Case 2: The Commander
I would expect that this journal soon reaches the eyes of someone who may be part of the Maelstrom, Immortal Flames, or the Order of the Twin Adder. Should you be an officer who is looking to brush up on his or her skills or perhaps a soldier aspiring for a higher rank, these next few cases are dedicated to you. In this case, we will look exclusively at the commander. The next case will explore leaders.
There is a fundamental difference between a commander and a leader. A commander assigns the tasks and objectives, while the leader completes the tasks and objectives that are assigned. The commander is a strategist while the leader is a tactician. Should a person assume the role of a commander and leader, the force they are in charge of will suffer.
Command is the art of assigning tasks, optimizing resources, controlling subordinates, and directing the force. to their objective. The commander holds authority and responsibility of their force while in command. A commander's willpower, morale, and presence are paramount to the success of a force's operation. Commanding involves competence, intuition, initiative, judgment, character, and the means to gain the trust of his force. You must lead the force to success while safeguarding the lives of your soldiers. No order is more difficult or important than one which risks the lives of soldiers for the state's wellbeing.
Control is the culimination of a commander's decisions and guidance to regulate forces and functions of subordinates for success. If you can say what you intend for the force to do in as few words as possible, then you are practicing effective communication. Your job is to assign troops to tasks using the various strategies--and possibly your own strategies--as the force objective. In order to best explain your orders to your soldiers, it helps to have a guideline available. While Grand Companies and Free Companies may use a different system, I will use METT-TC. This is short for Mission, Enemy, Terrain, Troops, Time, and Civil.
Mission: Clearly state the objective to your force. For example: disrupt the supply lines, take down the vanguard, or maintain a defensive perimeter.
Enemy: State the type of enemy you are encountering. Examples include anything from coeurls to voidsent to Garleans. Try to figure out these things about the enemy: the size of the force, the type of support/weapons they use, the habits they exhibit when attacked, their ability to see at night, and how quickly they can traverse terrain.
Terrain:Are you in the forest, the open plains, or inside of the city? You can set up ambushes if the terrain will allow for it. Look for routes that are available to the enemy and determine if they are advantageous for them.
Troops: Smaller units with the force, squads and platoons, are your ambushing forces. A force that ambushes an enemy should be able to take on a group two to three times its size. Remember to evaluate the terrain and the enemy. Attacking a magitek armor in an open field in daylight is much riskier than if you did the same attack at night.
Time: How long will it take to set up your force? A complex attack may take many bells to complete, while a quick attack may take less than half a bell. How long do you plan to keep the force in place and at what hours of the day? How quickly must you set up? It is ill-advised to set up an ambush at night, even if executed in darkness; it is better for everyone in your force to assemble in daylight.
Civil: Consider procedures or guidelines that your force follows. Determine if situations will involve citizens and/or are non-combat situations.
A command and control system is the resources essential to a commander to plan, direct, and control operations to maximize effectiveness and ensure success. The resources include personnel, communications, equipment, facilities, and procedures. The system must be capable of providing the commander with information to perform his functions, as he is the support of the entire force. While having a system by itself prove beneficial, it is to be used only as support. When a commander issues orders to his subordinates, the subordinates plan and execute the mission and provide feedback to the commander and leaders to make informed decisions on the battlefield. The leaders under a commander should receive rigorous training so they can work together to understand what information he or she deems essential.
Battlefield visualization is the commander's understanding of the relation between the enemy and the environment. The commander examines his environment, determines his objectives, and visualizes the actions the force will take to complete the objective. A commander must have both visualization skills and the ability to communicate his visualizations to his subordinates. If he or she can neither visualize or communicate well, the force will be set below optimal performance.
The following are concepts you must keep in mind while controlling your force:
Force Concentration: Condensing your force to overwhelm a part of the enemy. Effectively managing your force in order to defeat the enemy.
Objective Identification: Objectives should be simple to understand and state exactly what the objective wants to accomplish. Telling a unit to "go to the Carteneau Flats" is not as precise as "go to the Carteneau Flats and secure a supply route." The latter states two things: What the objective is--to secure a supply route--and where the objective takes place--the Carteneau Flats.
Force Protection: The force's need for security. A sentry or reconnaissance personnel give you information to let you prepare for certain, incoming attacks. Even if the force must stop its advance for some time, defensive measures should be taken to safeguard the soldiers.
Force Disperal: Keeping the soldiers of a force spread out. A tightly packed cluster of units will suffer more casualties from magitek cannons that a loose formation.
