LP's Note:This file has been sitting around for some time, mostly due to focus on other things and the fact that I wanted to expand this some more. I eventually pared back most of what I expanded, so this is what's left, which is as a result almost 100% produced by DH except for the introductions.
DACT are not, despite what people think, based on ODST. I don't like Halo, I dislike the story, I dislike the message, and I never really played the games. The DACT are inspired by the book version of suits from Starship Troopers, and from the book Armor by John Steakley. I strongly recommend checking them both out.
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 H: Field tactical deployment : Drop Assault Combat Team
ERRATA 8.2.2 – Update
A forward by General Adam Daranch, retired:
A lot of the human military in modern times is merely reinventions of things and concepts from our own long and storied history of military conflict in the days before we achieved the stars. The GREAT WHITE is part of a lineage of tanks that date back to the twentieth century, some of our naval concepts are even older than that, and much of our doctrines for artillery, carrier patrols, and stealth are merely following in the footsteps of the men and women who developed such in the past.
The Drop Assault Combat Trooper, however, is not one of those concepts. It was borne almost entirely out of the terror of the turian RAPTORFALL and SKYTALON battlesuits. A few science fiction writers had dreamed of similar ideas, but to face them in the field was a test no FCW era general was truly prepared for.
The jump trooper makes a mockery of modern infantry tactics. Deployed from orbit, there is almost no warning before they hit your lines – usually from behind. Infantry is effective when organized and oriented – every famous battle from Cannae to Centarus came down to a general being able to flank, turn or encircle his enemy. Jump troopers can do that instantly.
Worse, the sheer power of the suits and the weapons they carried made them impossible for the average infantry squad to deal with. Far too mobile to be pinned down by grenades, able to simply ignore fixed defenses and minefields, and with the SKYTALON able to hover and fly with impunity and act not only as a heavy attack unit but artillery spotter who could literally call down fire on his own position without being in danger, they were a threat the Alliance had no answer for.
The development of the first generation of the DACT (The VALKYRIE suit) was done only with internal human tech, and did not measure up well. The second generation, the ICARUS, has performed much better due to the use of myomer, optronics, and mass effect fields, albeit at the cost that we can't make all of these components ourselves. Then again, neither can the turians.
The DACT of today are used in distinctly human tactics and deployments, but are still derivative of the turian jump trooper. This is always an important concept to keep in mind when deploying DACT, because turians are very good on the offense and not very good on the defense. This is by design. They are designed to hit the ground hard and fast, and to be the very tip of the spear. In defense, which is usually by nature a static element, their mobility provides them no benefits, and they are the primary targets of any sensible commander to take down first.
Drop Assault Combat Team – Technical Overview and Considerations
The DACT trooper is three parts: the trooper themselves, the battlesuit, and the deployment element.
ICARUS battlesuits are full body powered armor. The inner lining is a shock-absorbant gel liner, two layers of fragment-resistant ceramic plating in an omnigel suspension, under layers of myomer and actuators to move the suit. The outer layer of armor is 5mm of case-hardened mass effect hyperforged battle steel with 2 cm shock plates over the chest, upper back, forearms, and lower legs.
The suit is augmented with a jump pack that uses eezo and allow for short duration jumps as well as counter-thrust for orbital drops. I reiterate that it is jump-armor – it is not like the SKYTALON in the ability to actually fly. Jumps are typically long range, however, especially on lower gravity worlds and conducted from elevated terrain.
The suit is rated to withstand a full burst from a standard assault rifle at twenty meters with no real effect. Small caliber weapons with class A or B rails will not be able to penetrate at all. Military grade class C and D rails will penetrate with difficulty after the armor is weakened. Class E sniper class and Class F heavy rails will penetrate, so be sure to deploy with an eye to enemy snipers and keep clear of heavy weapons line of fire.
