the border onto allied Dzhungestani territory, as a means of heading off Maverican operations more directly. Defense analysts have noted that with their extensive helicopter assets, the Mountaineer Brigades have the capability to insert reconnaissance teams onto Maverican territory, but it is not known whether they would attempt this during a major conventional conflict.

Equipment

Mountaineer sniper and spotter posing for a promotional shot near Kadur Pass.

The Mountaineer Troops are the most motorized of Menghe's special forces arms, and may make use of snowmobiles, motorcycles, and 4x4 light utility cars, either to cover more ground on patrols or to resupply remote outposts. Each Mountaineer Brigade also contains a battalion of Mechanized Infantry in BSCh-7 APCs, to be used when heading off larger infantry incursions. For most of their patrols, however, Mountaineer Troops travel on foot.

The 9th Army also has a dedicated squadron of transport helicopters held in reserve, which could be used to airlift Mountaineer Troops, either as a means of rapid deployment within allied territory or as an offensive maneuver behind enemy lines. This unit is not technically part of the Mountaineer Troops, but its helicopters are specially modified for high-altitude conditions, and their pilots are trained for mountain operations.

In the realm of small arms, the Mountaineer Troops primarily use Menghe's SMS marksman rifle, introduced in 2008. It is chambered in 7.62×51mm ammunition, allowing greater accuracy at range than the JS-103 assault rifle used by the rest of the Army's troops, but still retains a setting for fully automatic fire. They also have a larger number of dedicated marksman troops armed with bolt-action rifles. Both of these moves are dictated by their primary mission of eliminating enemy special forces teams at the long ranges that predominate in mountain combat.

Unique among Menghe's special forces arms, the Mountaineer Troops have adopted the YDCh-72 anti-tank guided missile as a platoon-level weapon, giving them a potent long-range anti-tank capability.

See also

• Menghean Army
• Menghean National Defense Academy
• Deep Mission Troops
• Special Naval Troops (Menghe)