KIT & GEAR
BLACK CAM
BLACK CAM
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
FOR
RED CELL
IN THE LAST ISSUE OF AIRSOFT ACTION REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR STEVE T GAVE HIS THOUGHTS ON THE
LATEST VCBLK GEAR FROM VIPER. THIS MONTH BILL TAKES IT A STEP FURTHER AND PUTS TOGETHER A
COMPLETE SET OF GEAR ON A BUDGET THAT FEATURES “BLACK CAM” FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES!
A
s we continue to be stuck indoors, I’ve been using
highlighting vulnerabilities of military installations and
the money I normally spend heading out to games
vessels, and would regularly “use fake IDs, jump fences,
and events by creating myself a new loadout. It
barricade buildings, take hostages, and kidnap high
was with great interest that I saw last month that my
ranking officers and admirals.” The original “Red Cell”
“mucker”, Steve T, has been working along similar lines
(OP-O6D) even went so far as to plant bombs near Air
with his new VIPER V-CAM BLK clothing.
Force One and infiltrated submarine bases (that housed
The whole “MCBLK” theme is one I’ve been toying
operational nuclear weapons!) and took them over. They
with for a while but never got round to putting together
would video their missions and show them to everyone
as a complete loadout, largely because (like many of you
monitoring the exercises. Many people that participated
reading this) my money usually seems to go on “guns
in the exercises felt embarrassed by their tactics because
n’ BBs”. However, with a bit
it exposed their weaknesses and
of time and a bit of budget in
vulnerabilities, and you could
hand, I decided that I’d quite like
say that Marcinko very quickly
“MADE SOMEWHAT INFAMOUS
a new loadout for when games
became “persona non grata”
DURING THE 1980S UNDER THE
recommence, so it was time to
with his superiors!
COMMAND OF FORMER TEAM SIX
get back in (MC) black!
Marcinko has claimed, among
As someone with a keen
other things, that Red Cell
FOUNDING CO, RICHARD MARCINKO,
interest in rather “unique”
successfully captured nuclear
“RED CELLS” WERE CODENAMES FOR
military units, there’s one
devices from United States
THE US NATIONAL SECURITY CO-
in particular that I seem to
Navy facilities and proved the
ORDINATION TEAM (NSCT).”
always return to when I’m
viability of plans to penetrate
looking for a theme for a new
and attack nuclear-powered
loadout, and that’s “Red Cell”.
submarines, destroy subs by
Made somewhat infamous during the 1980s under the
using them as dirty bombs and capture launch codes
command of former Team Six founding CO, Richard
for nuclear weapons aboard the subs. Former members
Marcinko, “Red Cells” were codenames for the US
of Red Cell maintain that these exercises were a cover
National Security Co-ordination Team (NSCT). These teams to move special warfare operators around the world for
were designed to test the effectiveness of American tactics covert missions against real-world terrorists but in 1990
or personnel and the name was derived from “Red Team”, Marcinko was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison
a term for the opposing force in war games by western
and fined $10,000 under charges of defrauding the
nations during the Cold War and a reference to the
government over the price of contractor acquisitions for
predominantly red flags of Communist nations.
hand grenades!
During the “Marcinko years” Red Cell members
To this day Marcinko maintains that he was the subject
made merry with both training budgets and their role
of a “witch-hunt” for his work with Red Cell and that
22
JUNE 2020