A Treatise for Officers (The Nine Principles of War)

[Bulaven]

This is a brief guide to the interpretation and application of the "Nine Principles of War", in the setting which is Colonial Marines. While largely intended for Officers (Ensign and up), there is absolutely no harm in reading this post if you do not intend to lead at some point in the near or far future.

Please note that interpretations of these principles may (And probably -Should-) vary between individuals.




Objective- Direct the operation toward a clearly defined set of attainable objectives. The purpose of war, itself, is to destroy the enemy's ability to resist. Thus, generally speaking, these objectives should be focused on doing exactly that. From the perspective of the Almayer's Commander and his/her subordinates, however, the objective may not always be one of pure destruction. Given their unique profession and field of expertise, the objective may very well be humanitarian in nature. Whether you are instructing your Marines to destroy an enemy depot, or to seek out colonists and repair infrastructure, clear and concise objectives are an absolute must if the operation is to go anywhere at all. Deploying the Marines with a hand wave and a 'Let's see what happens' attitude is a surefire way to lose control of your Marines, and lose sight of the end goal.

Offensive - Seize the initiative via offensive action. With offensive action being the most effective manner to seize objectives, it is to be well understood that offensive action is unavoidable if success is to be made possible. Generally speaking, if there is an enemy afoot, a Marine needs no real motivation to kill it in the name of the USCM. However, sometimes they just need a little bit of instruction on how to properly do so. Coordinate with your Squad Leaders and Staff Officers in order to maximize the amount of damage your Marines will inflict, and to minimize the dreaded prospect of 'Friendly Fire' and 'Rambo' casualties.

Mass - To synchronize all elements under your command in the smallest amount of time possible to have a decisive impact on the enemy. While the First Battle of Bull Run (Or the First Battle of Manassas, depending on your geographical orientation) during the American Civil War was a near-disaster for both sides, Union General Irvin McDowell sealed the defeat of his force by sending in one Regiment at a time. This one Regiment would face, say, four Confederate Regiments, and would be chewed to pieces in very little time. They would retreat, and another Regiment would be sent in to face the same fate. Likewise, Confederate General Henry Heth, on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, attacked General John Buford's calvary without the maximum number of troops under his command, a move which many believe sealed the defeat of the Confederate forces present two days later.

In short: To attack the enemy without bringing every element of your force to bear is to potentially waste lives. Apply the full force, if possible, to ensure that what you do have will not be squandered. Don't be afraid to swing the stick with both hands. Ordering two squads to form a defensive front, instead of just one, could turn the tide of the battle.


Economy of Force - Employ all combat power available in the most effective manner possible. Employ your 'Kill Power' and its support structure in the most efficient way, with minimal focus on non-essential, secondary objectives. Synchronize your support elements (Mortar teams, armored units, gun emplacements) on the ground with the more substantial elements (Heavy artillery and air strikes) aboard the Almayer. While the bombardment is being prepared, have mortars saturate the area with their ordnance. If the airstrike cannot commence immediately, have the tank try and dislodge the enemy while CAS is being prepared. On a non-combat spectrum, make sure your Infirmary is processing and treating casualties as quickly and efficiently as possible, so that the trickle-back can be utilized as immediate reinforcements. Above all, your force must continue to pursue the clearly outlined objectives set forth by you and your Officers. Don't waste three Marines to save a damn Corgi, when the Engineering Bay needs defending troops ASAP.

In short: Make sure everything you've got is spinning together and synchronized to maximize your force's overall effectiveness. Don't view the gears of bureaucracy as a nuisance. Master them, and you will have a near-perfect machine at your whim.

Maneuver - Flexible offensive and defensive doctrines, when properly employed, can turn the tide of the operation. The advantage to be sought from a maneuverable force is to, when able, put your enemy in a disadvantageous position and exploit it whenever feasible. Elastic defense and the 'Scheerpunkt' Doctrine are a few simple examples of this principle. Entrench your force if necessary, but allow them the freedom to flank and pull back whenever the situation demands it. In the case of the 'Scheerpunkt' Doctrine, maneuvering your force so that it can punch through a specific point in the enemy's line, preferably where they do not expect it, there is a higher risk/reward ratio to be had.

