Basic Encounter Battle

Good afternoon, marines.  My name is Major Kiris, and I will be your lead instructor for the initial tactical segment of this course.

Now you have all done the basic marine courses, and understand your role and the weapons available to you.  The key things to understand as officers and leaders of marines are the small unit tactics you will need to employ to defeat your enemies, not just against incompetent space pirates or terrified astronauts, but other marines - sometimes better equipped and more experienced than you.

The initial task we will be covering today will be on engagement options in the standard encounter battle.  

I will start with a quotation:

You cannot profit from small techniques particularly when full armour is worn.  My way of strategy is the sure method to win when fighting for your life one man against five or ten.  There is nothing wrong with the principle "one man can beat ten, so a thousand men can beat ten thousand'.  You must research this.

Anyone know who said it?

Yes, thank you Lieutenant Sainsbury, nice to see you have been reading the sources on the course reading list.  It was indeed Miyamoto Musashi in A Book of Five Rings.

His words are apt.  The nature of boarding actions are a such that the battle breaks down into a number of small actions.  Success in these small actions is essential, and a multiple of these successes make the outcome of the battle certain.

The first type of action we will deal with today is the encounter battle.  Taking a half-squad as a standard unit, let us look at what happens when two similar units encounter each other in a room.

Here is the tactical situation:

Imagine you are in command of the Blue Unit.  Both groups have just moved into the room, and are within one bound of each other.  Assume no APGW support.  

What engagement policy do you follow at this point? - remember you only have a split second to decide.

The options, as you know are:

Charge in to close combat and melee with them enemy

Run back down the corrider

Engage in direct fire with the entire unit

Engage in direct fire with the robot, and grenades with the marines

Suggestions? (click on a choice above).

As you can see, there are big differences in the possible outcomes of even a small scale operation.  Get it wrong and it could mean defeat for the whole regiment.