The DACT are deployed from either specialty dropships, from cradles attached to ships, or directly from orbit. The orbital drop utilizes a cocoon of heat ablative foam and a cradle of monoprop counter-thrust units that discharge upon landing, the design of which is set up to minimize and narrow the DACTs radar signature.
DACT are the most vulnerable during transport and in descent. GARDIAN systems typically have a hard time locking onto a single trooper, but omni-flak can be devastating – flecks as wide as a dinner plate going at Mach 2 can kill a DACT or knock out his jump pack, which is also certain death.
Drop Assault Combat Team - Precis
Like many implements of warfare throughout our storied history, the creation of the Drop Assault Combat Teams (DACT) came from a need. That need was for a formation of drop-capable heavy infantry that could deploy from an orbiting craft and burn into the atmosphere, using their speed and aggressive deployment to shock the enemy long enough to land planet-side and begin carving a landing zone for further deployment of Alliance personnel. Much like the Paratroopers of Old Earth stories, DACT troops are responsible for the first wave of any opposed planetary landing, using their speed, armor, and heavy weapons to carve away chunks of the enemy, instigate chaos, and destroy high-value objectives that may prove dangerous to the arriving Systems Alliance personnel.
DACT Troopers are not solely drop-capable heavy infantry, but they are also the premier Systems Alliance zero-gravity combat personnel and one of the very few organizations that can handle hazardous materials operations in a zero-gravity environment, containing fires, dangerous materials, and malfunctioning or hazardous explosive devices. While there are aforementioned specialized DACT units that focus on more exotic assignments such as zero-gravity combat and or hazardous materials containment, this document will be solely focusing on the non-specialized DACT combat roles.
Drop Assault Combat Team – Squad Formation
The main mission deployment strength of a Drop Assault Combat Team, the DACT Squad is what is most deployed on operations, with each individual specialist team given specific objectives to be completed. Even when employed in large mass air assaults, VI assistance and the dead-reckoning independent thought of the various DACT troops means that they will splinter into their smaller Squad-size elements, moving to vital objectives, or carry out offensive actions against any number of hostile forces that may prove to be a threat in the Area of Operations. Even at such a small-scale unit level, Each DACT Squad is entrusted with a level of independence and freedom to self-assign themselves to various objectives, as long as those objectives coincide with the overall objective of the operation.
This level of independence is granted not only because many of these troopers have shown themselves to be efficient and well-trained, but also because all DACT candidates must hold at least an A5 rating before admission to the program, thus ensuring that they have seen a modicum of combat and have the necessary experience. With this experience comes access to not only some of the highest-level training available but also the heaviest weapons and equipment available to any infantry force in the Systems Alliance Military.
DROP ASSAULT COMBAT TEAM SQUAD COMPOSITION
1x Squad Leader - If the awesome destructive potential of a DACT Squad is to be realized, they must be led by an individual who is both tactically talented and mentally prepared to make the split-second decisions required to effectively lead such a high-tempo Unit.
This individual usually holds the rank of Gunnery Sergeant, befitting both their status as a squad leader and indicative of the experience that they hold. This individual, as stated above, must be tactically free-thinking, fast to adapt to and capitalize upon changing battlefield conditions, and have an innate understanding of not only their unit, but of the opponent, the area of operations, the overall objectives, and the capabilities needed to fulfill tasks given to them in the face of hostile opposition.
Outfitted with the standard DACT issue Icarus Jump Armor modified with additional communications and navigation equipment, the armor and armament of the DACT Squad Leader is similar to what is issued and carried by the standard DACT Trooper.
1x Grenadier Trooper - Sharing a designation with their A-Rate Brethren, DACT Grenadiers are those that are responsible for the use of various types of explosive charges, demolition material, and heavily restricted demolitions such as nuclear devices or disruptor material. Along with these monumental responsibilities, this trooper may also provide the combat application of numerous different types of specialized demolition material to fulfill mission requirements as needed.
