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Commanding Officer (CO)
The leader of the team. His orders must be followed without question. The flip side of
that coin is that the CO is responsible for keeping his force alive. There's only one
Commanding Officer in the Cold Force, much like the NAARO. The CO has to be a Captain and
can come from any other position in the force, although XO's are promoted first.
Executive Officer (XO)
The CO's metaphorical right or left hand. They are responsible for filling the gaps in the
CO's strategic and tactical thinking (i.e. covering his ass). If the CO isn't present for
some reason, the higher-ranking XO takes command and should be treated as a CO until such
time as the CO returns. There are two XO's in the Cold Force.
Heavy Weapons Expert (HWE)
The HWE carries "heavy" weapons like autocannons, flamethrowers and rocket
launchers. They also serve as the demolitions experts, and as such, should be proficient
in the use of high explosives since an HWE will often find himself in the posession of
such items. Only a small part of the team consists of HWE's.
Medic
The Medic is a self-explanatory position. The ability to heal wounded troops while under
fire without getting shot is highly valued by any military commander worth half his salt.
Since there aren't any handy X-Com automedkits, a medic will have to make do with good old
bandages and morphine injections. However, no medic can fight and bandage a bleeding arm
stump at the same time. Thus, when a medic is at work, others have to cover for him.
Sniper/Scout
This trooper's role is primarily reconaissance. The "Snout" usually works in a
team of two - advancing ahead of the main force to gather information on the enemy
positions. Once enough information has been gathered for the main force to be able to
develop a good attack plan, the snout(s) should set up in a position to pick off enemy
troops. Good communication is essential between the Snouts and the rest of the team - it's
a good practice if friendly fire casualties are to be avoided.
Grunt
The Grunt is the backbone of any military force. While special weapons troops add
firepower or precision to a team, the grunt maintains the balance. Traditionally, grunts
receive most of the enemy firepower and very little of the glory. The grunt is the point
man, the rear guard, and the guy in the middle.
Engineer
The Engineer's responsibility is the maintenance AND operation of equipment. The Cold
Force engineer is a scientist, a technical expert, and an operator. After all, to know how
to fix the equipment, one has to know how it works. Thus, engineers are expected not only
to know how to fix the tank that Cold Force operatives come across, but also how to drive
it.
