A military revival (Closed, ATTN: Lyras)
During a formal report on Defense Ministry affairs to the Lamonian Chamber of Deputies, General Hamsher touched on the topic of the Lyran military equipment that had been purchased. He had had to get the approval of the Chamber to actually purchase the equipment, but now it looked like they had forgotten about training. Or so it seemed; until the General revealed that he had sent a message to Lyras' Colonel Krell about the matter.
She had sent a message back, the General reported, and a company of Lyran OPFOR would be arriving in the Free Republic shortly in order to begin training the newly equipped Lamonian Army into a truly world class fighting force. This was greeted with a massive cheer from the assembled Deputies, who had watched the Free Republic's military stature shrink with it's economy. Finally, something was being done about it.
Captain Lachlan had been more than a little surprised at his departure from Sumer. He'd only been in Sumer three weeks in the first instance, before Colonel Krell sent him packing.
Initially, he'd been concerned. His building rapport with the colonel had been setting his mind at ease, but the sudden and unheralded order to take his company to Lamoni, and commence instruction of their armed forces had shaken him, coming as it had so soon after the almost intimate conversation they'd shared concerning Lady Arwia of Sumer.
While his fears had been eased by the warm farewell the colonel had given him, she had told him that he was to be headed into uncharted waters, as it were.
With this haunting his conscience, he'd made his preparations, his company departing the next day.
The plane would cross into Lamonian airspace in about twenty minutes, if his calculations were correct.
General Allen Hamsher was awaiting the Lyran aircraft at Government AFB in the Lamonian capitol of Nephi. The Lamonian Intelligence Agency (LIA) had not been able to find out much about Captain Lachlan, but Lyras had never previously been a high priority for them; given the fact that until the purchase from Lyran Arms, there had never been any contact between the two nations. What the report did state was that the Captain was a capable and competent officer in the Lyran Army.
In the control tower, permission had been granted for the Lyran aircraft to enter Lamonian airspace. A RADAR check had shown nothing alarming, but nervous air defense staff continued to keep an eye on the aircraft until it touched down on Lamonian soil. After the aircraft had come to a stop, and the door was opened, a set of mobile stairs was moved to the aircraft in order for the passengers to debark. Waiting a respectful distance from the bottom of the stairs, General Hamsher performed a last minute check of the line of soldiers who were part of the official welcoming party. An Army band was starting to play the Lyran national anthem, and the General turned his attention back to the plane.
The welcome was rousing and Captain Lachlan was a little taken aback. Lyrans rarely stood on ceremony, considering it wasteful. That didn't mean they didn't appreciate it, or the effort on their behalf that it represented.
He bent to get his head out from the aircraft's door, before stretching back up to his full 6'10 height. His black peaked cap was tucked under his arm, to avoid the ever present danger of wind sucking it off and into some aircraft's engine.
His men were behind him, and the press was starting to encourage him forward. He walked out onto and down the ramp, the strains of "In defence of the weak, undaunted" playing from the Lamonian army band.
As Captain Lachlan stepped onto Lamonian soil, General Hamsher stepped up and saluted him.
"Welcome to the Free Republic, Captain. Accommodations have been made for yourself and your entire OPFOR company in the BOQ quarters here on the base. You'll have exclusive use of an AS 332L2 Super Puma Mk 2 helicopter, with which to observe the exercises; as well as travel to them. We will even provide pilots for the helicopter, if you wish. Now, shall we get your gear squared away?"
The captain, more than slightly surprised at being saluted by a general, returned the gesture, standing loosely at ease once he had done so.
"Yes, sir, thank you. It is a pleasure to be here, and we are looking forward to working with you and your men. With us we have also brought a batch of AR-44s, and we hope to let your folks have a play with them, and see what they think."
He waved to one of his lieutenants, and pointed at the gear. The lieutenant nodded, and turned back into the plane to organise a work detail. Or, more likely, find a sergeant to organise a work detail.
Captain Lachlan turned back to the general.
"What is first on the plan then, sir?"
OCC:
Lamonian Army dress uniform: http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p281/matt518672/cqcf-06.jpg
Lamonian Army BDU (Woodland pattern): http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p281/matt518672/BDUs-camo.jpg
Major General shoulder boards for dress uniform: http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p281/matt518672/57px-SWE-Army-OF7.png
---
IC: "Captain, I would like you to work with our six Armor divisions first; training our men in the use of the LY4A1 MBT's. Then, we can work with the Mechanized Infantry, helicopters, artillery, and air defense, in that order. Another major concern is training our men and women to become a fully integrated force. I would also like to personally test out one of the AR-44's that you have brought along (OOC: once I get the stats, anyway).