Despite the level of cross-training and experience that even the greenest DACT Trooper may possess, the position of Grenadier is normally given to Troopers that are incredibly experienced in the field of battle, have nerves of steel, and are the leading foremost experts in the Squad when it comes to matters of the destructively explosive variety. It is with little wonder that those who hold the position of Grenadier are themselves on a track to becoming Squad Leaders.
Armed and armored with the standard HK Nightmare Heavy Automatic Rifle and Icarus Jump Armor, many Grenadiers will also carry with them an assortment of various demolition charges, incendiary devices, and possibly an Omni Projector to create fast, if temporary, cover for themselves and others.
2x Heavy Weapons Troopers - While all Troopers may be qualified in the use, maintenance, and handling of heavy weapons, only the Heavy Weapons Troopers in the Squad will normally be outfitted with weapons normally reserved for light armored vehicles or weapons crews.
This segregation of weapons is not just due to the logistical concerns of supplying and maintaining such a level of equipment for prolonged campaigns, but also a matter of the effective use of force a DACT Squad can supply without degrading the Squad's versatile capabilities. While some who have never had to operate and maintain these rather complicated weapon systems would argue that because DACT Troopers can be outfitted with heavy weapons means that they should, they ignore many of the realities of combat that will affect both soldier and weapon system. With this known to the DACT Officer Corps, the decision was made to only equip those in the DACT Squad that show the most potential and are the most effective in the deployment of heavy weapons.
Like all DACT Troopers, The Heavy Weapons Trooper is clad in Icarus Jump armor that has been specially modified for its role, usually incorporating additional targeting systems, weapon support equipment, and in many cases a small toolkit to perform rudimentary maintenance on their weapons under field conditions. The armaments of the Heavy Weapons Trooper can vary not only from Trooper to Trooper but from Battlefield to Battlefield. While the standard armament of the Heavy Weapons Trooper is the Kassa Tsunami Assault Cannon, depending on the situation that the Squad finds themselves in, it is not uncommon for Heavy Weapons Troopers to carry an assortment of different weapons instead of the Assault Cannon. Stories are littered throughout the history of the DACT of enterprising Heavy Weapons Troopers acquiring non-standard and unconventional weapons to use when the need arises, with the most legendary of such stories taking place when a Heavy Weapons Trooper modified the Mass Accelerator gun taken from the destroyed remains of an F-51 Cardinal Fighter craft and used it to great effect in staunching a tide of marauding Pirates. This sort of improvisation is part of the mindset of the Heavy Weapons Trooper, with the use of non-standard weapons becoming a trademark of these individuals that has resisted being stomped out at every opportunity.
2x DACT Troopers - While they may be the most common or least flashy of the DACT roles, calling DACT Troopers "basic' is both ill-conceived and ill-advised. While they may be considered the "greenest" DACT Troopers in the Squad, one must be conscious that even a so-called rookie trooper holds at least an A5 Rating and has undergone rigorous training to even be considered for the position.
By DACT Standards these Troopers are equipped rather lightly, with only HK Nightmare Heavy Automatic Rifles, Icarus Jump Armor, and whatever myriad of war materials that can be fitted upon the armor that can survive an orbital drop. As a part of the DACT Squad, these Troopers are responsible for both scouting and utilizing their above-DACT-average maneuvering capabilities to close with and destroy the enemy.
Despite the fact that they are considered the lightest element of any DACT Squad, DACT Troopers are nearly unrivaled on the field of battle, with their armor, jump capabilities, and standard issue armament only matched by the best armors and equipment of other species forces, such as the SKYTALON.
Without question, Squads of DACT Troopers are among the very best that the Galaxy has to offer in terms of Heavy Assault Infantry, able to shatter defenses that are considered unbreakable and halt enemy forces that are considered unstoppable. However, despite the focus that gets placed on the weapons and equipment that they are equipped with, the power of the DACT comes not from what they carry, but from what they do in battle.
