Minigunner (Tiberian Dawn)

Basic infantry of both GDI and Nod's army back in the First Tiberium War, the minigunners carried a GAU-3 Eliminator submachinegun-come-assault rifle or an M-16 assault rifle and formed the backbone of both sides' armed forces. Towards the end of the war, a prototypical assault rifle, the Cobretti AR-70 was becoming the standard issue weapon of these squads on both sides of the conflict. For protection, they wore camouflage battle dress uniforms patterned to match the combat environment, with kevlar vests and either Spectra or PASGT helmets. Nod forces were also issued gas masks.

Minigunners of both sides had basic combat training, which allowed them to fight on the battlefield properly. However, lacking any advanced training or skills, they had to be either led by minigunner officers (who possesed superior training, had access to better weapons and were authorized to call in reinforcements) or deployed as a support force for vehicles such as tanks or artillery units. The automatic weapons they carried compensated this drawback to a degree.

Also, several units and structures on both sides of the conflict posed a specific threat to the minigunners. Flame tanks, grenadiers, Artillery, MLRS, guard towers, and flamethrower Infantry all posed a major threat to the survival and welfare of these basic infantry squads.

They were usually quartered at Hand of Nod installations or Barracks, together with members of other infantry squads. Through time, the minigunner was upgraded to light infantry to Riflemen Squads.