If you'll follow me, you can meet with the Major Generals in charge of our six armor divisions."
General Hamsher started leading the way toward a group of six men dressed in dress uniforms indicative of their rank.
OOC: Yeesh, those AR-44 stats... I really should get on to Asgarnieu to fix that page...
IC:
Captain Lachlan followed the general, towards the clump of personnel in dress uniform. Most appeared shorter than he at this distance, but that was in itself unsurprising. Answering Hamsher, he said;
"No worries at all, sir. As you can probably tell, I am an infantryman myself, although the unit is well mixed. I would be happy to give you folks a run down on the AR-44 as well, although, to be frank, if you aren't using 6.8 x 42mm, it is not a regular calibre. Having said that, you now have a bucket load of LY19s, which were designed to use the same calibre. Makes the whole-of-war logistics train that much easier."
The last verse of "In defence of the weak, undaunted" was coming to a close, as the two men neared the six other Lamonian personnel.
"Yes," General Hamsher said, "the side with the simplest logistics and better intelligence always wins. If you know what is coming at you, and your weapons are ready, then you will win."
The two came to a halt in front of the six Major Generals. As one, they saluted the Captain, acknowledging him as they would anyone one in charge of a military diplomatic group.
General Hamsher kept talking. "Starting from the left, these gentlemen are Major Generals Watson, Hiltman, Koren, Jaxson, Soran, and Ryan. As mentioned earlier, they command the six armor divisions that Lyras has allowed us to purchase. They are six of the best younger Generals in the Lamonian Army, with some of them having been transfered over from the mostly defunct Lamonian Marine Corps (OOC: the Lamonian Marine Corps now only performs embassy protection duties; and are only a semi-military branch of service). You should have no problems with them. I think that I shall leave them in your capable hands for now; I have other duties to attend to. If you have problems or questions that I can answer, let me know."
With that, General Hamsher walked off; leaving the Lyran Captain with the 6 Major Generals.
OOC: Specs to AR44
Length:44 Inches
Weight: 10.7 Pounds (4.85kg)
Caliber: 6.8mm x 42mm Remington SPC Hydra Shok 115 Gr.
Ammo Types:
6.8mm Kinetic Energy/Armor Piercing, 6.8mm Hollow-Point, 6.8mm Ball, 6.8mm Tracer, 6.8mm Frangible, 6.8mm APT
Magazine Capacity:
Rifle: 36
Shotgun: 5+1
Operation System: Gas-Operated, Air-Cooled
Fire Control Selection: Safe-Semi-Auto
Trigger Pull: 2.1 Pounds
Secondary Caliber: 12 Gauge
Sight System: Iron: Rear:V-Notch
Front: Blade
Secondary sighting system:Most conventional scopes (TMFBS in Lyran versions)
RIS Systems:
4 Rails (Top, Bottom, Left, Right; Additional Rails can be added at user's discresion)
Stock: T-66L/AA
Materials Used:Titanium, Steel, Composite Materials
The captain returned the salute, and nodded in acknowledgement to Hamsher as the general withdrew.
Facing the divisional commanders of the six armoured divisions, he began to address them.
"Gentlemen, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. If you have no objection, I'd like to settle in to the facilities we'll use for the coming exercises. Do you intend to start with anti-armour engagements, or armour vs something else, and what scenario?"
OOC: You still haven't confirmed my order, but i'd like to add the AR-44 to it anyway. Just wan those two details taken care of for RP purposes.
IC: Major General Ryan answered the Captain. "We would like to begin with Anti-Armor engagements. During our last major war, we simply didn't have the armor that we needed to fight against an enemy equipped with Crookfur designed T-7 Gilgamesh MBTs. We had to resort to old fashioned infantry versus tank tactics, and lost a lot of men as a result. That experience was one of the reasons that the Lamonian Army started looking at purchasing equipment from Lyran Arms. We were captivated by the LY4 Wolfhound, but by the time that we got approval to purchase them, Lyran Arms had already come out with the LY4A1. So, that is what we purchased, along with the other equipment.
So yes, we would like to begin with Anti-Armor engagements."
OOC: Haven't I? That's more than a little remiss of me... Will do so...