Offensive Actions - The mainstay of the DACT, offensive actions are not only what they are known for, it is what they do best. As one may be able to surmise from their title as Heavy Assault Infantry, DACT Squads are not gentle nor precise implements used for surgical strikes, they are the bag of neutronium hammers thrown at a problem when the problem needs to cease, and as such DACT Units have developed themselves into a series of small, but incredibly powerful formations used to shatter the enemy.
Beyond the well-known and highly publicized series of orbital drops that DACT Troopers are known for, once planet-side they become what can only be described as a wrecking crew. Their first overwhelming priority is the completion of whatever objective the Squad was tasked with, whether it was the destruction of enemy war material or the securing of a vital position from enemy forces. Following the completion of the objective, many commanders will exercise a "hands-off" approach when dealing with deployed DACT Squads, only ever directly assigning these Squads objectives when said the objective is of vital importance or there are no other units available. It is because of their experience that DACT Squads, and DACT Units in general, are given an incredible amount of independence, as to simply become a DACT one must be supremely dedicated to the Systems Alliance.
When operating independently, DACT Squads will self-assign themselves to hot spots that may need assistance, assist in assaults that otherwise would result in tremendous casualties for normal infantry, and deal with high-priority objectives such as supply depots, enemy troop movements, or destruction of hardened positions. There have been many a hostile mechanized column that have fallen prey to an armored gauntlet of DACT Troopers running amongst them, with offensives turned or outright blunted by the actions of a half-dozen daring Troopers making a unilateral decision to throw themselves headlong into the enemy, shattering their advance and many times hopping out of range of retaliation with only charred armor and empty weapons to show as damage.
Defensive Actions - DACT Units as a whole are not inclined to be confined to a defensive posture, as such actions are considered to be a waste of their time and resources, and as such do not carry with them any material to entrench themselves into a position. Following the maxim that "an immobile DACT Trooper is a dead one", any defensive operations conducted by the DACT Squad are one of constant movement, flanking, and harassment. Even when on the defensive or perceived to be on the back foot, DACT Squads will still be leading the charge in destroying enemy positions, high-value targets, and curbing the initiative of the enemy force to allow for others to regroup, reorganize, and counterattack.
If all else fails and the DACT squad is forced into a fully defensive action, standard doctrine advises that they regroup with additional Marine forces to act as a force multiplier rather than try to entrench themselves on their own. Beyond the possession and use of explosives innate to the equipment of the DACT Squad, they do not burden themselves with superfluous equipment such as Matter-Bags or entrenching equipment, as they would rather carry more ammunition and explosives in their stead. If a DACT Squad is forced to become entrenched in a position and weather assaults by hostile forces, a series of events have played out that such a worry about the proper entrenchment strategy when utilizing DACT Troops is the least of the issues at hand.
DACT Squads are considered some of the best and most effective units at the disposal of any field commander in the Systems Alliance. However, all of this vaunted independence comes at a price, with stringent regulations and oversight over all DACT deployments and their actions conducted in the field. DACT Squads are given some of the highest levels of independence afforded to Systems Alliance Personnel when in regard to fulfilling their duty, and any abuse of that trust or negligent use of what is provided to them is handled swiftly and judiciously. This independence is considered both a great responsibility and a luxury afforded to those who have proven themselves to be worthy of it, and like all luxuries that independence can be taken away.
Drop Assault Combat Team – Section Formation
The natural progression of scaling up DACT units, the DACT Section is comparable to Detachments of other military rates. Much like their B-Rate counterparts, DACT Sections are bulked further from standard A-Rate Detachments due to the intrinsic ability of DACT troops to insert themselves rather than relying on assault landers, shuttles, or drop-capable armored vehicles. As with DACT Squads, Sections are given much more autonomy than regular conventional forces in their deployment and subsequent use, with Sections more than capable of anchoring a flank or acting as a spearhead in a much larger offensive action.
