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NOTE: This article is about the British CTRG Group 14 operative from ArmA 3. For the U.S. special forces operative from ArmA: CWA, see James Gastovski.


« Kerry: Lieutenant, do you read me? I could really use some help, I got nothing here. Over.
James: Heh... I thought you Yanks couldn't get enough "freedom"?
Kerry: With respect, Lieutenant, fuck you!
James teasing Corporal Ben Kerry
»


James is a main character in ArmA 3's campaigns.

Background[]

James is the second-in-command of Group 14, an elite special operations unit from NATO's multi-national Combat Technology Research Group (CTRG). As the deputy commander of Group 14, James always went by the radio callsign of Falcon-2.

For nine years, James' unit was based on the Mediterranean island nation of the Republic of Altis and Stratis.

Operating under the guise of United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF), James assisted Altian government Loyalists in their struggle against the hardline regime of self-proclaimed leader Georgious Akhanteros.

Following the civil war's end, James' unit were retasked with covertly backing a new anti-Akhanteros faction from within the country - the so-called "Freedom and Independence Army" (FIA).

Once again posing as British SOF; this time as special forces from the Royal Navy, James' unit assisted the guerillas in their attempt to overthrow Akhanteros' hardline government.

In reality, James' mission and that of his superior, Captain Scott Miller, was to locate a CSAT weapon of mass destruction known only by its codename of "Project Eastwind".

Beyond Hope (2026)[]

In the aftermath of the bloody coup d'etat against the civilian leadership, full-scale civil war has broken out between pro-civilian government Loyalist forces and rogue Altian military forces led by Colonel Akhanteros on the Republic of Altis and Stratis.

Covertly, then-Colour Sergeant James and his team of "United Kingdom Special Forces" provided both materiel and tactical assistance to the Loyalists. He served as a liaison for the Loyalists' commander, and funnelled large shipments of firearms and heavy ordnance over the course of five years.

In the first year of the war, Sgt. James participated in numerous battles in support of the Loyalists. First in a counteroffensive to seize the town of Orino and later, against the mountain village of Galati, where James took out numerous enemy troops and cut off their reinforcements as part of a sniper team.

« Thanos: You heard those shots! Sounded like a firefight to me.
Carras: Maybe they're just showing the militia how to shoot straight.
James: In this fog? Unlikely.
Carras: Nobody asked you Sergeant! We're not your island anymo-
Anastas: That's enough!
Loyalists with anti-British sentiments make their displeasure known
»

Group 14's presence had a mixed reception with the Loyalists. Although some were grateful for the assistance James' team provided, many more disliked their presence and only begrudgingly accept their help out of necessity, not willingly. For the most part, James disregarded such sentiments and assisted the Loyalists regardless of their feelings towards him and his men.

However, James and Group 14 were largely unsuccessful in preventing the Loyalists from suffering an inevitable defeat at the hands of Akhanteros' forces. Four years later in 2030, the Loyalists were decisively wiped out in battle and what remained of the organisation negotiated a one-sided peace deal with Akhanteros' forces.

Remnants of War (2034)[]

The following information is purely subjective and should not be taken as fact.

Four years on, James and Group 14 remained on the island to continue their search for both Project Eastwind and assisting the successors of the Loyalists - the FIA. From the beginning of the FIA's formation, James' unit provided limited support to the fledgling guerilla group and intervened on occasion to advance their gains.

On September 30th, 2034, government forces laid siege upon the FIA-held mountain village of Oreokastro in the country's far north-west. For two weeks, the guerillas managed to prevent the government from achieving any gains and inflicted politically embarrassing defeats upon the AAF.

Barely two weeks later on October 13th, CSAT SOF were implicated as the culprits behind a devastating cluster bomb airstrike which razed the entire village to the ground, killing almost all of its inhabitants and entrenched fighters inside.

However, James and Capt. Miller were allegedly the ones actually responsible for calling in the airstrike. It is reported that they were sighted by a lone goat herder who lived on the outskirts of the Oreokastro castle ruins. But the man was unable to clearly identify who the operatives were and could only make out their silhouettes.