Captain Lachlan nodded at General Ryan's words. They were so reminiscent of what had been feared would be the case shortly after the Protectorate's formation. The spectre of massed armoured attack against an ineffective and under-equipped Lyran army was what had spurred on the development of the LY2 Mastiff... that very point, and the ensuing history, was the primary content of what would be the captain's first lecture.
“We certainly know what you mean, sir. A generation ago, in our case, and well before we built the LY3, let alone the Wolfhounds. But the Ode recalls it well enough.”
He looked up and back, and saw Lieutenant Forrestal wave to him. Although not particularly precise, the man's indication was clear enough... they were off the plane. Captain Lachlan looked back to the six major generals in front of him. Despite Lachlan being the very large man that he was, the dizzying number of stars on the shoulder boards around him made him a trifle uncomfortable.
He'd have to get used to it. If he was to be the senior officer of this detachment, as indeed he was, he'd be the one talking to the brass. And arrayed around him were people that very much constituted top brass. Divisional commanders all. What was he, a company commander, doing presuming to lecture to them?
A sharp mental reprimand, strangely delivered in the recalled voice of Colonel Krell, brought him quickly back to reality. He remembered her words to him. “I have every confidence in you, Aidan. I wouldn't be sending you if I didn't. You know it to. So keep your chin up, and don't even think about making a fool out of me.”
He had no intention of making a fool out of that woman. He took perverse comfort from her well known brilliance and fiery personality. She couldn't stand fools, and if she'd expressed confidence in him, well, he may just have it in him after all.
Plus, if nothing else, she tended to take very poorly to being made a fool of...
“Sirs, it has been a genuine pleasure. I am very much looking forward to the commencement of training shortly. If you have no objections, I'd like to present a series of instructional lectures for all of your personnel of battalion commander rank or above. These lectures would cover the events which have formulated Lyran anti-armour doctrine, and how it works in operation. When that's done, we'll cover the impact of combined arms on the anti-armour operational context. With your leave, I'll see to my company's rations and quartering, and will meet you at the exercise and training areas.”
Major General Ryan was impressed by the efficiency displayed by the Lyran Captain so far. "We have no objections at this time, Captain. I know that you must be a very busy man; so we will have the requested personell ready and waiting for you. Talk to me again later, and I can arrange for a place for your lectures to take place."
Here, the Major General thought that officers of the rank of Lt. Colonel or higher would listen to the man's lectures.
When the Captain left, the Major Generals all thought that he sounded like he knew what he was doing, and left for the their respective duties.
OOC: Please excuse a number of liberties with the narrative.
The captain, left to his own devices as he had been, made his way over to Lieutenant Forrestal, waiting nearby in a Fox 4x4 that had been made available to the unit.
"How are the generals, sir?" Forrestal asked as Lachlan got in.
"Seem reasonable enough. Hamsher is switched on, and Ryan certainly is not far behind, if at all. I am looking forward to the challenge."
"It is likely to be interesting, sir, even if nothing else. To the lines?"
"Yeah, please. Let us get settled in. Give everyone until 0730h tomorrow, let them relax and sleep off the jetlag."
Forrestal's raised eyebrow showed what he thought of the time lost. Lachlan waved him off.
"There will be plenty of chance to show the Lamonians how tough we are. For now, let us ensure that we are well rested, and able to perform at our optimum. Also, while I think of it, could you please put out a memo requesting a briefing to all personnel undergoing anti-armour theory training to be at the lecture theatre... which I want you to find, by the way, at 0900h tomorrow."
"All of them, sir?"
"Every single one. We are going to give them a brief history lesson, discuss the ramifications, and then get stuck in."
Forrestal pressed down on the accelerator, and the vehicle started to move, peeling left and heading out in the direction the coaches had taken the rest of the company.
"No worries, sir. First thoughts of Nephi?"
Lachlan barked out a short laugh.
"Other than it being about 40 degrees colder than Sumer, you mean?"
Forrestal laughed, as the pair caught up with the convoy heading towards the quarters allocated to the unit on the sprawling base.
"Hope their beds are long enough..."
(OOC: i'm going to take some liberties here as well)
Major General Ryan was seated in General Hamsher's office, waiting for the General to come back from more than one of the myriad of tasks that occupied a man of his rank.
When the General arrived, Ryan tried to stand at attention, but Gen. Hamsher waved him back down. "So, Major General, what is your first impression of this Lyran Captain Lachlan?"
