- "It was kinda like stepping back in time, the new army, I mean. It couldn’t have been any more different from the one I’d fought, and almost died with, at Yonkers. We weren’t mechanized anymore—no tanks, no arty, no tread jobs 1 at all, not even the Bradleys. Those were still in reserve, being modified for when we’d have to take back the cities. No, the only wheeled vehicles we had, the Humvees and a few M-trip-Seven ASVs, 2 were used to carry ammo and stuff. We hoofed it, all the way, marching in column like you see in Civil War paintings. There was a lot of references to “the Blue” versus “the Gray,” mainly because of Zack’s skin color and the shade of our new BDUs."
- —Todd Wainio's description of the New US Army
The New US Army is a military faction, featured in World War Z.
World War Z (Novel)[]
Following the failure of the US military at the Battle of Yonkers, what remained of the military fled to the west of the Rocky Mountains, where a safe zone was established. 7 years later, an economy had been rebuilt and it aided in the supply and training of the new army. The military would then be tested in the Battle of Hope in New Mexico, where they proved to be extremely effective. Following this, they were ordered to begin a 3 year campaign across the country, known as the Road to New York.
Tactics[]
After Yonkers, what remained of the military had been re-trained for months, this time with metronomes and by the time of their test, became pure instinct. Many of the same aspects remained in terms of recruitment, such as physical stamina, mental competence and even the ability to master difficult challenges in extreme situations, but above all, they needed to last, despite long term Z-shock, which took the lives of many troops in the field. In terms of battle however, troops were set in 2 ranks, front and back, similar to soldiers wielding old muzzle-loaders. The front rank was active, with the reserve being the one in the back, who would take over for their active battle buddies when they raised their weapons above their heads (indicating they ran out of ammo) or needed a "fiver" either willingly or issued out by combat shrinks, as a way to keep their fire from being missed on the line. They also placed shelter stakes with dayglow tape ever 10 meters or their "garden" as they called it, as a range marker for soldiers to zero their sights. Typically, dogs would sniff out at least a couple and their handlers would kill them with silenced weaponry. It was a way to buy the army time before they were set to fight.
Once hordes came in, the dogs and their handlers would retreat and the primary enticement mechanism would be activated, which for the US was the band Iron Maiden, particularly that of The Trooper, as a way of psyching the troops up for battle. Once zombies neared the first marker, the music would fade and the squad leader ordered the front rank to ready by kneeling down and taking aim. Once the music clicked off, the squad leader would give the order to fire, resulting in the front row to fire only at zombies that crossed the first marker and to wait for the others. Their doctrine called for one shot every full second and mechanical-like to "Out G the G", since zombies were also slow. Whenever soldiers needed to reload, they would go to the sandlers, which would restock them. The combat shrinks mentioned before, were vital in terms of knowing when battle was getting to each soldier and knew every one in their unit by rank and face. They would typically tap a person's shoulder, forcing them to take a fiver even if they thought they didn't need it. Despite this however, zombies were not the only things they needed to worry about in the field.
Other hazards in the field, consisted of rebels, who would typically begin combating the army. It was only during these instances that the army would resort to conventional warfare, using grenades and full automatic weapons, as well as armored vehicles. They also had to be careful of weakened buildings, which could collapse just by the sound of a gunshot, as well as booby traps left by survivors who were hostile or even long dead. Diseases, which were thought to have been eradicated were also an issue, leading to quarantine for those affected by diseases like the Spanish Flu, which could also still kill the troops. Feral humans were also an issue, as they could also be as dangerous and would have to be tranquilized and shipped to human reclamation centers for rehabilitation. Animals were also feral, however could also be rehabilitated, mostly in terms of dogs, while cats were much harder. Quislings, who were people who lost their sanity during the panic and began appeasing zombies by acting just like them, were an issue and were shipped to reclamation when caught.
LMOEs or "Last Man On Earth" scenarios varied with troops. Ones who would accidentally shoot at those they thought were dead and would be easily talked down, were known as "Robinson Crusoes" or "RCs". Others were not so easy to talk down, as they believed to be the ones to survive the attack, as well as them to act all big and bad.
Equipment[]
The army, following Yonkers, found that the weapons they used were wasteful in terms of full automatic fire, as well as the use of tanks and heavy weapons and even the depletion of ammo during the fighting. Because of this, they had been issued the new Standard Infantry Rifle, which used semi-automatic fire and accuracy to accommodate the new doctrine. They also were issued Standard Infantry Entrenchment Tool, which were ordered to be used only when necessary. The soldiers themselves were issued new BDUs, which looked similar to that of a S.W.A.T team and were navy blue in color, as they didn't bother with camo schemes following. The uniform consisted of what was referred to as "biteproof threads", which were likely interwoven with kevlar, that was much more light and comfortable compared to that of the MOPP gear. The BDU also came with the options of gloves and a hood that covered the whole face, which saved many lives during urban hand-hand combat. the ammunition issued to soldiers was the NATO 5.56 PIE cartridge, which was used as a way to fry the brain of zombies with effective headshots.
Unlike Yonkers, which were heavy in terms of tanks, choppers and even APCs, the new army was issued with limited vehicles, mostly humvees and ASVs, packed to the roofs with supplies necessary for the 3 year campaign across the country. They also outfitted the troops with night vision and used search lights that were red in order not to interfere with it.