Darkhorse A/N: removed self-deprecating authors note

LP A/N: As I was a submarine sailor in my time in the military, most of my experience with infantry organization and tactics was from the Marine Defense cohort assigned to protect the missile submarines. As this was a non-standard defensive deployment they used somewhat differing organizational outlines from what I could see.

Ergo, a lot of my military organization stuff is crap. Darkhorse, a member with some experience in this arena, has volunteered to fix it up, and I plan to use a lot of this come the ME3 book.

Tactics, A-rates, 2185 Edition

THE SYSTEMS ALLIANCE ORDER OF BATTLE

With Addenda Regarding Citizenship Tiers and Your Government

Prepared by the Systems Alliance Commissariat

Distribution limited by the Manswell State Security Act

OFFICER EDITION : DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OR ENLISTED PERSONNEL

Section G: Field tactical deployment : A-rate marines

ERRATA 8.2.2 – Update

A forward by Lord General Manfred von Khar :

Brave marines are not found growing on trees, nor are they easily replaced when they fall in battle. As an officer of the Systems Alliance, you are part of a pedigree that has evolved from the sketchy prehistory of the Days of Iron until the modern military force forged in the aftermath of the First Contact War.

This process is to produce officers that do not see themselves as disparate from their troops. Pre-Iron military forces almost always produced an officer class trained, educated, organized and even fed in completely separate settings from the enlisted ranks. While there was always some crossover, the main reason there was so much useless militarism in those days was that the men and women who decided on war and how battles were fought never fought them.

The Systems Alliance Marine Corps requires all officers – regardless if you are a line officer or not – to undergo enlisted military training. Every single marine is expected to not only know what it is like to lift a rifle but what it is like to take orders from an officer who won't be on the front lines. Every command officer is more likely to be willing to lead from the front than the rear because every command officer has been a scared B-rate in shit armor facing terror.

Why does this matter, in the organization of tactical deployments? The smallest components of the Marine ground military, the basic squad, is the single most important and fundamental building block of our military. To know how to use the troops you have effectively there is more than gazing aloofly over a omni-projected map and moving units. You need to know how your squads function, how your companies work, how your support units work.

Every aspect of war-fighting – logistics and ammunition, food and medical care, shelter and deployment, communications and command, even the intangibles like news updates and dry socks and a sleeping bag that keeps out insects – all of these play a role in the success of the brave men, women, and asari under your command.

You were not placed in command of lives to spend them wastefully. Study how they work as intently as you would a mass core, a rifle, or a mech's chassis breakdown. A-rate marines are the most intently trained of our general forces, capable of fighting on land, sea, littoral-space, deep-space and boarding actions – and they are the hardest to replace.

TACTICAL ORGANIZATION: Senior Warrant Officer Vanessa Glade, KoAAF, command drill instructor, Pinnacle Station, PINTRNCOM

From the glistening armor and stoic ranks of the Solguard to the furthest-flung frontier outposts and everything in between, the A-Rate Marine Rifle Squad is the building block of all modern A-Rate Marine units. This series will cover all aspects of the A-rate marine, from squad and detachment level tactics and organization all the way to limited RIU, RRU, and DACT deployment strategies.

Formed to provide maximum firepower and tactical flexibility in the face of all opposition, the modern A-Rate Marine Rifle Squad is capable of facing all threats and prevailing. In order to understand the tactical applications of this type of Marine Rifle Squad, one must first understand its composition in order to use it effectively.

A-RATE MARINE RIFLE SQUAD

Rifleman x2: The backbone of the Corps, the Marine Rifleman is the one of the singular most important aspects of any Tactical consideration. Armed with an Avenger Rifle and hand grenades, the Marine is responsible for the aggressive maneuver warfare and stalwart defense that makes up any strategic maneuver.

Grenadier x2: The Close Quarters Assault specialists intrinsic to a well-coordinated and structured Squad, they are responsible for the aggressive and violent actions needed to clear buildings and fortified positions. Armed with a Martyr Combat Shotgun, hand grenades, and in some units a standalone grenade launcher, they are well equipped to dig out or blast away any opposition that refuses to leave their positions.

Heavy Weapons Marine: The Individual responsible for bringing the heaviest weapons of the squad to bear on the enemy, they are likewise clad in heavy Devastator armor and carry an assortment of heavy weapons. The Heavy Weapons Marine may be issued a variety of heavy squad support weapons such as various Light Machine Gun (LMG) analogues or different types of man-portable shoulder fired weapons systems. The middle ground between an infantryman and a battlesuit, the Heavy Weapons Marine is a foe that makes the Marine Rifle Squad something that can punch well above their weight class.

Specialist: A blanket term for a squad specialist, this role is meant to be filled by a combat engineer or a medic attached to the Marine Rifle Squad itself. This role is meant to bring much more specialty expertise to a A-Rate Marine Rifle Squad, allowing the squad and later detachment sized element to have a level of expertise in a multitude of different environments.