The other man who had come in with Gen. Hamsher made a soft coughing noise, reminding everyone that he was there.
"Oh yes," Gen. Hamsher said, "you may call this gentleman Agent Hawkstone. As you may have surmised, that is not his real name, which is classified. He is from LIA; assigned to keep an eye on our Lyran 'guests.' "
Hawkstone nodded. "We won't be doing anything untoward with the Lyrans, Mj. General, but what we are going to be doing is classified. Anyway, be so kind as to answer the General's question, Mj. General."
'Bloody useless spies...' Ryan thought before giving his answer. "Captain Lachlan strikes me as a competent soldier. He seemed a little uneasy with having senior officers salute him, but I don't think that i'd care to face him on the other side of a war. We'll see more of what he is made of during his lectures, I think. He is part and parcel of the Lyran system, and we shall see him in action both in the lecture hall and in the field."
OOC to Lamoni: Easter has me tied up... will respond tomorrow.
Come 0850 the next day, Captain Lachlan was standing in the lecture room of the annex prepared for the seminars. His notes were extensive, but he was grappling with exactly how to espouse them. Even now, with less than 10 minutes to go, he had his doubts. Still, he would. May have had something to do with smacking his head on the door on the way in as well.
He'd missed his morning run, and while Lieutenant Forrestal had been more than able to handle directing the physical training, Lachlan felt restless because of it. He'd spent nigh on every morning of the past twenty years (that he hadn't been on exercise) doing PT, and it was just... wrong... or something.
No doubt Forrestal would encourage him to make reveille earlier tomorrow, to allow everyone, himself included, to get the benefit of the extra time.
Probably a good idea, Lachlan thought. But better he start the day restless than the whole company be jetlagged.
The first of the Lamonians began to arrive.
The Lamonian officers started arriving at the Lecture Hall in twos and threes at first; and then the rest came in bigger groups, mostly with the others from their divisions. All of the officers involved were at least a Lt. Colonel, and all six of the Major Generals in charge of Lamoni's armored divisions had shown up as well.
When everyone had been settled into place, everyone stopped talking (military personell being more disciplined in general than most civilians); and they waited for the lecture to begin.
At the hush, the captain began to speak. He didn't use a microphone. The room had a little over fifty people in it (OOC: number of officers of LTCOL rank or above in 6 armoured divisions...), but he had never had the slightest worry with voice projection.
"Good morning, sirs. As I'm sure you are all aware, I am Captain Aidan Lachlan, officer commanding Lyran OPFOR detachment to Lamoni. For the next few hours, I will be giving you a necessarily brief run down on the nature of anti-armour tactics, from the perspective of an armoured divisional formation."
He cleared his through, and moved out from behind the lectern, leaving his notes behind.
"Before we begin, I'll introduce myself, and my background more fully. I am a Lyran. Some of you may think this is a fairly obvious situation, and you would be right. But I say that because it is, in itself, important."
His eyes scanned the room. It had been an unusual opening, and he didn't expect it to be recieved with complete equanimity.
"It is important because, as a Lyran, war is my purpose. It is our reason for being, it is what focuses us and defines us as a people, as a culture, as a race and as a state. As I'm sure you can see, I am taller than most people."
He waved his left arm down his body, indicating again his 6'10 figure.
"That is a situation common to Lyran infantry. Not because we are selected for service based upon our size, but because, as Lyrans, we are born to parents who are infantry, thereby making us far more likely to be selected as infantry. Lieutenant Forrestal, who you will meet tomorrow, is an armoured officer. He is probably closer to your average height. But he's still notably larger than the average non-Lyran."
Puzzlement abounded.
"Why do I tell you this? Because as Lyrans, we are born to this. Our state, and our culture embrace war as the only calling. Every man, woman and child is brought up to this, and to honour and duty as our right, our priviledge and our responsibility."
He looked them square in the eyes.
"You are not. You are volunteers from a populace who will sometimes scorn you, and sometimes praise you. Who will watch your every move with critical eyes, and then fall down and howl in derision if you do not save them when the skies fall in. Yet, for all this, you are volunteers. You step forward and determine what is right, just and honourable, and in this, sirs, you all have my sincerest and deepest respect."
You could have heard a pin drop from the Lamonians in the room; there were paying rapt attention to what Captain Lachlan was saying.
