After Action Report: A First-Timer at MilSim West: Shali Front

After Action Report: A First-Timer at MilSim West: Shali Front
Nov 15-17

MilSim West Overview

MilSim West is an event organizer that hosts Airsoft events in various venues designed to replicate at least several aspects of the military experience, specifically light infantry operations. In the case of the Shali Front event, they reserved the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, a giant Urban Warfare training facility owned by the Indiana National Guard and leased to MilSimWest to host this event. The venue encompasses a thousand acres, featuring a diverse range of structures, including abandoned buildings, a hospital, an elementary school, and a mosque. These various buildings offer numerous opportunities for participants to claim territory and engage in combat.

The event itself is organized into two major teams, NATO and RUSFOR. NATO represents the forces of the West and RUSFOR represents the post-Soviet Russian bloc. A third faction called “Militia” are irregular forces who fight alongside the Russians. Both NATO and RUSFOR must carry and wear the same gear and uniforms as their faction in real life. Because Russian pattern gear is expensive, Militia is allowed to basically “run what they brung”

The event itself is hosted over a period of 40 hours, starting Friday evening and ending Sunday Morning. Effectively, there are two nights of combat and one day of combat. It was just the right length. Any shorter and one could get by completely without sleeping. Any longer and the psychological stress would have been too much for most, so 40 hours felt like just the right amount of time to experience sleep deprivation, decision-making under pressure, etc.

Loadout

Each team has a very strict gear list regarding the actual event itself. You show up with your plate carrier, assault pack, helmet, rucksack, and rifle. The loadout requirement is that of a light infantryman or Rifleman, with one significant difference, you carry a replica airsoft rifle instead of a real rifle. Airsoft rifles are extremely photorealistic versions of a real gun that shoots 6mm plastic BBs at about 350 fps. Specialized fighters carry specialized equipment, such as light machine guns, grenade launchers, designated marksman rifles, and sniper rifles.

Rifles and Light Machine Guns have maximum velocity of 366 fps which leaves a painful welt at close range but won’t break the skin. Medium Machine guns have a ceiling of 425 fps giving them additional range but with a minimum range of 50 feet. Sniper and Designated Marksman Rifles have an even higher ceiling of 550 fps but have a minimum range of 100 feet. Airsoft rifles have an effective range of about 120-200 feet.

Check-in

Check-in is extremely long and thorough, the organizers want to make sure you have the right gear and that your replica is “chronographed” at or below the maximum velocity. After check-in, you are divided into companies, platoons, squads, and fire teams. At that point, you’re introduced to your Cadre. Milsim West’s founders are all ex-miliary and each Cadre is a current or former combat veteran. Cadres are a kind of leader/mentor/referee of your platoon and give in-game orders to your PL (Platoon Leader). Your Platoon Leader is a player who adopts leadership responsibilities for your Platoon. The Cadres are there to share military skills and experience with everyone under their supervision.

Profile of an MSW attendee

There is no one stereotypical attendee of MSW. Some are current or former servicemembers there to stay sharp. Others are keen fans of militaria. Others are wannabe soldiers. The pledge at the very beginning was great to level set. In essence, ‘don't take this too seriously because you're all just a bunch of LARPing War nerds. So there's no point in getting that fussy over anything at MSW.’ It's the polar opposite of extremely hyper-competitive, paintball or Airsoft. Don’t get overly pedantic with the rules but don’t cheat either. You’re dressing up with your friends and playing soldier for a weekend.

Having said that, the event's demographics were almost exclusively men. I saw two women the entire weekend and one was playing “Press.” The other fought for RUSFOR and everyone there knew her name. She must be a fixture in the community.

Demographically, I think the attendees were probably a fatter version of what you would tend to see in Special Forces: almost all white men, a handful of Asians, a handful of Hispanics, and a few blacks. Surprisingly, there were more non-Americans than non-whites. There were entire squads of people who traveled from New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Croatia, and Spain. The Germans were very serious. One mentioned his experience training Ukrainians…

Physical Fitness

Most people were relatively fit compared to the average American Standards of Fitness. The event itself is a pretty good test of your general fitness. You have to be well-rounded to succeed at MSW. Suppose you can bench 225 lbs, but then you’re asked to sprint a few hundred yards wearing a plate carrier and an assault pack. You will be ineffective if you’re gassed at the end of that. You had some attendees who fit that profile. Then at the other extreme, you had some people with a runner phenotype who could probably run an 18-minute 5K. Put 50 pounds of gear on them and they were struggling. There were a lot of activities where raw physical strength was an advantage. The first night, I had to carry 120 pounds of rucksacks a quarter of a mile from one Patrol Base to another. Multiple times, I had to drag 220-pound men out of the line of fire.

