OiSkout's Non-Com Doctrine/Philosophy

[OiSkout]

New Additions
9/13 C1 - Vehicular & Special attachments
9/7 Re-done contents, added in section B
9/6 Smoke Out!
To jump to a section, you can just hit Ctrl+F then the letter and number. Also note that all written sections are not to be considered complete!

Preface
This guide will be split into four major sections. First will be fireteam and pure infantry leadership(read: ingame squad). The second will be squad leadership(read: 2 ingame squads. Then we will discuss squads with attached units(NOT a tank squad, but a squad with a tank), and finally, general tactics. This mainly applies to conventional forces. Feel free to post anything else I should add(be it your personal ideas and tactics or something you have a question about)

Table of Contents
A. Squad Leadership
1. Basic Command Philosophy
2. General kit and squad overview
3. Rally Point utilization
4. Caring for the squad while still being an effective combatant
B. Multiple Squad Command
1. Splitting of the team
2. The Command
C. Vehicular & Special Attachments
1. Armor
2. Air Power
3. Mechanized/Mobile Infantry
D. General Combat Tactics
1. Smoke Out!
E. Summary of tips
--. Commander Gripes

A. SQUAD LEADERSHIP

[A1] Basic Command Philosophy
The philosophy of command varies in each mind. However, there are two major schools; the first is the a top down approach, while the second is a bottom up approach. In one, the grunts are there to serve their superiors. The other states that those in command are there to serve the combatants. I personally believe that officers(commanders) are in the game to benefit the team. The team is NOT there to be the commander's *****. However, it is obvious it is a symbiotic relationship.

And then there is a third role in this relationship: the squad leader. The SL in essence is in the middle of the relationship. The SL exists to CARE FOR the squad and yet at the same time, the grunts SERVE the SL. In real life, noncoms(and especially sergeants) are the glue that holds any forces together. Under the lucky condition that you have a good commander on your team, the SLs keep the battlefield manageable for the commander to do his other tasks(be they redirecting troops, setting up assets, or changing the battleplan).

The Markers
The ability to mark locations is MOST important. Make sure you also state your intentions. I end up only using four markers; move, attack, defend, and destroy. Move, defend, and destroy are obvious. Move means "go here," while defend is the obvious "defend this location," and destroy is utilized to mark enemy spawns or bridges that need to be destroyed. Attack, I use differently than most. I use it to mark enemy locations or where I need my squad to lay down fire. A lot of the time the Q-Spotting fails, so this is just as efficient, if not more(because you can mark multiple guys). It is also useful at long distances because not every single kit has a high zoom, thus this allows other classes to shoot away and hopefully hit something. If not, this forces the enemy to keep their heads down or retreat.

[A2] Kit and Squad Assessment
Each person has a different preference on which kits to utilize in whatever combat environment. And then on top of that, there's squad specialization. But nevermind that, a general infantry force can adapt to any situation(especially in PR). I am only going to list a few kits for now. Tactics of having units in squads will also come later sections. This section is also made for more PUB games, in which I believe that people should be having fun. But remember that winning is fun too. If your squadmembers suck, it's ok as long as they follow you and orders. Obviously, the SL should have an officer's kit.

Medic
Depending on your squads task or playstyle, the rest may vary a lot. There have been many instances in which I have squads that are without medics. Often, one could scrounge up bandages or utilize a medic from another squad. It also depends on the map as well. However, in more cramped maps/locations, a medic would do just as fine as a rifleman, for the zoom of the rifleman may interfere with CQB. Essentially, I am saying the medic is not a necessity, UNLESS you cannot place a rally point down. Note that when your squad is moving, it is easy to have members picked off by lone wolves or smaller teams. Having a medic is useful to keep squad cohesion in this case. In pitched-battles over long open terrain(such as the deserts in EJOD Desert or the path to Estate/Temple in Qwai River), most combat in those locations will have people prone and shooting. If they are killed, they can very easily be killed again(unless the body slides). They also don't have the zoom. Thus, in some cases I believe medics aren't so useful.

Rifleman & Grenadier
The Rifleman THE best spawnable kit in my opinion. With the new view distance and maps that aren't so CQB congested, the rifleman reigns king. The Grenadier kit is also very useful and sexy. It has quite some distance and the ability to bombard opponents with frag and smoke grenades. Note that the grenadier enables further deployment of grenades, which is greatly underused. Especially with smoke(more on that in D1).

