LP's Note: I am on vacation this week - in theory I might even get a chapter of the main fic out. In the meantime, here's something to prove I am not dead and piss off DH.
Marine Tactical Considerations, 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 J: Field tactical deployment : Rapid Response Unit
ERRATA 8.2.2 – Update
A forward by High Admiral James Branson, Jr., KoUE
The glory of humanity's might in our far-flung colonies is often tarnished by the patina of vile criminality that seems inseparable from the Traverse and the Terminus systems. Pirates and raiders of all kinds seek to enslave our brave and hardy pioneers, take our merchant marine's livelihood, and sow havoc, destruction and grief in their path.
At the same time, the Systems Alliance military is grievously spread thin. Our brave marines and sailors fling themselves into the void without rest or respite but we cannot be strong everywhere. As such, high command uses a tiered response model to react to threats.
The RIU is often flung into situation as a stopgap measure, as it consists of little more than poorly equipped and often non-standard soldiers and the like. This is usually enough to send off the random pirate raid or group of rampaging Blood Pack looking for loot, but more serious threats require a professional response.
The Rapid Reaction Units are that response – the best of the Alliance military, lead by our brightest officers and commanded by stern veterans of many battles. The RRU differs from the RIU, scout-snipers and even the 'standard' N-teams in three key aspects – equipment, skill level, and tactical flexibility.
The equipment issued to the RRU is in all respects the very best wargear the Alliance has, excepting the equipment of some House Knights. Every member of the RRU gets a large equipment allowance per annum to replace or upgrade, and all 'stock' Alliance gear has pre-existing authorizations for mastered and DRM-enforced mods at the user's request.
The skill level of the RRUs are far greater than any other special forces component because of both heavy 'basic level' requirements in joining as well as the focus of our specialists on key areas that simply require most of a career to acquire. While I do not doubt that there may be a 'better' scout in the RIU, or a 'better' sniper in the ranks of the sniper corps, the average ability of any - combatant or not - member of the RRU is almost universally the highest in the SA outside the most elite units of the Solguard. A full forty percent of the Solguard and fifteen percent of House Knights come from the RRUs - that is not coincidence.
Finally and most importantly, the skillsets and pre-planning of RRU deployments means that our units, when they fight, are not only specialized for the situation but have flexibility in how to deal with the threats.
It is not an exaggeration to say that the RRUs are the shield and sword of the Alliance, and are most often on the first line of defense when severe danger threatens our citizens and our pursuit of peaceful coexistence. My own time in the RRU shaped me from (by my own admission) a somewhat diffident and ineffectual officer with a famous father to the Hero of Elysium - an experience that would have killed me if not for the RRU's influence and training.
RRU – Basic Definitions
Soldiers looking to transfer to special forces units are often baffled at the very high requirements for RRU service. Typically speaking, all RRU personnel are already at least A5 and usually A7 marines as a baseline. The prevalence of other unit types that are not combatants (i.e., not C, N, S, or D) rates are almost all A5 with an additional specialization on top of that - even the clerical staff can (and will) fight and are expected to maintain standards.
An RRU consists of the following:
A 'core' unit, typically between three and five five-man N-series soldier cells. This is the main striking power of the RRU, the spear-tip of the assault. The cells will always have the following composition – one biotic, one sniper, one heavy weapons expert, one info-war engineer, and one designated marksman. The engineer will have at least D6 (Ordinance Disposal), J5 (corpsman), and E3 (Naval DC) for support. The biotic must be rated C6 or higher, with a preference for Vanguards over Adepts.
At least one, preferably two support squads with a mix of combat engineers and S-series intel assets for field work. In most cases, this is often as many as six support squads.
At least one four man Adept (C5+) cell, for biotic support – two or three preferably.
Four to six A-rate rifle squads, under the command of an N2+ officer.
Three AGAMEMNON battlesuit lances.
A pair or preferably a trio of fast-response HAMMERHEAD tanks
Two ten-man full assault DACT Squads.
All RRUs will have dedicated support craft, a light-cruiser (Nairobi-class) modified for Special Forces usage, with the launch bay refitted for drop-pod, HAMMERHEAD and DACT support. The cruisers will be escorted by two to five Hudson-class heavy destroyers.
All members of an RRU must pass a battery of entrance exams – oxygenation fitness, extreme zero-g combat testing, field first aid, xenology and xeno-tech conversion testing, a psychological battery which includes a fresh PRIDE review, and a recommendation of service from a serving command officer of greater than the rank of Commander or Colonel.