Additionally, as a result of the larger size of the DACT section compared to the standard Squad formation, allows DACT personnel to practice a more specialized form of combat with more exotic equipment. Along with these advanced systems and weapons, however, is the division of specialized roles that, while technically mandated by BuPers and the Systems Alliance Order of Battle, is often subverted by units at their own discretion. Due to the effectiveness of DACT forces as a whole, only the most egregious of such deviations are met with any amount of punishment.
DROP ASSAULT COMBAT TEAM SECTION COMPOSITION
1x DACT Support Squad (1 Officer, 3 Senior Enlisted Personnel, 2 Enlisted Personnel) - While expensive armor and heavy weapons may create a very good-looking force, it requires experienced leadership and tactical know-how to fully take advantage of the abilities and equipment afforded to the DACT Section. Led by an experienced and well-trained Captain, the Support Squad exists to not only direct the DACT units in the Section itself but to also interface with other DACT units and coordinate with other Systems Alliance Units. This seemingly unnecessary factor of command is held vital as, due to the high-tempo and intensity operation of DACT Units, keeping track of not only units themselves but also their munitions expenditures and available support is the best way to effectively utilize the power of DACT Units.
However, despite all of this oversight and seemingly rear-echelon activity, the DACT Support Squad is not one to idly stand by, with its command capabilities only matched by the sheer destructive potential that it can unleash. Nominally armed and equipped with much the standard fare of regular DACT units, each Support Squad is also given a higher level of clearance in weapon selection than even normal DACT Squads, with the veteran and scarred members of the Support Squad more than capable of wielding an assault cannon in one hand, a Disruptor satchel charge in the other, while also coordinating fire from orbital assets, infantry personnel, and Close Air Support.
1-2x DACT Assault Squad (1 Senior Enlisted Personnel, 5 Enlisted Personnel) - The ubiquitous DACT Formation, the Assault Squad is not only the most well-known of DACT units, but it is also the baseline example given in the text above. Assault Squads form the basis of the DACT unit, with their tactical flexibility combined with their patented maneuverability while laden down with heavy weapons both legendary and feared. Armed and armored with some of the heaviest equipment rendered man-portable, DACT Assault Squads make up the bulk of any DACT unit. However, despite their ubiquity not just in the DACT Corps, but also in the galaxy as a whole, some DACT Sections deign to reform the second DACT Assault Squad into a more violent option.
0-1x DACT Grenadier Squad (1 Senior Enlisted Personnel, 5 Enlisted Personnel) - There are rare occasions in which the standard DACT Assault Squads are considered too mild an approach to a problem, whenever such is the case, a DACT Grenadier unit is either formed or requested from a near-by Section to assist. Officially mandated to have a minimum of a single Grenadier Squad per DACT Company, some of the more veteran units choose to expand upon their ranks to form a premier shock assault unit. Sharing the same name as the role within a Squad itself, the DACT Grenadier Squad is made up of some of the most veteran and aggressive DACT Troopers available in the company and is for use against the most stubborn of enemy units or the best dug-in of enemy defenses.
Eschewing the normal proclivities of DACT Troopers to carry large and bulky heavy weapons, the Grenadier Squad instead places an emphasis on the standard issue HK Nightmare Rifle, Superheavy Shotguns, and an eye-watering amount of explosive ordinance. With such an equipment selection, the DACT Grenadier Squad trades much of its available heavy weapons firepower instead for increased maneuverability and an even more focused ability to take advantage of the violence of action that Icarus Jump Armor provides. While having a purpose-designed shock assault unit in an already aggressive jump infantry force may seem nonsensical to some, there are numerous recorded and witnessed stories of DACT Grenadier Squads cleaning out the armory of a cruiser and leaving it bereft of explosive ordinance, only for such squads to return, many times on crash-carts, with armor scorched black and shredded and without a single grenade or explosive remaining. While such actions may be regarded as theatrics on par with Turian melodrama, the effectiveness of DACT Grenadier Squads should not be discounted.
To say that the DACT Section is a force unto itself is a comically woeful understatement, as even with only eighteen active personnel, the Section punches well above its weight class in terms of effectiveness and firepower. With this firepower, however, comes the understanding that they will be asked to accomplish even the most difficult of tasks that even N-Rate personnel would balk at.