The East Wind (2035)[]

On July 7th, 2035, James and several other members under Miller's command boarded a transport bound for the smaller island of Stratis.

Not long after their arrival at the decommissioned Camp Maxwell, government forces launch a "retaliatory" attack against the remaining peacekeepers of NATO's Task Force Aegis. Miller rallied the survivors of TF Aegis over the radio and James was dispatched to collect remnants of the task force.

« James: Glad to see you made it in one piece. Let's go.
Lacey: How many other guys have you helped this way?
James: You're the only ones so far.
SGT Lacey of TF Aegis on their first meeting with James' team
»

Still posing under their guise as British SOF from the Royal Navy, James and the other members of Group 14 would be assigned under the callsign of Delta. Naturally, James and Miller deliberately left the members of TF Aegis in the dark about their true intentions about their arrival on Stratis.

While the rest of TF Aegis went to work on gathering supplies and carrying out guerilla-style attacks against the AAF, Delta were dispatched separately on other missions. They were occasionally recalled to assist TF Aegis but mostly remained uninvolved.

To prevent the remnants of TF Aegis from contacting NATO MEDCOM, Miller ordered the survivors to seize Air Station Mike-26 with the help of James' team. The facility was quickly secured, but James deliberately lied that the communications equipment at Mike-26 were not functional. Miller "ordered" James to demolish the facility, using the excuse that they needed to prevent the AAF from using it equipment against them; against the vociferous objections of TF Aegis' members.

« James: Bad news, sir. We've got nothing here - no way to establish a link to MEDCOM - all the equipment's fried. At least we can rig it to blow. We're setting the charges now. All squads, get clear!
Lacey: Wait, what?! You can't just blow it up! What the fuck was all this for then?!
James relays the "bad news" back to Miller before demolishing Air Station Mike-26
»

Later that evening, Delta was once again sent to resume their search. To further provoke a response from the AAF, Miller decided that their best course of action was to assassinate one of their high-ranking officers. One such opportunity presented itself; an AAF officer - codenamed Goblin, was visiting one of the villages. James would be tasked with leading several members of TF Aegis on a raid.

Quietly infiltrating via the coast, James' team of assassins reached a vantage point overlooking the village and opened up on the unsuspecting officer. All according to plan, the officer's death did indeed agitate the AAF into responding with even greater force. During the night while members of TF Aegis were split up on another mission, the AAF bombarded Camp Maxwell with artillery and mortars, killing off more than half of the task force and leaving many wounded.

« As you can see ... things are pretty fucked up here. So, we're moving out. Miller's called a meet. Get your shit together. Head over when you're ready. And you, Corporal Kerry, you seem to developed the habit of staying alive. You'll want to hold on to that.
James briefs TF Aegis CPL Ben Kerry on the aftermath of the AAF strike
»

The next day, James and the rest of Delta made preparations to leave the island, having apparently completed their search on Stratis. Group 14 planned to escape on two boats while waiting on TF Aegis to launch their attack against the town of Agia Marina.

As they had expected, CSAT reinforcements arrived to back up the ailing Altians and quickly annihilated the remaining members of TF Aegis, though a small group had managed to survive the first wave. James and Miller waited to see if the survivors could make it to the boats. When they did actually arrive, the survivors immediately boarded Group 14's boats and escaped alongside them.

Unfortunately, their escape was already doomed from the start. A flight of AAF jets proceed to swoop over the would-be escapees and strafed the vessels. James attempted to return fire on the jets but they were capsized, with James and Miller - along with everyone else knocked overboard seemingly killed...

However, James and most of Group 14 had not been killed in the airstrike and had managed to make it to the mainland. James and a small team of operatives set up an observation post overlooking the city of Kavala, which had become the target of a joint CSAT-AAF counterinsurgency operation against the FIA guerillas holed up in the city.