Testing Equipment

In addition to the physical aspect, the other most important part of the training is simply ensuring that your gear works together as you expect it to. If you don't attend an event like MSW, you can easily spend thousands on gear ad hoc and hope that it all works together. When you go to MSW, you very quickly figure out what works and what doesn't because you're stuck with it for 40 hours straight. For instance, outside of MSW, I've only worn my plate carrier with the plates in for an hour or two at most. At MSW, I figured out exactly what worked and what didn’t. I learned the hard way how the plates sit on my back and the stress they put on my neck and spine. I need to work on that.

One challenging aspect was managing my helmet and night vision setup. While the setup itself functioned well, the mandatory airsoft goggles (an MSW rule) proved cumbersome. The constant removal and replacement of my helmet or plate carrier became a significant obstacle.  I had to devise a specific, methodical approach to avoid tangling the gear. This, however, was a skill honed through repetitive practice and the added pressure of potential base raids.

Sleep Deprivation

The constant assaults and threat of assaults made getting any sleep challenging. And so, we had to sleep based on shifts, so that we'd have one person or multiple people per room posted on guard duty at all times. If nothing else, MSW was a great test of your ability to deal with sleep deprivation. The second day was a lot of operations. Raids, reconnaissance, and supply operations. At the same time, there were lengthy periods of complete boredom sitting around defending the patrol base. Staying awake during guard duty was not easy and every minute of sleep you could snatch when not on guard duty was welcome. I slept on the floor, slumped on a desk, and in a chair leaned up against the wall. When you’re tired enough any position will due.


Temperature Management

One challenge I underestimated was temperature management. The weather forecast predicted mid-50s, so I packed light layers assuming I could adjust to the temperature. However, the intense activity of moving quickly with a heavy rucksack, followed by combat, caused extreme sweating even in minimal clothing. Conversely, during inactive periods, even multiple layers felt chilly. The plate carrier made it difficult to quickly add or remove clothing, so dressing light enough to avoid overheating but warm enough to prevent hypothermia was crucial. I mostly wore just a combat shirt, which led to discomfort – sweating during raids and freezing during downtime.

Knowing your limits

During a particularly intense battle at the embassy, I had the chance to change into a dry combat shirt. While I was generally cold throughout the event, I preferred that to the risk of heat stroke, a common issue at MSW. Being in my forties with a history of back, neck, knee, and shoulder injuries, I'm careful not to push myself too hard. My goal is to stay active and engaged without risking serious injury that could prevent me from participating in future events.

For this event, I wore a Defense Mechanisms Plate Carrier with two SAPI ceramic plates, a ballistic helmet, and PVS14 Night Vision. While this seemed like a good setup initially, the combined weight of the gear, my assault pack, and the helmet put too much strain on my neck and back. I realized that wearing all of this for the entire 40-hour event could lead to a severe injury. When I felt a twinge in my lower back while lifting rucksacks, it was a clear warning sign to reconsider my approach. After the first night, I pulled the plates from the carrier to save about 8 pounds which was a great choice because I'd rather sacrifice the protection in BB Wars than risk aggravating a disc injury.

Rucks, Assault Packs, and Food

The packing list recommended an assault pack for raids, containing essentials like water, first aid, ammunition, and light sources, and a separate rucksack for additional clothing, sleeping gear, food, and hygiene supplies. Packing styles varied widely: some individuals opted for a single, minimalist bag, sacrificing comfort for speed, while others carried heavy rucksacks suitable for extended backcountry camping. It's crucial to strike a balance, packing enough essentials without overburdening oneself. During the event, I found it necessary to change my socks three times due to constantly soaking through.

When it came to food, there were a couple of different approaches. Some people got creative and set up a mini "McDonald's" using a jet boil to prepare ready-to-eat meals. This seemed to work out well for them. However, most of us stuck with cold options like trail mix bars, Clif bars, and in my case, a packet of StarKist tuna.

I also brought along a Legacy GI Surplus MRE meal to try out, but it was disgusting. The lesson here is clear: avoid MREs unless you're facing a true survival situation where the only alternative is starvation.