Offensive Actions - Much as described for the smaller Squads, aggression and violent action are the mainstays of the DACT, and this is exemplified at the Section level. At this level of organization, the DACT changes from a group of well-armed and power-armored hooligans to a well-directed and incredibly deadly force capable of inflicting a level of damage normally reserved for the heaviest of Armored Brigades or direct orbital support.
Taking note of this effectiveness, many DACT leaders emphasize the standard doctrine of aggressive harassment, always striking to break the enemy, and being the sharpened blade meant to disembowel the enemy effort. Using their jump-capable Icarus Armor, the Section fights not as a conventional force, but rather as a highly mobile heavy infantry force that uses their mobility to not just close the gaps to a hostile unit, but also subvert any established perimeter wholesale and cause an inordinate amount of chaos where the enemy least expects it. Aiding in this is the ability of the veteran members of the DACT Support Squad to not only command the Section and liaise with additional System Alliance forces but to also bring to bear advanced weapons such as Disruptor-based material and heavy plasma-based weapons.
Alongside the incredibly effective DACT Support Squad is the vicious brutality and destructive brazenness of a DACT Grenadier Squad, with their penchant for destruction well known even among their peers. Disregarding the standard practice of heavy weapons used by most other DACT Units, the Grenadiers are the wrecking ball of the DACT Corps, with subtlety measured in how many satchel charges are used to rid them of a particularly irritating problem. While it is unfair to characterize the DACT Grenadier Squads as Krogan in human form, their love for explosives, penchant for close-quarters combat, and judicious application of force leave much the same effect as a pack of blood-crazed Krogan.
Defensive Actions - The ire and distaste DACT unit commanders have for being relegated to defensive actions extends to the Section level, with the DACT Section Captain believing that the best employment of their troops is not in static defensive positions, but rather in a role of mobile defense or harassment.
To this end, beyond a handful of basic Omni-projectors held at the squad level, the Section as a whole lacks any meaningful fortification equipment. Rather than tie themselves to one spot, the Section remains particularly mobile around the battlefield, reinforcing points of contention, destroying high-value targets, and harassing any enemy assault via jumping behind their lines of advance. With such heavy weapons and armor at their disposal, the DACT Section becomes an invaluable asset to any local commander on the defense, but in the case of a well-structured and ordered withdrawal, the DACT Section becomes a potent rearguard capable of covering much more terrain than any unit of comparable size.
The DACT Section is one of the most commonly deployed levels of DACT unit in the Systems Alliance Armed Forces, as their relatively small numbers are rendered directly inverse to their capabilities as a fighting force, allowing even non-specialized ships normally incapable of projecting a force to secure non-spaceborne objectives able to deploy an incredibly effective fighting force. However, despite its commonality in deployment orders, the DACT Section is hamstrung by its lacking ability to project power over a long period without accompanying support personnel and more conventional forces.
Drop Assault Combat Team – Company Formation
The unmitigated lords and ladies of destruction on a battlefield, a DACT Company is a nightmare incarnate for those that have to face it. The destructive equivalent to an Armored Brigade of Great White Main Battle Tanks, the DACT Company is rarely ever deployed except in cases of emergency or when the total destruction of a given target in the least amount of time and the most gratuitous fashion is required. While DACT Companies are reserved for such occasions as described above, their destructive potential is anything but, with prodigious company-grade use of Disruptor weapons and various other forms of WMD's not only allowed but officially recognized and endorsed by Systems Alliance High Command and the DACT Company's Table of Organization and Equipment (TO&E).
It is difficult to comprehensively address the sheer amount of destructive potential at the call of the DACT Company within an official document, as such descriptors range from seemingly nonsensical hyperbole to violently explicit. Suffice it to say, any deployment of a DACT Company is to be met with equal parts revelry and terror, as a deployment of that level heralds not only the seriousness of the situation but the unholy hellfire that will imminently follow such.