The Sniper & Designated Marksman
While people often see these as lone wolf kits, they are of great use to the defensive or cautious squad leader. While in another guide I spoke of the usefulness of two-man sniper teams, having a sniper or DM in a squad is VERY useful(I'll add that in my sniper guide later). I believe the marksman rifle has slightly more zoom as the rifleman's rifle(6x vs 4x?), although it's bullet drop does not come in till 600m, compared to the infantryman's rifle at 300m. However, one can simply compensate.

AT Kits
Always useful to take out armor. However they have the normal zoom level. It is very important to note that L-AT(rifleman AT kits) deal very little damage to tanks. L-AT should be used mainly to take out light armor and buildings. In contrast, H-AT is made to take out armor, though the operator of the weapon is very vulnerable. If I recall correctly, there is also a 30 second "arming" time for the H-AT, which appears to not let anyone use the weapon till they held the kit for 30 seconds. Very important for the SL to tell squadmembers about L-AT and tanks(aka don't shoot the tank!).

[A3] Rally Point Utilization
With the new .6 system, you need 3 other squadmembers with you to place a rally point 100+m away from any flag. The obvious question is "do you set the rally as close as possible or hide it?" Well my answer depends on the map and your angle of approach. In larger, more open maps, it is advisable to put your rallies further away from the location you're attacking. On the other hand, if there is a good location to hide your rally, being close works as well. Just note that you are likely to run into enemy detachments leaving their flag. However, if you place your RP on the other side of their flag(meaning team/friendlyflags - enemy flag - your rally), being close allows quick strikes and your enemy is less likely to not only travel, but search in that direction.

If you are utilizing a mechanized force(be it air lifted or any form of vehicle), be sure once you disembark to set up a rally ASAP. Hopefully it isn't a hot LZ, but if it is, make sure you have it slightly hidden. What's the point? It is possible the firefight will last more than 30 seconds. This means if YOU die, you can respawn on the rally. If your squadmembers die, they can respawn on either you or the rally AND get a kit to deal with the situation at hand.

Good locations to hide rally points are in bushes/tree clusters, rarely travelled terrain, and in defilades.

[A4] Being Effective While Babysitting
I stated earlier that the game is about having fun, and don't worry about your squadmembers not being good combatants as long as they follow orders. Well this is because YOU should be dishing out a serious amount of damage(because I'm assuming you are not fully new and superior than a beginner). However, being an effective combatant has on necessary precursor; that you are a good player already. I have been in situations where most members of my squad were below .500, while I went 2:1 K/D, so it will vary a lot. Similar to my sniping guide, I cannot teach you how to shoot, but I can teach you how to think and act. There are two ways to go about this:

Full Command Method
This first way requires much more communication than the second, but it tends to work very well. It also is good for the morale of your troops. However, morale doesn't matter too much in this game unless your squadmembers have a few kills with a larger amount of deaths. ALWAYS KEEP TRACK OF NOT ONLY YOUR SCORE BUT YOUR TEAMMATES(please keep scoreboard!).

An example of the full command method would be the SL stating things such as:
- designating members their zones of fire
- position to take
- fall back locations
- movement locations
While these seem basic, the first three are often overlooked in pub games due to the fact they are not necessary in less organized games. When designating a location for a member to watch, also note if that player is good or not. If they have a bad K/D ratio and are actually a combat class, maybe assign them to "easier" locations or assign a more veteran player to be near the worse player. Definitely DO NOT state "Hey #2, watch #1 cause he sucks." Using the correct phrases is very important to not only maintain a healthy squad, but keeps people wanting to come back in. If you need to say something, after you designate their zones, say something like "#1 and #2 cover each other if necessary." Most likely you won't need to say anything. Most members will be decently close to each other and when one calls contacts, the other is very likely to drift over. Check your squadmembers locations and if they are properly hidden/covered

With the full command method, if you have multiple players who are good, you can cover many locations/caps, especially if you have armor or a sniper at your disposal. The full command method works best in defense. However, it is always good to use it in an assault as well. This requires you to think more on the fly. But there is always travel time, and this travel time should be utilized to use your map and recon with binos(or your memory) and figure out new locations to place your troops.

Once you are done with this arduous task, you're free to do anything. However this method also requires you to work more and fireless. When there are enemy contacts, it is your choice to move a couple squad members over or simply move yourself. If the enemy is close enough, always keep in mind that you have to deal some damage or force the enemy to change their plan. You can do this by utilizing frag and smoke grenades, or flash bangs. When using smoke grenades, attempt to throw them ONTO the enemy. Another idea would to be throw it slightly off their center or into locations with ample cover. This forces them to run into the open if they want to shoot.