If you can heat water, you're much better off choosing something like a Mountain House meal. One person ate Steven Rinella’s Peak Refuel freeze-dried meals, which looked good. That said, for only 40 hours, I prefer sticking to simple cold options like summer sausage or other similar meat snacks.

Thoughts on Airsoft Combat

In terms of the actual substance of Airsoft, this was my first time ever at an airsoft event so I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't really know how my replica would perform. Before the event, I could easily hit targets at 25 yards, but at 50 yards, I didn’t even know where my replica was hitting.

Airsoft's effectiveness as a combat simulation tool is debatable, but it shines in close-quarters scenarios like house clearing. The realistic look, feel, and accuracy of Airsoft rifles in close proximity make it a valuable training tool for real-life room clearing. However, its limitations become apparent in outdoor environments.

The effective range of Airsoft is significantly shorter than what the eye can perceive. While I didn't have my laser rangefinder to measure precise distances, it was clear that there was a noticeable drop-off in accuracy beyond a certain point. Within this range, continuous fire with a red dot sight could effectively eliminate targets. However, hitting targets outside this range proved challenging, even with adjusted hold-overs.

The likely culprit for this limitation is the poor aerodynamics of spherical BBs. Their rapid velocity loss leads to a steep drop in trajectory, making long-range hits more a matter of luck than skill. In essence, Airsoft combat within 30 yards relies on marksmanship, while anything beyond 50 yards becomes increasingly unreliable.

One incident that was a reminder of the limitations of Airsoft was pulling guard duty Saturday afternoon. A large group of RUSFOR massed about 100 yards from our Patrol Base. They simply stood there “tactically milling about.” We could see them, they could see us, we could taunt them, they could taunt us, but it detracted from the realism of the experience because we really couldn’t affect each other (other than the occasional salvo of fully-automatic blank fire or a 40mm grenade or two.)

Speaking of 40mm, MSW had some cool non-rifle weapons, called “pyro,” short for pyrotechnics. These fell into four main categories. First, there were frag grenades, which functioned much like their real-life counterparts, scattering shrapnel in all directions. They were incredibly effective for clearing rooms, tossing around corners, or over obstacles. Second, smoke grenades proved invaluable for obscuring lines of sight, enabling advances across open terrain. Third, we saw 40-millimeter grenades, essentially scaled-down versions of standard grenades designed to be fired from a launcher. Although this event didn't feature vehicles, these grenades would typically be used to disable them. In their absence, they were still effective for dispersing clustered enemies due to their impressive range. Finally, there were airsoft AT4s, essentially rocket launchers adapted for airsoft. While I didn't personally witness their use, I saw numerous 40mm grenades deployed to great effect.

Beyond rifles, many participants brought airsoft LMGs and MMGs. These weapons were particularly formidable due to their high rate of fire and tremendous ammo capacity. They could deliver a substantial volume of fire, effectively suppressing the enemy. In particular, the MMGs fire so quickly, at such high velocity, that you really didn’t want to be on the business end. Sniper rifles had the highest allowable velocity, up to 550 fps, theoretically enabling hits at 100 yards. I don’t know why, but I saw plenty of designated marksman rifles but no sniper rifles. The other very cool thing I saw to improve the realism factor was blank-firing guns. In other words, MSW players would bring a real AK or real AR-15 and put a blank firing adapter on it. This would allow them to fire blanks in the direction of the enemy. Night battles were terrific because when somebody lit you up with an AK-74, you knew it. It was very loud, and there were fireballs that would blind your night vision. It was extremely cool and extremely aesthetic. The tricky aspect of blank firing is obvious. When somebody shoots you with the BB, you get hit and then you call yourself wounded. With blank firing, it's more of the honor system. If somebody has you dead to rights and they shoot a blank at you, you're supposed to voluntarily declare yourself dead. That said, I still think it was nice to have those guys there, sort of improving the ambiance, instead of just a bunch of BB guns going pew, pew, pew, pew.

On night vision

Roughly one-third of the soldiers were using some form of night vision or thermal imaging, and it proved to be incredibly valuable. I had heard that night vision was a game-changer, but it exceeded my expectations. The ability to move and identify targets under starlight, without needing to expose myself with white light, and to use IR lasers and designators against enemies who lacked night vision, gave us a significant advantage. It was so effective that I'm glad I invested in a basic PVS-14 setup. On the second day, I tried using a lighter Crye Nightcap instead of my ballistic helmet, but I found that the lack of a counterweight strained my neck, so I switched back to the helmet.