While he attempted to hail one of his subordinates over the radio, he instead received and unsuspecting response from Corporal Ben Kerry, a survivor from TF Aegis. Impressed by the infantryman's resilience, James relayed him their coordinates and urged him to link up with his team.

« James: What the fuck? Kerry, is that you?!
Kerry: A piece of him.
James: Well, fuck me. You jammy cunt. Alright then, Corporal, get your head down and make yourself comfortable. We'll be here for a while yet.
CPL Kerry unexpectedly reunites with James
»

As darkness fell, James ordered his team to move out (with Kerry in tow). The returned to rendezvous with the rest of their squad, but are compromised on the way back after a patrolling CSAT helicopter spots their position. Unable to escort the American any further, he advises him to link up with his FIA contact and returns to aid the other members of Group 14.

After taking out the enemy patrol, James returned with the rest of the squad to Bomos, one of the FIA's hidden camps in the northern region. Over the next ten days, James' team continued their search for the elusive Project Eastwind which continued to defy their best attempts at locating it.

On July 20th, the guerillas planned to ambush a CSAT supply convoy moving through their area. James volunteered to lead the ambush, but was suddenly recalled by Miller after receiving word of new intel - presumably on Eastwind's location.

« Kerry: But - with respect - what about the convoy? Are we still on for that?
James: You ask a lot of questions, Corporal. Don't worry. Miller will be in touch soon. You'll know what to do. We've got to go. I suggest you make your way to the new RV now. See you later.
James leaves responsibility for the ambush in CPL Kerry's hands
»

Leaving CPL Kerry in charge of the ambush, James' team immediately headed out in its direction. However, the mission turned out to be a bust, and they were no closer to finding Eastwind than they were before.

Several times over the course of the next two weeks, James' team continued their search for Eastwind but continually ran into dead ends. On occasion, the team assisted the guerillas whenever they carried out large-scale operations.

A chance to assassinate a CSAT officer also presented itself while James' men were observing the main airport; Miller wanted to utilise a fuel truck the guerillas were salvaging for James to use as a trap. However, CPL Kerry proved to be more resourceful than Miller and James had initially anticipated and assassinated the officer himself, impressing both Miller and James.

When the guerillas attempted to bring back an AAF defector to their camp, James' team arrived to escort them to ensure that the defector didn't "accidentally" walk away in the wrong direction.

« Kerry: Lieutenant!? What are you doing here?
James: Just wanted to ensure our new friend makes it safely to the camp, that's all. We wouldn't want him to get lost on the way. Isn't that right, "Orestes"?.
Orestes: Just shut up and let's go. I told Miller, I have no business with you Brits.
James: Nah, course not, el capitano.
James arrives to "collect" Orestes after the latter's defection
»

On August 2nd, James joined Miller as the latter personally volunteered to lead an assault on Stratis to bring back one of the FIA's important associates. The AAF defector had informed the guerillas that the former was being held at Camp Tempest on the island, and would be relocated soon if the guerillas did not rescue him now.

James and Miller waited on CPL Kerry's team of guerillas to divert the AAF and CSAT's attention away towards the southern tip of the island. When the coast was clear, they infiltrated the facility and rescued the captive guerilla, bringing him back to the FIA's main camp on Altis.

However, word had also gotten through to Miller that NATO was planning an invasion of Altis in response to TF Aegis' loss. Running out of valuable time to conduct their search, Miller and James attempted to sabotage the invasion by deliberately causing miscommunications between the invading NATO forces and the guerillas.

Just like with TF Aegis' ill-fated final assault, the invading NATO force encountered difficulties in attempting to establish a foothold on the mainland, and James' team were bought a little more time to resume their search; at least for now.

The following information is purely subjective and should not be taken as fact.

What James and the rest of Group 14 were up to at this point in time remains uncertain, though it is clear that they continued to search for Eastwind's whereabouts. The NATO invasion meant that their window of opportunity was beginning to narrow as it would only be a matter of days before CSAT would withdraw from Altis. In the meantime, Miller had already departed from the country and left James in charge of continuing the hunt.