As had been stated, they had all volunteered to be where they were, and they would do everything in their power to defend the nation that they loved. Not all of these officers had been born in Lamoni, but each of them had come to love the Free Republic and what it stood for. All of them had also been through the strictest security checks possible; and there had been nothing in any of their backgrounds that would suggest anything but loyalty to the Free Republic.
Captain Lachlan held the pause a little longer, then continued.
“I do not presume to teach you how to fight. You can do that yourself, and perfectly well, I would imagine. I will not presume to lecture you on how to think. You can think fine on your own also.”
He cast his eyes across the room, meeting gazes where he could.
“What I will do is talk to you, explain to you and show to you, how we of Lyras fight.”
Letting that dawn, he concluded his opening.
“Does anyone have any questions for me, before we go on? I open the floor. Any questions at all. Now is your chance.”
One or two of the people in the room looked around at everyone else in the room, but it seemed that no one had any questions. That likely meant that everyone wanted to get on with what they were there for... to learn what they could from Captain Lachlan, and figure out how to apply those lessons on the battlefield.
With this in mind, on of the others in the room gave the Captain the go ahead to continue speaking.
OOC: O Lyras, where art thou?
OOC: I'm in Mittagong, typing this from an internet connection in a church office... Responses may be slower than usual until Monday.
Captain Lachlan noticed the absence of questions. To be frank, however, he hadn't expected any. So, he continued.
"First, what is a tank?"
He turned on a lectern, showing a picture of an old British Challenger 2.
"This is a tank, generically speaking."
He paused, allowing them to examine the image. However, these were not raw recruits, so it wouldn't hold their attention long, and that Lachlan was well aware of.
"Chances are good that you will not find yourself fighting Challenger 2s, of course..."
He moved back behind the lectern, and held it on either side.
"A tank, in the widest sense of the word, will provide an army with mobile and protected firepower. They can strike hard, and fast, and they can be used to great effect, especially against undertrained, underequipped or underprepared forces."
He tried to meet the gaze of as many in the room as he could, before he made his next point.
"I will not let that be you."
"The tank is widely accepted as being the primary element of mobile ground-based striking power. There is, of course, some dispute about this, but in a general sense, that is the Lyran perception. Thus, how to combat it is a very high priority. There are, again generally speaking, several ways to defeat the main battle tank. Just to get the ball rolling, can anyone give me an example?"
One of the Lt. Colonels in the back replied, "Anti-tank mines are one method of defeating even the most modern Main Battle Tank. They are simple enough in concept; you have the device create a shaped explosion that shoots upward through the thinner armor on the bottom of the tank. And, Anti-Tank Mines are very difficult to spot, as they are camouflaged by the ground that they are normally buried in."
"Good, and good example for the point I'm about to make. AT-mines are nasty, and often work in your favour, even without killing a single tank."
He nodded his thanks to the Lieutenant Colonel, and continued.
"The MBT, in its current form, has three strengths that, together, make it effective on the battlefield. Protection, number one. Mobility, number two. Firepower, number three. So, to neutralise a main battle tank as a threat, you remove one or more of those points. We have had one example, the AT-mine. That could, conceptually at least, do all three at the same time. But there is a little more I am getting at. Think a little outside the box. How do you neutralise that vehicle?"
Another Lt. Colonel spoke up. "There are several ways. AT mines, AT missiles, and even a better tank holding well trained crews. The surest way of stopping a Tank is another tank. Since both tanks have roughly the same advantages, they can cancel each other out to the degree that the better crew will normally win."
Lachlan nodded at the man. He, also, was right, but not in the way that Lachlan had in mind.
"Right again. In a tactical sense, all these things work to defeat tanks. But that is not really where I am going. So, here is what I mean. What I am about to tell you will hopefully give you something to think about when analysing a combat situation."
He adjusted his notes, and continued.
"To do that, there are four concepts I want to introduce. The first is 'centre of gravity'. The second is 'critical capability'. The third is 'critical requirement', and the fourth is 'critical vulnerability'. Some of these concepts you may have encountered before, others not, or perhaps all of them, at some point. But that is not important. Hopefully, this will show you how we consider military objectives, and go about meeting them."
Lachlan moved out around the lectern.
"Centre of gravity is perhaps the least intuitive element of the four we are going to cover. The old United States defined it as 'those characteristics, capabilities, or locations from which a military force derives its freedom of action, physical strength, or will to fight.'