Terrain: Plan your actions according to the terrain your force will be at. Terrain is a double-edge sword; it is as useful to you as it is your enemies. A choke point is a geographical feature, such as a bridge or valley, that forces units to break or alter formations in order to move through. When at a choke point, the following actions are recommended: take an alternative route around the choke point, fall back and draw the enemy out to fight on ground where you are advantageous, or force the enemy into the choke point.
There is a fundamental difference between a commander and a leader. A commander assigns the tasks and objectives, while the leader completes the tasks and objectives that are assigned. The commander is a strategist while the leader is a tactician. Should a person assume the role of a commander and leader, the force they are in charge of will suffer.
Command is the art of assigning tasks, optimizing resources, controlling subordinates, and directing the force. to their objective. The commander holds authority and responsibility of their force while in command. A commander's willpower, morale, and presence are paramount to the success of a force's operation. Commanding involves competence, intuition, initiative, judgment, character, and the means to gain the trust of his force. You must lead the force to success while safeguarding the lives of your soldiers. No order is more difficult or important than one which risks the lives of soldiers for the state's wellbeing.
Control is the culimination of a commander's decisions and guidance to regulate forces and functions of subordinates for success. If you can say what you intend for the force to do in as few words as possible, then you are practicing effective communication. Your job is to assign troops to tasks using the various strategies--and possibly your own strategies--as the force objective. In order to best explain your orders to your soldiers, it helps to have a guideline available. While Grand Companies and Free Companies may use a different system, I will use METT-TC. This is short for Mission, Enemy, Terrain, Troops, Time, and Civil.
Mission: Clearly state the objective to your force. For example: disrupt the supply lines, take down the vanguard, or maintain a defensive perimeter.
Enemy: State the type of enemy you are encountering. Examples include anything from coeurls to voidsent to Garleans. Try to figure out these things about the enemy: the size of the force, the type of support/weapons they use, the habits they exhibit when attacked, their ability to see at night, and how quickly they can traverse terrain.
Terrain:Are you in the forest, the open plains, or inside of the city? You can set up ambushes if the terrain will allow for it. Look for routes that are available to the enemy and determine if they are advantageous for them.
Troops: Smaller units with the force, squads and platoons, are your ambushing forces. A force that ambushes an enemy should be able to take on a group two to three times its size. Remember to evaluate the terrain and the enemy. Attacking a magitek armor in an open field in daylight is much riskier than if you did the same attack at night.
Time: How long will it take to set up your force? A complex attack may take many bells to complete, while a quick attack may take less than half a bell. How long do you plan to keep the force in place and at what hours of the day? How quickly must you set up? It is ill-advised to set up an ambush at night, even if executed in darkness; it is better for everyone in your force to assemble in daylight.
Civil: Consider procedures or guidelines that your force follows. Determine if situations will involve citizens and/or are non-combat situations.
A command and control system is the resources essential to a commander to plan, direct, and control operations to maximize effectiveness and ensure success. The resources include personnel, communications, equipment, facilities, and procedures. The system must be capable of providing the commander with information to perform his functions, as he is the support of the entire force. While having a system by itself prove beneficial, it is to be used only as support. When a commander issues orders to his subordinates, the subordinates plan and execute the mission and provide feedback to the commander and leaders to make informed decisions on the battlefield. The leaders under a commander should receive rigorous training so they can work together to understand what information he or she deems essential.
Battlefield visualization is the commander's understanding of the relation between the enemy and the environment. The commander examines his environment, determines his objectives, and visualizes the actions the force will take to complete the objective. A commander must have both visualization skills and the ability to communicate his visualizations to his subordinates. If he or she can neither visualize or communicate well, the force will be set below optimal performance.
The following are concepts you must keep in mind while controlling your force:
Force Concentration: Condensing your force to overwhelm a part of the enemy. Effectively managing your force in order to defeat the enemy.
Objective Identification: Objectives should be simple to understand and state exactly what the objective wants to accomplish. Telling a unit to "go to the Carteneau Flats" is not as precise as "go to the Carteneau Flats and secure a supply route." The latter states two things: What the objective is--to secure a supply route--and where the objective takes place--the Carteneau Flats.
Force Protection: The force's need for security. A sentry or reconnaissance personnel give you information to let you prepare for certain, incoming attacks. Even if the force must stop its advance for some time, defensive measures should be taken to safeguard the soldiers.