All of this may seem excessive, but the role of the RRU is to insert itself into harms way and STOP – not merely delay – the ongoing threat to humanity's prosperity and safety. In many cases reinforcements will be days away and thus the RRU must have sufficient firepower, numbers and resources to hold their own and may have to perform hostile insertions in the face of space units.
The RRU Marine
I will not belabor the point – long held by those of a more tactically dubious level of education – that all 'reaction' forces are similar. I will instead make the point that the entire reason we have the concept of 'similarity' is that they conflate two things that are not identical.
The Rapid Intervention Units (often called the Recklessly Idiotic and Useless) serves a role in the defense of the Systems Alliance. That role, to be a stopgap measure, is performed well by the less questionable of their cohort. That being said, there is a level of disconnect between what the RIU and RRU is looking for in terms of combat skill.
I will defer to the RRUs in terms of their members all having a wide array of useful skills. Every single RIU member can act as a combat engineer, medic, or demolitions / ODT personnel right out of training. The issue, of course, is that they are only required to field the second level of proficiency in these skills.
RRUs utilize specialists – the combat engineer in every N team is far more qualified, and the support squads often incorporate full Rank-6 and Rank-7 specialists for everything from information control to field surgery to ship handling. The difference is in the scope of tasks and the depth of training – the RIU is a group of light infantry with cross-training designed to see off unexpected and unplanned for threats to our colonies. The lack of in-depth specialization is by design, since the reactionary aspect of the RIU is intervention. The RRU's marines are far more heavily trained but are also designated to perform specific tasks and are deployed as a reaction to a known and measured threat, usually one that is beyond the capacity of local militia or B-rate forces even with RIU support.
The relevance from the point of 'the marine' is simple – the RRU marine is a very heavy investment in time, training, and equipment, and thus are not flung into every possible situation.
RRU marines have immaculate training and disciplinary records, as both dedication to duty and obedience in chaotic situations are not just martinet-requirements but essential in the dangerous evolutions they are called to undertake. RRU marines tend to be younger than RIU types, who have usually cycled through and not fit into several other group types. Almost all RRU marines are citizens of Sol or the Core colonies, and as such typically have better access to genetic mods and nutrition in growing up, meaning that typically they are bigger, stronger and in better health than the RIU (or most colonial marines and B-rates, for that matter.)
The strengths of the RRU marine are thus equipment, training, focus, discipline, and espirit de corps. However, that does mean there are weaknesses – namely, the RRU Marine is expecting a plan of battle and officer direction. Shattering the leadership cadre of an RIU unit likely only pisses them off even further and does almost nothing to reduce their combat efficacy; the same decapitation strike on an RRU unit can (and sadly has) shattered them into disparate and uncoordinated fragments.
Ironically, RRUs are often a victim of their own success, as many senior non-commissioned officers are tapped for officer positions in the Solguard, and the veteran infantry and support staff often separate after several tours of duty to start families and take less dangerous positions.
RRU Marine Loadouts
To be fair, given the wide spectrum of forces in the RRU, ranging from battlesuit and armor pilots to biotics, giving any coherent 'loadout' that is applicable to all RRU forces is impossible. That being said, there are baselines used and defined in RRU training that all forces fall back on when they have the need to do so.
Unlike the RIU, AIS Forward Ops, and Commissariat Lancers, the RRU's do not perform 'mods' of their weapons and armor, as they are issued specialist-customized equipment directly from BuLogs after extensive field testing and feedback from front-line troops.
All RRU members – regardless of position – utilize the Kassa Ripfire Machine Pistol. The Kassa was specifically designed to provide all servicepersons in the RRU a fallback weapon with flexibility – it can utilize rapid fire phasic rounds for shield destruction, a single-shot 'armor shatter' mode and of course the semi auto explosive rounds. It is also heavy and sturdy enough to utilize as a melee weapon and can be switched to a self-destruct mode as a makeshift breaching charge or signaling device.
All RRU rifles are either the HK Nightmare Heavy Assault Rifle or, for the veterans who have been afforded the privilege, custom-tuned SABRE Deus Assault Battle Rifles. Both are heavy rifles with a host of features designed to ensure the enemy regrets crossing swords with the shield of human might, and both are maintained by proper Alliance armormasters and maintenance techs rather than the … adhoc field mods of other units that often fail at the worst time.
There are three armor systems used by the RRU. Non-combat units are issued an RRU-custom version of the THREAT Mod IV Light Survival Armor, the modification being the inclusion of hardened laser steel inserts on the torso, upper thighs, and lower forearms.