Therefore, in general terms, the center of gravity is usually seen as the "fundamental strength". Accordingly, a military force tends to look for a single center of gravity, normally manifesting as the principal capability that stands in the way of the accomplishment of its own mission. In short, a "friendly" CoG is that element—a characteristic, locality, or capability—that renders one's own or allied forces the ability to accomplish their objectives. On the other hand, an opponent's CoG is that element that prevents friendly forces from accomplishing those selfsame objectives."
He cleared his throat.
"To quote von Clausewitz 'In countries subject to domestic strife, the center of gravity is generally the capital. In small countries that rely on large ones, it is usually the army of their protector. Among alliances, it lies in the community of interest, and in popular uprisings it is the personalities of the leaders and public opinion.'"
Lachlan paused, and made his point.
"To defeat an enemy, you must defeat his centre of gravity. Questions?"
No one had any questions, so the room was quite still for the amount of time before Captain Lachlan would choose to continue his lecture.
"None? Good. Once an assessment of the centre of gravity is made, the decision making process then moves on to assess critical capabilities. Critical capabilities are defined as 'a crucial enabler for a center of gravity to function as such and is essential to the accomplishment of the specified or assumed objective(s).'"
He smiled a little, before commenting.
"But I dislike that definition. It seems to say a lot of words, without giving much information. Essentially, a critical capability is the quality that the centre of gravity has that makes the centre of gravity viable."
Lachlan paused.
"Confused? I know I was when I learned this for the first time. Let me give an example. Hopefully one which you will find pertinent...
Let us take, for example, a hostile armoured division. It's centre of gravity is, for this example anyway, the tanks themselves. What are their critical capabilities? Should be three points we have heard recently..."
"Protection, Mobility, and Firepower," said one of the Brigadier Generals.
Lachlan's face broke into a smile, which it tended to do more easily than most Lyrans.
"Spot on, sir. The critical capabilities of the MBT are indeed mobility, protection and firepower."
He looked up from the brigadier that had spoken, and took in the room again.
"Given that we have established that those three points are the critical capabilities of an MBT, our next step is to examine the critical requirements of those capabilities. The name should be a bit of a giveaway, but the technically speaking, critical requirements are that which is required for the critical capabilities to function.
For instance, in this example, each of the tank's three critical capabilities have their own set of critical requirements. For mobility, requirements include functioning tracks, trained crew, fuel, terrain compatibility, and, I'm sure, others. For firepower, a tank requires satisfactory engagement envelopes, target identification, appropriate armament, ammunition, and adequate rules of engagement. For protection, it needs armour, support, cover and firepower supremacy."
He paused again.
"Do any other points spring to mind?"
Another officer spoke up. "A tank also needs intelligence on the enemy's location, else all the protection and firepower in the world won't be enough when the enemy has surprised you."
"Yes, thank you sir, intelligence is always a critical requirement. It is a pretty broad category, and can usually be broken down more specifically depending on what combat level you are referring to, but in a broad sense, you could not be more correct."
He paused, waiting for any further points, and, seeing none, he went on.
"Once the critical requirements have been determined, the next step is to determine critical vulnerabilities. Critical vulnerabilities are an aspect of a critical requirement which is deficient or vulnerable to direct or indirect attack that will create decisive or significant effects."
He stopped, and a wide grin split his face.
"This is the bit I like... what we have to do, as commanders, is assess how to hit those critical vulnerabilities. A note of caution. Critical vulnerabilities are things that can be targetted. So, for example, if we happen to know that a particular type of tank includes a sensor suite that is abnormally sensitive to electromagnetic interference, we could conclude that we could blind the tank, neutralising its firepower, by use of an EMP. If, however, we are commanding a light infantry battalion, and have no access to an EMP, than that is not a critical vulnerability, as it cannot be targetted."
Another pause.
"With me? Let us illustrate with an example. If a tank has a critical capability of mobility, and that has a critical requirement of navigable terrain, if we engage somewhere where the terrain is not navigable, we have struck a decisive blow, right there. Unable to manoeuver effectively, we are then able to increase our operational tempo and reach a more advantageous firing position, which is a blow to the critical requirements of both cover and armour."
He cast his eyes across the audience, all but sure that he was hearing pennies drop.
"You will then notice, I will gather, that you have, in the process of undermining the critical requirements of cover and armour, neutralised the tank's critical capability, protection."
He smiled again.
"Does that make sense? The thought process?"
Everyone in the room outranked the Lyran Captain, so they all said "YES!" in unison. None of the officers in the room had gotten there by a lack of brains, and they were all following the Captain's train of thought.
