Operation Ice Box CQB Competition 2014 Report

OptimusPrime

20 Dec 2014

Last 6 December 2014, I was privileged to attend a CQB competition that was held inside the Main Headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The event was called the 1st Ice Box CQB Competition that was organised by HIT Philippines in cooperation with Marshalls Elite and supported by AFP Civil Relations Office under Lt. Col. Los Bañes.

4 airsoft teams made it to the event. The organisers were supposed to be expecting more but some of the teams which confirmed early on had to cancel their participation as Typhoon Ruby (International Code Name: Hagupit) had already entered the Philippines and was slowly making its way in the Central Philippines. Metro Manila was still untouched by the Typhoon on that day, but the airsoft teams which did not show up were on standby to help in rescue and relief operations in case the Typhoon hits their areas.

The teams were briefed and waited for the jump-off at the Parade Grounds and they were inserted into the mission area by a military vehicle that can handle a small unit team. The objective was the abandoned Logistics Command (LogCom) building which was burned in a major coup attempt by renegade soldiers in 1989. Within the building were active soldiers who were provided as OPFOR by the AFP Civil Relations Office.

The story was that the teams were given the mission to rescue hostages and eliminate members of a drug syndicate in the building before any of the hostages get executed. The airsoft teams were free to determine the entry points to get the maximum advantage whilst up against a very experienced enemy.

After all the teams had gone through the missions, they were then all made to defend the building with the OPFOR soldiers allowed to attack the building in the spirit of fun. By almost sun down, the traditional AFP Boodle Fight, where stacks of food were laid out on a long line of banana leaves, where all partook in the food eating with their hands.