Squad Leader: The Marine responsible for leading the Rifle Squad and coordinating with the various elements in action to provide the most efficient use of resources by the squad as possible. Armed with much the same equipment as any standard Rifleman, their differences are apparent when one observes the small lunchbox sized communications set adorning many Squad Leader's chests or backs. These Marines lead the from the front and inspire their fellow Marines to fight all the harder.

The A-Rate Marine Rifle squad is more then the sum of its parts, as the tactical know-how to effectively maneuver and destroy the enemy is a highly sought-after skill that is imperative to the good function of the unit. Unlike the Batarians and their penchant for throwing mass waves of State Guard bodies into attacks in attempts to break through lines, the Marine Rifle Squad is focused on the use of aggressive maneuver warfare to overwhelm and annihilate the enemy with the use of superior firepower and tactics. This, in turn means that the A-Rate Marine Rifle Squad is not one congruent mass, but rather a set of teams working together and dedicated to victory over the opponent.

STRUCTURE:

The Basic Structure for such small unit teams is as follows:

2x Assault Teams-1x Grenadier and 1x Rifleman

1x Base of Fire Team-1x Heavy Weapons Marine, 1x Specialist, and 1x Squad Leader

This rather basic structure is the standard small unit formation for A-Rate Marine Rifle Squads, as it combines the Marines natural offensive spirit with the use of heavy supporting weapons to allow for even a singular squad to engage and destroy targets that have a numerical superiority to them.

On the offensive, the Assault Teams are responsible for using bounding fire and Individual Movement Techniques to rapidly and aggressively close with the enemy and destroy them. The use of these tactics are considered to be appropriate as the composition of the Assault Teams and their abundance of grenades, close combat weapons, and natural fighting spirit make them adept at this type of aggressive maneuvers. On the defensive, the role of the assault teams are to act as a sort of tripwire and security, spaced away from the Base of Fire, in order to provide the Base of Fire with both a way of identifying targets based on the actions of the Assault Team and to act as Security.

While on the offensive, the Base of Fire is responsible for providing suppressing fire and fire support to the advancing and assaulting teams, moreover, pinning the enemy into place and forcing them to hunker into cover thereby allowing the Assault Teams to close with diminished risk. This support varies from the different roles within the Base of Fire Team itself. While the Heavy Weapons Marine would undoubtedly be pouring concentration into their support of their fellow Marines, the Squad Leader would be Coordinating the action with those of surrounding units in order to maximize the effectiveness of the offensive action. The Specialist would be acting in a role best suited to their profession, with Combat Engineers using Info-war and Drones to distract and whittle down enemy forces while the Medic may be treating the wounded or preparing to after the offensive action has calmed.

In any defensive action, the Base of Fire becomes the heart of the Marine Rifle Squad's defense, allowing them to put out a simply punishing amount of accurate fire that will overwhelm and destroy nearly anything that strays into the gunsights for too long. This importance of the Base of Fire means that when inhabiting dug in and prepared positions, the Base of Fire Team will be behind an arrayed pair of Assault teams that act as both security and as spotters for the heavy weapon itself. Despite the change from offensive to defensive, many of the actions and roles of those within the Base of Fire will remain the same as those when on the offensive.

While the A-Rate Marine Rifle Squad may be an irreplaceable function and part of the Corps, it is one part in a massive machine that must run fluidly. Despite the fluidity and power such a machine as the System Alliance Wields, it cannot manage the actions of the Corps on a Squad-by-Squad basis, so the Detachment was created as the smallest commandable force that an officer can manage with any level of detail and finesse.

TACTICAL CONSIDERATION – BROKEN SQUAD

A-Rate Marine Rifle Squads are formed in pairs under a single lieutenant. As such, a great deal of both circumspection and initiative is expected from marines chosen as Squad Leader. Along with providing leadership, guidance, morale and oversight to the squad, the Squad Leader must also maintain positive C3I (Command, control, communication and intelligence) links with both the other Squad Leader and the detachment LT.

It is not outside the bounds of possibility that a Detachment could lose both squad leaders and the lieutenant in a hot firefight, in which case tactical consideration must be given on how to determine how the squad proceeds.

All squad leaders should make sure they have a designated backup – usually, given the squad leader is a Gunnery Sergent, the senior most sergeant in the squad would be the backup. The primary and overwhelming duty of the backup in the event he or she is placed in command is to

a) assess the combat situation and determine if withdrawal is feasible and if medevac is required

b) determine the best method to achieve evacuation if feasible, and if not to find a strong defensive position

c) notify the Company Commander or S-6 (Commo officer) of the situation and follow any given orders until properly relieved of command.

There is the ugly and very distinct possibility that a backup squad leader may find themselves in a position where they cannot retreat or withdraw, where they cannot make contact with the company, and they are in danger of being overrun. It is the solemn duty of every Marine to make an unavoidable death one that is not wasted, and if all that remains to you is the invocation of the divine wind, always seek to ensure you do not die blindly, but with a purpose.

Focus fire on single targets, try to take out officers, cripple communications, or failing all of that inflict as many wound-casualties as possible.