Lachlan grinned broadly.
"Sorry, sirs. Perhaps a bit too long spent in the company of line infantry."
He moved on.
"So, the analysis can go on further, and differently, but that's the way the thought process works. Next, we'll move on to the surfaces and gaps concept. Is this a part of Lamoni doctrine?"
"Yes," said a Brigadier General, "But do please go on about it, Captain. No honorable opportunity to improve the deadly arts should be impeded."
"Righto, sir. Glad to hear you say that. Surfaces and gaps are the key operational difference between manoeuver and attrition warfare."
He paused, then ran on.
"Surfaces are the enemy strongpoints, troop concentrations or other focal points of strength. Gaps are... well, gaps. Areas that have relatively less combat power. Which would an attritionist target?"
"An attritionist would target the gaps so that there is less of a threat to his own forces as he inflicts casualties on your own forces."
"Opposite, sir. An attritionist would target the surfaces, seeking to engage the enemy's strength, and break it down."
Lachlan moved several paces to the left, and picked up a remote to the overhead projector.
"A manoeuverist would target the gaps, and seek to gain advantage by dislocating the hostile combat elements. Thoughts?"
"Our military doctrine states that maneuver warfare is essential to winning a ground war. Attrition warfare is generally only called for when you are badly losing a war."
"You are right, sir. Attrition is often viewed, in manoeuverist circles, as evidence of lack of a plan, more than a plan in itself."
He pondered his next words, weighing his attack.
"You CAN win a war by attrition. It has been done, historically, quite often. But it is not conducive to leaving your own state and military in any sort of condition to fight after the conflict is concluded."
"There are times when you need to take a stand, no matter what the cost is. That is one of the times that attrition warfare is called for."
"Yes, sir, and, as I indicated, it does have its place. Oftentimes, for example, forces can be ordered to dig in upon a known critical objective of the opposition. Not because WE need it... but because they do. And their constant attempts to attack it cost them their mobility... bringing us back to our attacks on their critical vulnerabilities... but that's not really attrition, at least not in a broader sense."
He continued.
"As we order our forces to conduct operations, Lyran units are trained to be very specific in what phrasing they use. The important word is called the "task verb". For example, if the order given to unit X was "X unit is to clear Hill 345 no later than 0735h 17May2018, in order to allow superior-unit Y to advance along such and such a route", then the task verb for unit X is 'to clear'. That means 'To remove all enemy forces from a specific location, area, or zone'. So, what the boss is saying to unit X is, essentially, "get them off that hill so we can move through such and such." They aren't concerned about eliminating the enemy, necessarily."
Captain Lachlan paused, and smirked.
"Although I doubt the boss would object..."
You could see the predatory smiles on the faces of the officers as the last remark was made. It wasn't that they were homicidal or anything as undesirable as that; it was more like men who know and love the specific trade that they had dedicated their lives to.
"There are, therefore, several parts to the order. I will use an example order, and break it down, and I will show the thinking behind it. The example we will use was given by someone that most of you will have heard of, in one capacity or other.
This order, somewhat famously, was given by Colonel Krell, my current commanding officer, when she, under very difficult circumstances, assumed command of the 8th Mechanised Division during the Verenberg Civil War.”
He paused, and flicked on the overhead, showing a map of Verenberg.
“Before I go into that, I will provide you some background. Five years ago, the Verenberg communist party declared independence from the Holy Empire of Verenberg. Loyalist Verenberg units within their zone of control were attacked, and in a number of cases were massacred. Lyras, as an ally of Verenberg, and after being formally asked for assistance, intervened.”
The image shifted, now detailing a map of the Lyran military facility 150km southeast of Holtzheim.
“This is Fort Ross. Fort Ross had been built three years previously, and was in the process of receiving large numbers of personnel, who were intended to participate in wargames. The 8th (Wolfspiders) Mechanised, under Major-General Rankin., was the first to arrive, and replaced the 926th Mechanised, which rotated out on the same aircraft that brought the 8th in.”
He paused in his statement, and regarded the attentive audience.
“The 8th was hit the following night by artillery. Major-General Rankin and his staff were conferring with the Verenberg Army liasion officer. All of the 8th division's senior staff were killed, and only three of the ten manoeuver battalion commanders were unhurt. Lieutenant-Colonel Krell was fortunately one of those three. Over the course of the next three nights, Krell launched a series of counter-attacks and short, sharp mechanised assaults that first dislocated, then broke three successive rebel divisions. When the dust had settled after a hectic three nights of continual combat, the 8th Mechanised had destroyed five times their number, and were relieved by the arrival of 21st Armoured Corps.”