N-series soldiers will of course wear the Neo-Colossus, but most of the forward infantry teams wear Huntress-class light armor provided at low cost by the Asari Republic. The Huntress (there are modifications for male wearers) was originally designated for the Asari light infantry, but boasts superior radiation and spall protection than even the Neo-Colossus alongside the almost invincible lining of .4 cm of pure Silaris, allowing our soldiers to operate with near impunity against most of the common foes we face.
As a warning, however, please recall that Silaris is almost indestructible but still transmits shock impact. An anti-material rifle will not pierce the liner, but the hydro-static shock will liquefy every organ in your body and shatter your ribs to powder nonetheless.
RRU – Tasking
All RRU tasking is performed by SPECFORCOM, consisting of the CO of the N-series brigades, two AIS intelligence interpreters, and the local MILCOM high command. For example, 5 RRU that operates from Mindoir would have tasking routed through FSTMNDCMD and Lord General Dularis, but Kristen would also have to liaison with Valerie Kyle and/or Jarren Daiante depending on the source of the NCTs attached to the RRU.
This multi-faceted command structure is intended to ensure we do not waste an RRU on a fight that is simply unwinnable. That being said, the RRU has and probably will be assigned to fights that are seemingly not capable of producing victory and doing so anyway. This is not entirely political, not entirely avoidable, and is almost certainly a factor of the ugly reality that the Alliance military is not large enough to respond to every possible threat.
Most RRU tasking is done in response – as you will note in the layouts that follows – and cowboy-like wild insertions into completely unknown tactical situations are avoided for several reasons.
First, RRUs are designed to be deployed against known threats to allow for us to tailor the response – more armor or battle suits, increased biotics, snipers, or infowar, etc. Many of the RRU's most potent assets, such as HAMMERHEAD tanks or DACT units, are excellent in one arena and perform poorly in others – DACT are not suited to hold defensive locations with no relief, HAMMERHEADS shine as tank destroyers and rapid flankers but would be routed in short order against MLRS units, etc.
Second, an RRU is explicitly sent in to either take down a target or hold the line for the full might of the Alliance to arrive – despite what you see in the holovid theatre, no RRU can ever 'save the day' by themselves, even if the entire unit deploys – and yet the only way to handle a blind deploy is such a 'full sortie'. Forcing a full deploy into a blind situation would not only lead to the inefficient tasking above, but also cripple their ability to respond to any other situations in the area.
Finally, the entire reason RRU tasking is so tight is that each RRU is a ruinous level of expenses, and flinging them as a stopgaps as if they were RIU fodder is wasting valiant lives and money.
RRU's, unlike the disorganized rabble of RIUs flung into every possible situation, have very tight tasking requirements and thus only a handful of deployed mission types:
DIRECT FAST STRIKE – a 'fast' strike is the rarest of operations, where intelligence or comms has given us a narrow window to hit a target of interest that is likely to move to a new location in less than seventy-two hours. Fast strike teams are almost always space-boarding operations against pirates or raiders, but on occasion we also will get tasking to hit slaver bases. Speed is key, and only the highest-trained NCTs with DACT assets are used in such an evolution. The focus is to inflict shattering damage as fast as possible using heavy weapons, explosives, and area-denial techniques.
DIRECT HEAVY STRIKE – the polar opposite of the fast strike, a heavy strike is a deliberate massing of strike power to hit a hardened target. The entire RRU participates in such an event, with the possibility of augmenting the force with additional marines. Units come down in good order, DACT leading, then NCTs forming a defensive line, and the rest of the unit coming down in standard shuttles, before moving in formation to assault the target.
EMERGENCY REINFORCEMENT – an emerging situation calling for reinforcements before being overrun, this is the RRU's usual bread and butter when not smashing pirates and raiders. This 'emergency' is usually triggered by a callout on the SA Alert bands along with enemy force details and scan reports, allowing SPECFORCOM to tailor and sculpt the RRU response team to the situation.
'HOT' ORBITAL DROP – the most dangerous of the evolutions the RRU undertakes, this is the aforementioned 'blind' insertion. The majority (or in many cases, the entirety) of the unit makes a staggered and tiered landing directly into the maw of the enemy approach. Shorn of tactical data and scan results, the RRU instead deploys using many aspects of the Florez Doctrine and digs in as best it can, utilizing all of its disruptive elements to slow, stagger and delay the enemy force to allow for reinforcements to arrive.
RRU Tactics
To put it politely, this is a contentious topic.
There are many, many schools of thought on the 'proper' use of RRUs, almost as many as there are actual RRU groups. They all fall into three rough categories of tactical and strategic deployment, planning, and focus.