In short: Keep your eyes open for moments during the operation in which uprooting and redeploying your force may bring about a major combat advantage.

Unity of Command - Unity of command means, roughly, that every individual who is a part of the command structure, from Grunts to the Commander, understands and follows the chain of command without intentional disruption, executing orders from the Commander with the understanding that it is his or her intention and duty to lead them in the operation as a single, goal-driven entity. Allow Squad Leaders to micromanage their squads, allow Staff Officers to oversee said Leaders and ensure that they are aware of the current situation and objectives, and, most importantly, maintain communication with your subordinates.

In short: Work together, understand the end-goal, and try not to be 'That Guy'.

Security - Never allow an opposing force to obtain some form of advantage over your own force. Reducing vulnerability to enemy action allows greater mobility of your force with less concentration on unnecessary defense. For example: A protected triage area allows you to focus on the -Front-, without having to worry about losing your medics, Infirmary staff, and your wounded to a surprise attack nobody was prepared for.

Surprise - Attacking the enemy in a place, at a time, or in a manner which is unexpected by said enemy. To be ridiculously blunt, it's often difficult to perform surprise attacks against Xenomorphs, as their entire doctrine relies upon surprise. However, when executed properly, a surprise offensive or trap can turn the tide of battle in a heartbeat. Encourage your subordinates to improvise, and be open to new ideas. If it looks stupid, but it works, it isn't stupid.

Simplicity - The preparation and execution of uncomplicated and clear plans reduces the likelihood of your force abandoning the set plan due to sheer confusion. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Put your Marines in said straight line, and they will follow your orders to the letter.

BEAR IN MIND: Doctrine has its place on the battlefield. But the most effective Doctrine to employ, sometimes, is no Doctrine at all. While this is dangerous, the unpredictability of your force may cause the enemy to hesitate, considering the fact that their opposition is a wild card in and of itself.

Or, you could always think of it this way: "If we don't know what we're doing, the enemy sure as shit doesn't know what we're doing, either."

I hope this has either helped, been an interesting and informative read, or, by some miracle, both.

[Kineem]

good read, real entertaining and the tips here would definitely help out some new XOs/SOs

[Pedr007]

puppetpress.com/classics/ArtofWarbySunTzu.pdf

[Brotemis]

There is something to be said about holding back troops or not throwing your maximum effort into the enemy.

It will lose you the battle. And because you cannot just wait for reinforcements (on a massive level. And to replace the higher quality gear you will lose) you will lose the war as well.

As an XO I regularly give instructions that have the addendum of orders never survive first contact. An example is on big red. Charlie was ordered to set up an fob at say, bar. Delta encounters hostiles and movement indicated inside eta. Charlie is ordered to move up to eta and forget about the fob at the bar. Bravo, which was at engineering, is ordered to move up as well. All 3 squads converged on eta and wiped them out.

Sticking to the plan of the fob at the bar would have caused many more casualties due to lack of firepower. There is also something to be said about the intimidating presence of a vast swarm of marines

[Loco52]

Problem 1: marines dont listen to orders and do whatver they want.

[Bulaven]

Problem 1: marines dont listen to orders and do whatver they want.

Account for the short memory span, and you're fine.

[Bancrose]

This was a nice read. Good stuff man.

[Bulaven]

This was a nice read. Good stuff man.

Thank you very much.

[Bulaven]

Guess I'm going to have to update this to account for Xeno mutators. Doctrine: Die. Accept your fate, Dumbass-San.

[SirMandrake]

Would gladly sacrifice myself to save wiggles, the true hero of the USMC

[Arbs]

Its a good read indeed, but forget about it applying to CM.

Its what I ever strife towards, whenever i play a CIC role or CO. Often I achieve it, and it results in decent marine majors.
Most of the time its my own values and instinct that leads me towards something similar to what you describe here, however executing that and implementing it is the hard part.

Sometimes even if you do your best in the CIC, things will still end up badly, and it may not even be your fault.

So, as good of a read it is, its too good and too far from the common grounds of the players in the CM server.