He allowed a couple of seconds for that to settle in.
“Before we go into the orders she gave, and attack plans she implemented, are there any questions as to the situation?”
"None," one of the officers said.
"Not a one? Ah, you have probably already examined it. Of course."
He moved back into the narrative.
"Fort Ross mobilised quickly, and sub-units held their ground at the perimeter, while the Cromwell links came alive with hostile contacts. It's actually a little daunting to watch, if I am honest."
"Colonel Krell's first orders were as follows: 8th Division to defend Fort Ross indefinitely, in order to facilitate the conduct of offensive operations to allow Lyran aerial reinsertion into Verenberg."
He looked up from his notes.
"Break it down. What does that mean?"
"Colonel Krell's first orders were as follows: 8th Division to defend Fort Ross indefinitely, in order to facilitate the conduct of offensive operations to allow Lyran aerial reinsertion into Verenberg."
"The order breaks down as follows.
1. 8th Divisions is to defend Fort Ross
2. They will do this until ordered not to
3. They will be doing this to make it easier to conduct offensive operations
4. This will allow for a Lyran aerial reinsertion into Verenberg."
"You are right sir, but there's more to it than that."
He indicated the order written up on the overhead, and then flicked over to the next.
"What would this order mean, different to the first?"
Displayed on the screen were the words:
'8th Division is to hold Fort Ross until relieved, in order to facilitate the conduct of operations to allow Lyran aerial reinsertion into Verenberg'
OOC: Isn't that the same order?
OOC: Similar, yes. The same? Hell no.
'8th Division is to hold Fort Ross until relieved, in order to facilitate the conduct of operations to allow Lyran aerial reinsertion into Verenberg'
"It goes like this:
1. 8th Division will hold the territory of Fort Ross
2. They will be doing this until relieved by friendly forces
3. This will make it easier for operations designed to allow Lyran Aerial Reinsertion in Verenberg"
"Right. Sounds obvious?"
Lachlan leant forward, and became a little more earnest.
"What is the difference? Why did Colonel Krell issue the first order, and not the second? What are the differences in what would happen as a consequence?"
"In one version of the order; the forces would not have the open to attack if they could reasonably do so. The first version allows the 8th Division to do so. There are times when a swift small scale assault can quickly end a war; or severely damage the enemy."
"Somewhat, but there is more to it. To defend is to occupy a terrain feature to ensure it is free of enemy occupation or use. The unit defending is to be prepared to accept decisive engagement. To hold is to occupy a terrain feature, and ensure it is free of enemy. The unit holding can accept or refuse decisive engagement."
He looked up from his notes.
"When Colonel Krell issued the order to defend, and made no reference to relief, in fact stating 'indefinitely', and then stating 'in order to conduct offensive operations', she was actually sending out a very clear order. Not only was 8th Division to be willing to accept decisive engagement, rather than seek to breakout, but was to hold the position itself, without outside support, and with an aim to attack...
Colonel Krell was setting up 8th Division to win. To attack. Who else, historically, issued similar orders? Someone here will surely have heard the phrase I'm referring to..."
"William Travis of the Alamo. Though the forces there did not win, they did thin out the ranks of the Mexican Army to a degree that helped the larger Texan effort to be a success."
"Not wrong, sir, but not what I was thinking of. General Foch, at the Battle of the Marne, said "My centre is giving away, my right is retreating, situation excellent, I am attacking."
He gave a couple of seconds to mull it over.
"The attack to disrupt can be a crucial step in securing the initiative, preventing opposing offensives from being launched, and engaging effectively."
He looking thoughtful for a moment.
"Why did 'Operation Barbarossa' go so well for the Germans, initially?"
"Why did 'Operation Barbarossa' go so well for the Germans, initially?"
"In addition to the complete tactical surprise that was achieved by the German Army, Stalin had purged the vast majority of the Soviet senior officer corps. The replacements were younger and had less experience than their German counterparts. Therefore, the Russians were less likely to engage in taking the initiative from the Germans. It wasn't until the Battle for Moscow itself that the more effective Soviet senior officers had shown the ability to seize the initiative. This factor contributed directly to the massive casualties suffered by the Russians."