Force Disperal: Keeping the soldiers of a force spread out. A tightly packed cluster of units will suffer more casualties from magitek cannons that a loose formation.
Terrain: Plan your actions according to the terrain your force will be at. Terrain is a double-edge sword; it is as useful to you as it is your enemies. A choke point is a geographical feature, such as a bridge or valley, that forces units to break or alter formations in order to move through. When at a choke point, the following actions are recommended: take an alternative route around the choke point, fall back and draw the enemy out to fight on ground where you are advantageous, or force the enemy into the choke point.
Reconnaissance: Part of "Force Protection" above. Have reliable information at all times and know who--or what--is around your force. To know both your force and the enemy's force is to achieve victory.
Deception: Deploying a tactic purposefully designed to make the enemy react in a certain manner. Effective deception is worth the weight of over five times your force's size in combat.
Repletion: Repeating the same tactic or fight in excess. You must avoid repeating your strategies in subsequent battles, lest the enemy figures out a way to counter. Should your force be drawn into a similar fight, pull back and gain the advantage.
Irregular Warfare: Tactics that are abnormal, or not often implemented. This may include setting up your soldiers at a certain location ahead of time to prepare for your arrival or disabling an enemy's advantage before they use it against you.
A commander has multiple offensive and defensive strategies at his or her disposal. You must carefully consider which strategy to employ and when to employ the strategy. The correct strategy executed at the wrong time, or the wrong strategy executed at the right time, can still lead to failure. The weather, the terrain, the force's discipline, and the force's leadership are all factors that weigh in on your success. The longer your force takes to complete an operation, the more ineffective they become. An expedient force is an effective force.
Before I discuss many of the offensive strategies available to you, I will tell you some of the fundamentals of an offense:
Surprise: As explored with "Deception" earlier, a force can achieve surprise by attacking the enemy force when they do not expect it. Unpredictability and boldness may turn a disadvantageous situation into an advantageous situation.
Concentration: A force can achieve concentration when they amass strength and numbers into one place.
Tempo: The rate at which actions are performed. Tempo is both a concept in music and in warfare. In warfare, tempo is used to either control or alter the rate to grant an initiative. Though commanders may prefer their troops to work quickly, working too quickly will fatigue your soldiers, stretch your force, and reduce your overall effectiveness in combat.
Audacity: Boldly executing a plan or action. Leaders from the squad up must know what the plan is for bold actions to succeed. Should all leaders not be aware of the plan, you will cause confusion within your force and allow the enemy an opportunity to strike.
The goal of an offensive strategy is to attack or weaken your enemy. Sometimes, it is as simple as attacking the enemy right in front of you. Please note that some of these strategies are currently theories and may not have been used by a Grand Company in Eorzea yet.
Attrition: In attrition, your force will seek to defeat the enemy by wearing them down through steady depletion of their supplies and soldiers. The side that begins with more resources--and more effectively uses them--is usually the victor. Attrition is typically a last resort, as you are want to more carelessly expend your own resources, and can contradict the commander's goal to optimize resources for the force. It is advised to only be used when all other options have either failed or are not feasible. Should both sides be evenly matched, a victory can be achieved, but the cost of victory for the victorious may resemble a defeat instead--a Pyrrhic victory, as it is so eloquently called.
Deception: Deploying a tactic purposefully designed to make the enemy react in a certain manner. Effective deception is worth the weight of over five times your force's size in combat.
Repletion: Repeating the same tactic or fight in excess. You must avoid repeating your strategies in subsequent battles, lest the enemy figures out a way to counter. Should your force be drawn into a similar fight, pull back and gain the advantage.
Irregular Warfare: Tactics that are abnormal, or not often implemented. This may include setting up your soldiers at a certain location ahead of time to prepare for your arrival or disabling an enemy's advantage before they use it against you.
A commander has multiple offensive and defensive strategies at his or her disposal. You must carefully consider which strategy to employ and when to employ the strategy. The correct strategy executed at the wrong time, or the wrong strategy executed at the right time, can still lead to failure. The weather, the terrain, the force's discipline, and the force's leadership are all factors that weigh in on your success. The longer your force takes to complete an operation, the more ineffective they become. An expedient force is an effective force.
Before I discuss many of the offensive strategies available to you, I will tell you some of the fundamentals of an offense:
Surprise: As explored with "Deception" earlier, a force can achieve surprise by attacking the enemy force when they do not expect it. Unpredictability and boldness may turn a disadvantageous situation into an advantageous situation.