Tactical Specifics of the Shali Front


Due to sleep deprivation, the specifics of the raids and battles are somewhat hazy. However, there were some remarkable moments. On Friday night, we focused on establishing our Patrol Base and defending it against continuous Russian raids throughout the night. To be precise, the attacks lasted the entire night. I was posted with two friends in a large classroom on the first floor. I vividly recall the exact time of one 200-person raid. We were on thirty-minute sleep/guard shifts. I woke up at 3:30 AM, and just three minutes later, an assault began. The sudden transition from peace to chaos was jarring, with our building illuminated by muzzle flashes from machine gun fire and frag grenades being hurled through seemingly every window. The Russians managed to clear out several rooms. I retreated to a room with a first floor window and fired at two Russians attempting to throw a grenade into my position. This marked my first "kills" of the event.

One of Saturday's biggest battles was the assault on the Embassy. It was an extremely big operation with lots of fighters on both sides. I split off into a breakaway detachment to try to control this adjacent area called the courtyard. I gunned some RUSFOR down. I threw my first hand grenades. After clearing the courtyard we went into the woods to begin flanking the enemy. It was very fun to get such various types of combat in one battle.

There was another Saturday night operation where we entered into a shoot house. That was my first time ever in a pitch black shoot house with night vision. It was terrifying and claustrophobic. After a few twists and turns, I bumped into a RUSFOR and opened up at point blank range. He goes, “Jeez, you shot me in the nuts.” After eliminating him, I kept rolling and as I left the shoot house, someone shot me in the side of the face and I died. I’m nearly positive it was a fellow NATO guy because the shot came from a place that I’d already cleared and only NATO guys were following me, but that’s life. It was a reminder of how hard it is to tell friend and foe in total darkness under time pressure, especially when everyone's adrenaline is set to 11.

On one of our numerous night raids Saturday night, we went on a reconnaissance mission. Eventually, we encountered the RUSFOR Patrol Base and they routed us quite badly. One of the MSW rules is that if you “die” you have to forget all the intelligence you’ve gathered, so after the majority of our squad was dead, the PL shouted for me to retreat back to our base. So I bailed out, linked up with some stragglers, and set up a series of ambushes. We got a few of their guys but we were so outnumbered, we had to completely fall back. As I was less than 50 yards from our Patrol Base, I let down my guard, and a RUSFOR ambushed me. Then he ambushed the medic who came to provide me with buddy aid. Fortunately, a second medic was able to revive me before I died, so the intel retrieval was successful.

Well before dawn, our PL and three of us decided to raid their PB to keep RUSFOR on their toes. This was one of the funniest battles because it was clearly a suicide mission. We stealthily moved within about a hundred yards of their PB without detection. Then we saw a platoon or more of RUSFOR assembling for a raid and their guys gradually made their way over to them. Interestingly, at night, one of the core methods of separating friend from foe is body language. If guys are creeping towards you, rifles at low ready, moving from cover to cover, they are probably up to no good. But if they walk casually towards you, guns slung, they are probably on your side. So, we waltzed towards their PB hoping that in the confusion and darkness, they wouldn’t recognize that we were actually NATO. A platoon of RUSFOR were milling around in their PB next to some shipping containers. As we got closer and closer, we were anticipating getting lit up but instead within about 10 yards, we surprised them, throwing as much pyro as we had and shooting everyone in sight. Eventually, we got wiped out by their LMGs, but not before eliminating at least a squad worth of guys.

The final battle on Sunday morning consisted of a series of exhausting skirmishes designed to deplete our ammunition. We focused our attacks on the "mosque," a community church with a distinctive qubba dome. Despite our efforts, we could not capture the mosque due to the defenders' strategic advantage on the roof. The additional height gave their BBs increased velocity, making it difficult to counter their machine gun fire unless we could get close enough to use hand grenades. However, the mosque's surrounding open space made it challenging to approach with sufficient numbers to effectively deploy grenades. Although we managed to get a few grenades onto the roof and some of our team inside the building during one assault, we ultimately couldn't secure the mosque as our forces were overwhelmed. Nevertheless, the battle was still an enjoyable experience.

Approximately 75 yards from the mosque, I spotted a tilted concrete tower amidst some abandoned buildings and ruins. Suspecting a RUSFOR soldier might be hiding at the top, I ascended the tower to clear it. Upon reaching the summit, I discovered I was alone. However, I soon realized a RUSFOR soldier had followed me and was concealed at the tower's entrance. I attempted to shoot him from above, but my replica was empty. After a swift reload, I dropped a hand grenade on him. When he didn't immediately "die," I opened fire with my replica, finally eliminating him. The whole experience was quite exhilarating.