Whether it was by skill or a stroke of pure luck, James' team succeeded in finding Eastwind's location three days later at an unmarked research facility in the island's North-East region. However, it was still guarded by CSAT special operations, and a direct assault against the facility under the current level of security would be nothing short of suicide. But with NATO forces continuing to advance eastward and CSAT drawing down its operations on Altis, there was no choice left but to act now. With a green-light given from Miller, James decided to launch an all-out assault on the facility.

However, despite the best efforts of his team, the assault ends in utter failure, with most of Group 14 seemingly wiped out and James himself being mortally wounded during the attack. Unable to see the rest of the mission through, James desperately tries to radio only one other person he could trust with handling Eastwind: Kerry.

« James: ... Kerry ... Do you copy? ...
Kerry: Lieutenant? What the fuck? Where are you?
James: I'm... Checkpoint ... 210 ... 189 ...
Kerry: Lieutenant James!?
James' "final" transmission to Kerry
»
But James' pleas ultimately fell on deaf ears. Provided with strict orders to disregard communications from CTRG, the American refuses to link up with James. CSAT SOF succeed in extracting Eastwind from Altis, and James seemingly perishes from his wounds.


Apex Protocol (2035)[]

Despite the status of all members of Group 14 officially being reported as missing in action, James had actually survived the assault in spite of the grievous injuries that he had suffered.

One week later, James and his surviving subordinates had fully recovered from their injuries and were reactivated for duty. Flown to the Horizon Islands, James had orders to back up Miller. The latter had been pinned down by Viper SOF at the Blue Pearl Industrial Port on the main island while attempting to retrieve Eastwind and required immediate assistance.

« Miller: Nice to have you with us, Falcon. Join the party, feel free to shoot something.
James: You're lucky they pay me pop-star wages to save your arse, Keystone.
James' men arrive in the nick of time
»

Just as Miller's position was in danger of being overrun, James and the rest of Group 14 flew in via helicopters and opened fire on the approaching hostiles. From their position above the harbour, James' team suppressed the incoming Viper operatives.

With his help, Miller is finally able to push out and drive off the remaining hostiles. A second helicopter proceeded to fly in and slingloaded Eastwind away, with James and the rest of Groups 14/15 extracting alongside it.

Personality and Appearance[]

James is white male with a short, blond-coloured head of hair. His standard attire consists of the CTRG's combat fatigues adorned in the unit's Dazzle camouflage pattern, either in Arid or Tropic varieties depending on the area of operation.

For personal protection, he dons a plate carrier vest coloured in either khaki brown or ranger green. While undercover with the FIA, James wears a more simple outfit consisting of a dark blue poloshirt and olive green pants along with a ranger green chestrig instead. Rather than a combat helmet, James prefers to wear a simple watchcap with a headset. He also dons a pair of tactical shades on occasion.

« James: Mavros, you copy?
Mavros: I'm here, Falcon. What's your plan?
James: Plan...?
Mavros: Yeah...?
James: No idea mate, we make this shit up as we go along.
Mavros: WHAT...!?
James "reassures" Loyalist fighter Kael Mavros
»

An extremely capable soldier with years of experience under his belt (attained through countless missions), James displays a rather sarcastic side to those that know him. In contrast to Miller's strict and curt personality however, he never comes off as standoffish and respects others based on their skills rather than pay grade. He often teases both his subordinates and superiors alike, laughing off any retorts regardless of their severity.

Naturally however, this did not extend to everyone that he interacted with. Those whom he deemed unfit of his respect were not shown such courtesies; the majority of the Altian Loyalists and their FIA guerilla successors being prime examples. Against such individuals (or groups), he acts overbearingly, viewing them with disdain and at times even disgust.