Concentration: A force can achieve concentration when they amass strength and numbers into one place.
Tempo: The rate at which actions are performed. Tempo is both a concept in music and in warfare. In warfare, tempo is used to either control or alter the rate to grant an initiative. Though commanders may prefer their troops to work quickly, working too quickly will fatigue your soldiers, stretch your force, and reduce your overall effectiveness in combat.
Audacity: Boldly executing a plan or action. Leaders from the squad up must know what the plan is for bold actions to succeed. Should all leaders not be aware of the plan, you will cause confusion within your force and allow the enemy an opportunity to strike.
The goal of an offensive strategy is to attack or weaken your enemy. Sometimes, it is as simple as attacking the enemy right in front of you. Please note that some of these strategies are currently theories and may not have been used by a Grand Company in Eorzea yet.
Attrition: In attrition, your force will seek to defeat the enemy by wearing them down through steady depletion of their supplies and soldiers. The side that begins with more resources--and more effectively uses them--is usually the victor. Attrition is typically a last resort, as you are want to more carelessly expend your own resources, and can contradict the commander's goal to optimize resources for the force. It is advised to only be used when all other options have either failed or are not feasible. Should both sides be evenly matched, a victory can be achieved, but the cost of victory for the victorious may resemble a defeat instead--a Pyrrhic victory, as it is so eloquently called.
Bait and bleed: A strategy where the enemy of your enemy becomes your friend. Businessmen may use this strategy to let their rival competitors fight each other, only to take the profits from under their noses. In warfare, this tactic pits your enemy against another force in a war of attrition, widdling down their forces for you.
Blockade (Siege): A tactic employed more often by the Maelstrom than the other Grand Companies due to their naval strength, this is an attempt to cut off supply routes to a certain area through force.
Counter-offensive: A strategic offensive that takes place after an enemy's offensive has been halted and before they may retreat back to a defensive position. The objectives that a commander assigns in a counter-offensive are more specific compared to other strategies.
Denial: A force seeks to destroy the enemy's ability to wage war. This can be done by wiping out the enemy, destroying all of their supplies, or repossessing their weapons.
Encirclement (Envelopment):Â The force isolates and surrounds the enemy force. It is recommend that you allow some path of escape for the enemy, lest their morale increases and they begin to act out of desperation.
Blockade (Siege): A tactic employed more often by the Maelstrom than the other Grand Companies due to their naval strength, this is an attempt to cut off supply routes to a certain area through force.
Counter-offensive: A strategic offensive that takes place after an enemy's offensive has been halted and before they may retreat back to a defensive position. The objectives that a commander assigns in a counter-offensive are more specific compared to other strategies.
Denial: A force seeks to destroy the enemy's ability to wage war. This can be done by wiping out the enemy, destroying all of their supplies, or repossessing their weapons.
Encirclement (Envelopment):Â The force isolates and surrounds the enemy force. It is recommend that you allow some path of escape for the enemy, lest their morale increases and they begin to act out of desperation.
Feint: Your force draws the attention of the enemy to a different location where there is little action present. Useful for when you wish to lure an enemy into a trap of your own making.
Flank: The force attacks the opponent from the side or the rear. The most commonly seen example of a flank is how a Lancer fights; they direct their attacks at the side or rear of an opponent's body to inflict the most damage possible.
Indirect approach: Moving your troops in a straight line makes you very predictable. The goal of an indirect approach is to adjust the ends to your means and exploit the line of least expection and resistance. If an indirect approach fails the first time, do not repeat the attack in the same location.
Infiltration: Moving your force undetected into an area occupied by the enemy to gain an advantage. Typically seen within reconnaisse forces, but can be done with forces of many types.
Penetration: Attacking force attempts to break through the enemy's defensive line, typically on a narrow front.
Pincer attack: A U-shaped attack that forces the enemy to attack a unit at the center, with your own forces ambushing from the side.
Shock and Awe: A force uses overwhelming power to achieve a rapid victory over their enemies. This is effective if done properly; if done improperly, you expend more resources and men and may be placed on the defensive after the assault.
Swarming: Using a decentralized force against an enemy to increase mobility, autonomy, and coordination among your force. As the battle goes on, the chaos will break down communication among all soldiers and it will take far more effort to re-organize a decentralized force compared to a centralized force.
Troop Surge (Reinforce): Sending a large number of troops to bolster your forces to overcome the enemy.