My own view – and that of storied names such as Ahern, von Khar, von Grath, and Adams – is that the RRUs are a scalpel. They are inserted via surgical precision into an ongoing situation to critically undercut and disrupt the enemy while rallying morale and defense, then meld seamlessly into said defense and aid in holding the line for our reinforcements to arrive. RRU tactics following this should strive to always focus on the specific targets that cause the most disruption to the enemy while exposing the unit to the least harm possible.
Other, more... reckless RRU leaders – Lord Holden of Watson, General Holmes, General Petrovsky, and of course the brilliant Rachel Florez – instead see the RRU as a hammer, one designed to beat back the enemy through sheer focused firepower with the main difference in that the goal is not to buy time but to shatter enemy cohesion.
RRU marines in this type of deployment are less intel and information dependent than other utilizations, as they can assess the field and make rapid calls on their own. The wide array of skills and capabilities of an RRU unit allows them to theoretically adapt to most situations on the fly in a manner aped but never mastered by the more slapdash approach of the RIU as well as other light interdiction forces (the Blackwatch is even more inelegant, flinging around explosives for the sheer sake of watching things explode.)
However, the original focus of the RRU was exemplified by Major Kyle's 2 RRU, which was to be the unyielding shield of the weak and the blade of terror of our foes, and to inspire and rally our men to fight in the proud defiance of odds and fate. The glory of his charge on Mindoir alone speaks to this, and the Miracle at Vantha and the siege of Horizon are perhaps the most magnificent examples of why the RRU's exist – not merely to hold the line but to send it reeling forward, to inspire terror and awe in those evil or arrogant enough to oppose humanity.
As long as I draw breath, the video recording of the batarian Fist of Khar'shan fleeing brokenly with their commanding officer dead in the iron grasp of the huge Master Chief Jackson of Team Neutron will warm my very soul.
An Afternote:
No matter what arm of the Service Blue you work for – the humble ranks of base support, or the elite posting of the Secret Service – it is a fact of life that military politics and a certain level of imposed frugality in terms of weapons, ships and even military numbers is an inevitability.
General von Khar seeks to unify the services, but the ugly reality of the situation is that BuPers and BuLogs are so reviled because they have to make compromises that, sadly, get marines of all ranks and levels of society killed. They do not make these compromises because they are cheap, or cruel, or any other semilucid ranting about the groups that you can obtain from any older sergeant or warrant officer.
They do so because unrestricted military power is dangerous. A single cruiser's armament could lay waste to any of our mainline colonies in minutes. A single rogue biotic killed over thirty police officers and six commissars before being brought down. A sniper who suffered a mental break due to a mix of PTSD and a divorce shot fifty seven people – including five children – before a DACT tackled him off the building and stopped him.
A single RRU has enough power that if it went rogue, it could devastate even a core colony world. This is why, unlike almost all other units, all RRUs have field Commissars attached to multiple teams and the ships used for transport are directly not under the command staff of the RRU.
Many in other units (scout-sniper recon, the RIU, the main DACT and N-series units) gripe and complain about the 'fancy' RRU and there is always some inter-service friction – which is natural. The dark side of that is that none of those groups can go 'bad' in the same way.
THREE NCT teams and SIX entire RRU units have been retired in dishonor – two from discommendation due to their acts in the line of battle, and one for outright treason and rebellion at Gravalax. No other unit has had so many issues with dependability – and for a good reason.
The RRU's are the best of the best and are often deployed into battles where they can win, but the people they were trying to protect still lose. For all of the talk of the DACT being insane, RRU DACT have mental issues at nine times the rate of 'normal' DACT. The RRUs as a whole have elevated rates of both PTSD and SSD, not to mention a host of phobias and the like from grim battles in nearly unwinnable positions.
For all the mocking bravado of the special forces, not many would be capable of standing without fear in the face of ten to one odds. The RIU has faced worst – but the RIU is designed to hit and fade, to perform recon and guerrilla tactics and to avoid pitched battles.
Only the RRU is expected to die to the last man, standing proud and screaming defiance into the night, and the fatalism of such a thing can be caustic. Before you start thinking of the pride and honor an RRU posting gives, or the boost to ones career and promotion, you should be aware that the likely reward for shedding your blood for the Alliance is, at least in the RRU, death.
To quote General Alxai Stalagos after the battle of Arcturus...
"No one should fear death when it comes. But to chase it seems reckless, and to taunt it is to court its embrace. To laugh at it, as these men did today, inspires those they save and leave behind... but leaves us without their bravery and fire in an increasingly dark future. Fight not to die, but to live."