DROP ASSAULT COMBAT TEAM COMPANY COMPOSITION
1x DACT Command Section (3 Officers, 7 Senior Enlisted Personnel, 8 Enlisted Personnel) - The heart and brains of the DACT Company, the DACT Command Section is led by a Colonel well versed in the deployment and coordination of DACT Forces. Accompanying the Colonel is a collection of Senior Enlisted Personnel and various specialists that are required at the Company level to maintain the readiness of the unit and handle various pieces of hazardous equipment that not even DACT Troopers are readily trained to effectively handle. Despite the nature of command and the venerable age of many of the senior personnel running the company in itself, all members of the command section and its cadre are still required to qualify as DACT-capable Troopers and are no strangers to the harsh realities of combat.
Attached to this Company Command Section will also be a group of specialists, as mentioned above, that are accorded the duty of various duties regular DACT troopers are not qualified to handle. Many of these duties range from keeping possession of and tracking the use of various serialized items or items of import such as Disruptor devices or equipment of the same nature. Other members of the command cadre focus on more esoteric goals such as combat engineering, communications, or info-war programs. For all of the destruction at the hands of a DACT Company, it takes the efforts of many fine individuals to thoroughly maintain the effectiveness of such a unit.
3x DACT Assault Sections (3 Officers, 15 Senior Enlisted Personnel, 36 Enlisted Personnel) - The meat on the bones of the DACT Company, the Assault Sections are the hands of violence to which the Company Command Section directs. Heavily armed as previously expounded upon, and with at least one dedicated DACT Grenadier Squad present in the Company as a whole, the DACT Assault Sections are the main striking force responsible for the force projection of the unit, with their mobility and high operations tempo being a hallmark of their trade. While a certain level of free-thinking adventurism and initiative is a requirement for being a DACT when a part of a deployed Company the Assault Sections take on a more conventional chain of command. This chain of command, however, does not relegate the tendencies of the DACT to the wayside, rather, it focuses their potential to a much higher degree of both concentrated effort and complete destruction of highlighted targets.
0-1x Red Marble Squad (1 Senior Enlisted Personnel, 5 Enlisted Personnel) - An experimental squad quartered to some DACT Companies as a result of the RED MARBLE Project. The RED MARBLE Project was a result of a cross-training and personnel swap initiative between various RIU and DACT Units, allowing for select personnel of each unit to be seconded to the opposite unit for means of study, observation, and incorporation of new or differing tactical developments within each unit. For the DACT units that graciously donated their time and valued personnel to the program, their candidates and temporary RIU personnel brought about the creation of the Red Marble Squads within select DACT Companies.
Red Marble Squads take a different tack compared to normal DACT units in that, much like Grenadier units, they eschew the use of the standard heavy weapons complements available to each DACT Squad. Instead, Red Marble Squads utilize the standard Icarus Jump Armor to become a platform for judicious use of Anti-Material rifles and info-war operations, adopting the famed lightning raids of the RIU with a focus on hamstringing any opposing force.
While the standard complement of HK Nightmare Rifles is jealously guarded by RIU transfers and DACT that have had to use RIU weapons during cross-training, they, along with the aforementioned Anti-Material rifles, have become the standard armament of Red Marble Squads. Despite the knowledge learned and the project's seeming success, the RED MARBLE Project was discontinued by order of Systems Alliance High Command as an unnecessary expenditure of resources, with those that were a part of the program being cycled back to their original units. This resulted in many units only having a cursory understanding of what was trying to be accomplished, and those relative few that were a part of it have been trying to keep the lessons learned by the project in mind.