Defensive strategies are used to protect your own force. One defensive strategy we've covered earlier is the use of choke points in the terrain. Like the offensive strategies, some of these strategies exist in theory and have likely not been put into practice within a Grand Company.
Defense in depth: The force attempts to delay the enemy instead of preventing their advance. While this strategy reduces enemy momentum, it comes at the price of additional casualties. Defense in depth can be executed by a smaller force over a large area to stress the enemy and allow for counter-attacks at a later time.
Fortification: The use of a structure to provide protection for the force. Can range from geographical features such as rocks to houses within the cities.
'Fabian' strategy: Through the use of attrition and indirection, the force depletes the enemy through small skirmishes to disrupt supply and decrease morale. Like attrition, employing this strategy is recommended if no other feasible options are present. Additionally, the strategy only works when time is on your side. The great advantage is that you may execute this action with a significantly smaller force compared to the enemy.
Scorched 'world': The destruction of anything that the enemy may use, whether you are retreating or advancing. This is a tactic with more destructive potential for both sides than attrition. Not only do you destroy the enemy force, but you also destroy the land that you walk upon.
Turtling: You continously reinforce the front line of your force until it is at fighting strength, then launch an attack.
Withdrawl: Retreating from the enemy while still maintaining contact. An example of this. You are together with a band of archers and are facing a small squad of pugilists. Conducting a withdrawl allows your archers to attack the enemy from distance--maintaining contact--while you are directing your forces away from the battle zone.
Flank: The force attacks the opponent from the side or the rear. The most commonly seen example of a flank is how a Lancer fights; they direct their attacks at the side or rear of an opponent's body to inflict the most damage possible.
Indirect approach: Moving your troops in a straight line makes you very predictable. The goal of an indirect approach is to adjust the ends to your means and exploit the line of least expection and resistance. If an indirect approach fails the first time, do not repeat the attack in the same location.
Infiltration: Moving your force undetected into an area occupied by the enemy to gain an advantage. Typically seen within reconnaisse forces, but can be done with forces of many types.
Penetration: Attacking force attempts to break through the enemy's defensive line, typically on a narrow front.
Pincer attack: A U-shaped attack that forces the enemy to attack a unit at the center, with your own forces ambushing from the side.
Shock and Awe: A force uses overwhelming power to achieve a rapid victory over their enemies. This is effective if done properly; if done improperly, you expend more resources and men and may be placed on the defensive after the assault.
Swarming: Using a decentralized force against an enemy to increase mobility, autonomy, and coordination among your force. As the battle goes on, the chaos will break down communication among all soldiers and it will take far more effort to re-organize a decentralized force compared to a centralized force.
Troop Surge (Reinforce): Sending a large number of troops to bolster your forces to overcome the enemy.
Defensive strategies are used to protect your own force. One defensive strategy we've covered earlier is the use of choke points in the terrain. Like the offensive strategies, some of these strategies exist in theory and have likely not been put into practice within a Grand Company.
Defense in depth: The force attempts to delay the enemy instead of preventing their advance. While this strategy reduces enemy momentum, it comes at the price of additional casualties. Defense in depth can be executed by a smaller force over a large area to stress the enemy and allow for counter-attacks at a later time.
Fortification: The use of a structure to provide protection for the force. Can range from geographical features such as rocks to houses within the cities.
'Fabian' strategy: Through the use of attrition and indirection, the force depletes the enemy through small skirmishes to disrupt supply and decrease morale. Like attrition, employing this strategy is recommended if no other feasible options are present. Additionally, the strategy only works when time is on your side. The great advantage is that you may execute this action with a significantly smaller force compared to the enemy.
Scorched 'world': The destruction of anything that the enemy may use, whether you are retreating or advancing. This is a tactic with more destructive potential for both sides than attrition. Not only do you destroy the enemy force, but you also destroy the land that you walk upon.
Turtling: You continously reinforce the front line of your force until it is at fighting strength, then launch an attack.
Withdrawl: Retreating from the enemy while still maintaining contact. An example of this. You are together with a band of archers and are facing a small squad of pugilists. Conducting a withdrawl allows your archers to attack the enemy from distance--maintaining contact--while you are directing your forces away from the battle zone.
This case covers the basics of what a commander has at their disposal and what their responsibilites are in battle. Simply reading this case will not make you a commander; you must undergo rigorous training and acquire more knowledge if you wish to achieve that position.