Trivia[]

  • In the alternate non-canon ending of The East Wind, James is shown dying from his injuries after Kerry reaches his position and the former urges him to bring the Eastwind device to Miller. However, even in the canonical route, James' "corpse" can still be found at the research facility should the player decide to take a detour towards it.
    • As a result, how James was able to survive his injuries in Paradise Found remains a mystery that has yet to be explained, given that several of his team members who also participated in the assault were not so fortunate.
    • The "official" explanation behind his survival has even been handwaved by the developers. On a Twitch livestream event held on March 8th, 2023[1], Bohemia Interactive developer Scott Alsworth responded to a question concerning James' survival and simply answered that it was "classified"[2], though he additionally claims that it was not an oversight.[3]
  • James is the only member of Group 14 who assumes multiple roles throughout all of his appearances, acting as a squad leader/sniper in Beyond Hope, a medic/diver in The East Wind and finally as a marksman in Apex Protocol.
  • Following the release of the Tac-Ops DLC, a secret ending in the Steel Pegasus mini-campaign would suggest that his first name is actually "Ryan" (String name: str_a3_to_c01_cfgidentities_falcon_name).[4] However, due the ending's status of being completely non-canon, this has not actually been confirmed in any of the official campaigns or scenarios to date.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Bohemia Interactive a.s., 2023, Background, History, and Setting | Discussions with Ivan Buchta and Scott Alsworth, Twitch [Online Video], viewed 1 April 2023, <https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1759425550>.
  2. Twitch 2023 [Online Video], Alsworth, S, Background, History, and Setting | Discussions with Ivan Buchta and Scott Alsworth, 02:03:05, "Scott Alsworth: Well... well that's classified, that is."
  3. Twitch 2023 [Online Video], Alsworth, S, Background, History, and Setting | Discussions with Ivan Buchta and Scott Alsworth, 02:03:24, "Scott Alsworth: So, whatever happened with Lieutenant James? I guess somehow, he miraculously survived the events of East Wind. I prob- it wasn't an oversight. We can't say that. We can't say that. [...] You can't keep a good British man down."
  4. ARMA 3: Tac-Ops 2017 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Steel Pegasus, Final Strike, "RYAN JAMES: Morning, lads. Heard you're after an exit... LOUIS BARKLEM: Right, you got one? RYAN JAMES: Yeah, boats are at the beach - come on, let's go."

See also[]

Characters of ArmA 3
NATO TF Aegis Andrew MacKinnon† • Ben KerryConway† • Lacey† • Martinez† • Mitchell† • Thomas Adams
7th MBCT, 111th ID David Armstrong
21st BCT, 111th ID Adam GrantCarl OwenJared SpenderJeremy CollinsJohn SturrockLouis BarklemStephen KulanskyTerry Simpson
Pacific Vince Broadale
CTRG A.J. DuttonDonald SnoweGrimmHardy† • JamesMcKayNorthgateO'ConnorRadcliffe† • RikerRoberts† • Robinson† • SalvoScott Miller* • Smith† • Truck
Exercise Electron Aiden RudwellDon Homewood† • Jack StypeJed DillonJohn KingslyKurt Spender† • Max BakerRichard LaneRichter
CSAT Abdul-Wahhab FahimVahid NamdarXu Haifeng
Russian Spetsnaz Boris KrupinIvan Severov
Loyalists Hektor Anastas* • Kael Mavros* • Loukas Thanos* • Rouvin Carras*
FIA Alexis Kouris† • Kostas Stavrou† • Nikos PanagopoulosOrestes
AAF Georgious AkhanterosKostas DimitriouKyros Kalogeros* • Thanos Gavras
LDF Aleksy NowakZbigniew Stolarski
Syndikat Solomon Maru
L'Ensemble Oringo MadakiSamjo

IDAP

Andy PatersonNathan MacDade

Civilians

Arthur* • Benjamin HopeDrábek* • Howard* • Ian KessonJohn* • Katherine BishopLucas* • Mark ColeMarkos Kouris† • Renly* • "Santiago"Šimon Čapek
indicates deceased characters | * indicates character status is unknown
DLCs that the character was first introduced in:
Marksmen DLC | Apex DLC | Laws of War DLC | Tac-Ops DLC | Tanks DLC | Contact DLC
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