{Glade Note- I generally try to keep official unit documents such as this free of annotations and extra commentary, as their purpose is to inform Officers of the background and use case of many units within the SA Armed Forces. However, as a candidate of the RED MARBLE Program and one who did take part in cross-training with a DACT Company, I feel like such commentary may prove enlightening. RED MARBLE originally came, much as the manual says, as an initiative to cross-train between two perspective units that normally do not interact with each other on a regular basis. The project as a whole was a flagrant success, with not only the RIU adopting various practices from the DACT such as the use of octanitrocubane, heavy weapons on weapon harnesses for the more direct-action focused personnel, and the adoption of extremely high altitude orbital insertions as a viable method, but the DACT also pulled lessons from us too. As the document makes mentions of above, certain specialized DACT Troopers adopted differing attitudes to complement their compatriots, such as the use of Anti-Material rifles, advanced raiding tactics, and a focus on information warfare and reconnaissance to further augment their company's capabilities.
However, like many good things, the interference of those with more brass than brains halted the program. From the insistence of a few high-ranking officers, all of whom had one particular factor in common, the funding that was pulled from RED MARBLE instead went to the - at the time - new CUTTER program and its adoption by the various RRUs. To add insult to injury, official inquiries into the matter by SA High Command dictated that all individuals who were candidates in RED MARBLE were to be returned to their previous unit and that such an experiment was, and I quote, "A gross misallocation of Systems Alliance Resources on a project that fielded little verifiable successful results." I am certainly not an unbiased voice in the matter, but such actions brought much consternation and anger among both communities, which sadly resulted in nothing more than boilerplate platitudes and irritating condescension. Nonetheless, some units on both sides of the issue still attempt to maintain the lessons learned by RED MARBLE, and their actions have had stellar results.}
The DACT Company as a unit is without a doubt one of the most destructive heavy infantry units in the galaxy, with some of the only comparative forces being those of Krogan Shock Troopers that still practice the methods of the old Krogan Empire. Their abilities to render sheer carnage upon a battlefield or a foe cannot be understated. With a unit of only seventy-two men and women of the Alliance, they are some of the best products of humanity's military programs. However, such prestige and effectiveness comes with the expectation that on whichever battlefield they are deployed to, they are to be the finger on the scale of the System Alliance's favor. From the various battles against Batarian-backed forces to the more recent Battle of Haestrom, the DACT Companies have shown that there is a reason they have a laudable reputation.
Offensive Actions - The main practice of any DACT Company, Offensive actions are considered to be the one and the only way that the DACT Company fights. This is not without precedent, as explained with the smaller units, much of the DACT's advantages come from their ability to fight aggressively and without the restraint of being forced into a defensive posture. They capitalize on that advantage in their regular deployment of heavy ordinance, battering away enemy resistance with overwhelming firepower and judicious use of violence.
DACT Companies are also some of the very few units in the System's Alliance that are regularly issued with restricted weapons materials such as Disruptor and atomic ordinance to be used at the discretion of the Company Commander. This abundance of ordinance, their aggressive violence of action, and the innate mobility of their Icarus Jump Armor allows the DACT Company to be a force of nigh-unto unstoppable power on the battlefield, capable of breaking Fist of Khar'shan assaults and shattering the fighting abilities of even Geth Heavy Infantry.
Defensive Actions - A DACT Company forced to fight in a defensive posture is a DACT Company that has fallen victim to unfortunate and rather dire circumstances, as any force capable of turning away the sharpened spear of a concentrated DACT assault is one that requires the direct attention of various high-importance assets such as multiple units of Battlesuits, multiple RRU's, or the tender attention of orbital assets.
In the highly unlikely but equally dire chance that a DACT Company is forced into a defensive posture by an attacking force, for many DACT units it is a standard operating procedure to "not spare the ordinance" and deploy any and all available organic assets to make the attacker cease. Following this method of warfighting, DACT Companies will likely insert themselves into the thickest parts of the fighting, trying to blunt any advance and buy time for more conventional units to either redeploy to assist or withdraw to a more advantageous defensive position. On more than one occasion the valiant defense of howling mad DACT Companies broke a determined assault, and sadly, there have been many occasions where such heroes have given their lives so that others may live.