It should not come as a surprise during BB war but I got shot and killed a lot. Our PL’s strategy was aggression, aggression, aggression, sometimes our entire squad got waxed. My left side was left covered in welts, some of which were bloody. I would recommend against getting shot in MSW or real life.

The Aliveness of MSW

Do I think that MSW is a substitute for actual military service, tactical training, or even range time? Of course not. That said, do I think the event was worth the time, effort, and money, absolutely. While not a substitute for training, MSW was a great TEST of your body, equipment, and training. Years ago, I read an essay by Matt Thornton where he lays out the core philosophy of Straight Blast Gym: Aliveness. In the essay, Matt explains that the advantage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t come from having “magical” techniques, but that it involves training with a dynamic resisting opponent. There’s extreme value in two men going their hardest to defeat each other, even when engaged in a facsimile of combat. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu bans eye gouging and fish hooks, MSW uses airsoft not guns but the basic concept is the same. Training “safely” so you can train again and again and again. Training with a dynamic, fully resisting opponent makes you better.

Hunting and Martial Prowess

When I was younger, I trained primarily on static ranges. I shot competitively, I made it to Expert in NRA Highpower and B-Class in USPSA. I could shoot tens and A’s all day long. I also took a lot of tactical pistol and rifle classes under the tutelage of many different instructors. One of the most memorable for his personality was a guy named Chuck Taylor, a Vietnam veteran, who was a disciple of Jeff Cooper. He was one of the guys in the 1980s and 1990s who revolutionized and professionalized modern firearms instructions.

I took classes with Chuck when I was an impressionable young man in my 20s. He told me something which always stuck with me. ‘If you want to become martial but don’t become police or military and you still want to develop martial prowess, take up hunting. There’s very little difference between hunting a whitetail deer and hunting for Vietcong other than the Vietcong shoots back, all the other skills are exactly the same.’

I remembered that advice and years later took up hunting, Now, having hunted on three continents, I've found the skills involved in stand hunting directly apply to MSW. Stand hunting is essentially planning and executing an ambush. One has to accomplish four tasks to be successful:
Traffic: Choosing a spot with activity.
Defensibility: Selecting a location that's easy to defend.
Stealth: Remaining still and avoiding detection.
Patience: Enduring cold and boredom, resisting the urge to move or seek warmth.
Stalking, by contrast, is like going on patrol. You have to be hyper-alert of your surroundings. A twig that breaks, leafs rustling. The accidental flash of somebody clicking on their IR illuminator. When you’re hunting, one small mistake and you’ll spook the animal. When you’re on patrol, one small oversight and you’ll walk right into an ambush. It was nice hearing about the parallels from Chuck and then seeing them at MSW.

Combat Videography at MSW

The videography of MSW was extremely interesting. Obviously, if you're in combat, you can't run around with a smartphone in your hands taking video. Many players opted to remove their night vision devices during the day, replacing them with GoPros to capture POV footage of their BB war experiences. A few individuals utilized Contour cameras mounted on their helmets, offering a narrower field of view than the GoPro's wide-angle lens. This narrower perspective provided a more precise representation of the actual shooting targets. Embedded journalists, clearly identifiable by "PRESS" markings on their plate carriers, were present and equipped with cameras for both still photography and video recording. There was one guy who was clearly MilSim famous; many folks knew him, so I gather he was a YouTube channel guy. He had a Sony Video camera that had the IR-cut filter removed so that it could take video at night. This is evidently the same camera used by many YouTubers like Hoplophile, Garand Thumb, and T-Rex. I'm interested to see the hype videos that come out of this event.

Conclusion

Seeing grown men LARPing with thousands of dollars of military-grade hardware and Airsoft rifles for an entire weekend is one of the most unique experiences of my life. In a way, I might describe it as Bizarro Burning Man with men engaged in ritualistic battle rather than dionysian celebration. I’m amazed that there are people who have the dedication to do such events more than a handful of times per year. I’m even more impressed by the actual combat veterans who experienced battles lasting weeks or months or more. The psychological and physical toll that would take is hard to fathom. If you can do a MilSim West event with your friends, I recommend it for two reasons: first, to test yourself and your equipment, and second, to build camaraderie with your friends.