Minimum Command Method
This method is the opposite of the first. You only give out orders when necessary, such as move here, shoot here, and the sort. I believe a combination of both methods works the best. Occasionally give more specific orders but also let your troops mill around. The advantage of minimum command is that your troops could be thinking and act independently. If shit hits the fan, it won't splatter on everyone. Plus this allows for better sitreps.

It is a lot easier to fight with this method. You can simply play as a squad leader normally does. Just remember, don't die.

Forcing Fire and Maneuver
This is my favorite part of being an effective squad leader. It is not necessary for you to kill to do anything. That is if you can rely on your squad. In the title, I do not mean "force fire" and "maneuvering." I mean FORCING your squad to fire and maneuver. It can be done similar to the way in real life where you fix the enemy, move half your squad. Then that squad suppresses the enemy and the original half moves. However, I feel that it isn't efficient enough when assault an enemy position with a single squad. The best is to have a rally set south, for example. Duke it out for a bit. It may be a waste of time to utilize this tactic. But let's assume there is heavy resistance. Have most of your squad engage the enemy and move around. While this is happening, you as the squad leader, must have already assessed the situation and circle around to the East or West(or even North!) of your assault location. In death, you can have squadmembers spawn on you and continue the attack from the new location. This displacement of troops will catch the enemy by full surprise. I kid you not. Note this is very similar to splitting into fireteams, IF you actually have three guys assaulting from your rally and two spawning on you(or vice versa).

[B-] MULTIPLE SQUAD LEADERSHIP
This is more of a commander's position, but often in smaller games there will be no commander, or you will feel the commander is not adept in leading.

[B1]Splitting the Squad
When you split your squad, most often it will be split into two three-man teams. First, if no one leaves the squad, check up Forcing Fire and Maneuver in section A4. That is one way to do a two team fireteam method ingame.

However, you often need to for new squads due to the incompetence of your team. In this situation, your teams efficiency will go up or down depending on what map it is with existence of spawn points. The main issue is it is now two three-man squads. It is well advised for both squads to get a fourth member. However, in maps with commander assets or spawn points that already exist, it is not as large of a problem. In most cases when the squad is split, the server pop is low.

There are two ways of going about this. I usually take volunteers first. Cause I mean, it's a pub game, gotta have some fun right? Don't want someone doing a job they hate, otherwise they wont do it so well. Otherwise, you have to choose who you think has the best command potential along with people with proper kits. For instance, if 1st team is defending the flag and the 2nd team is to take out a tank, you don't pick your 3 medics and assign them to tank hunting.

[B2]The Command
Now let's assume your squads have split into two and each have at least four members. Ideally, you would need a third party chat system such as voip or teamspeak. Now the issue of who is in charge here comes into play, but lucky for you, it is usually decided by the situation. That is to say, if both squads have the common goal of capping a flag, one of the SLs will need to be in charge. If one squad is defending while the other is attacking, then it doesn't matter as much.

Now assuming you both are doing a larger organized attack(in essence, thats what it is), the leader of both must organize it and pass the info to the other squad leader. Unless you have a third party comm system, pass on simple info such as "Attack from east." Also pass on info of what you are doing such as "Squad 1 is attacking from west, rallying NW of flag." Also state future orders such as "Squad 2, search around for rallies, 1 will defend and cap." Or something to that effect.

[C]VEHICULAR & SPECIAL ATTACHMENTS
Attachments to a squad are often great assests if there is no commander or enough unified teamplay. However, some believe that each asset should work individually. But I don't believe this is always the case, and will discuss how it should be done. Such as I believe, having a squad of tankers is bad, UNLESS they are all apart of one tank. A similar philosophy works with the attachment idea.

In all situations, the SL must designate markers for the special attachment to utilize. For instance, using the destroy marker indicates a location for an A-10 to light up.

[C1] Armor Attachments
Tank Attachment
Having a tank attached to the squad is often a great asset and allows tanks to travel in urban areas without as much fear and at the same time can provide security for the grunts in vast open areas.

Optimally, the SL will not be one of the tankers. Thus, the SL can still place a rally point and have the infantry support the tank while it spearheads any location to clear it of H-AT threats. Also beneficial would to be have an engineer in the squad to not only repair the tank, but clear the area of AT mines.

There are two ways to utilize a tank in urban areas where there is guarenteed to be enemies. The first way is to send the tank first with infantry following close behind, similar to blitzing the enemy. This protects the infantry from instantly being shot up and with the tanks new sighting system, the blindspots of tanks are very limited. Contacts from the front will be easily dealt with by the tank. This leaves the infantry to protect the weakest parts of the tank from enemy AT, the flanks and the rear. Often squad-players will request H-AT kits after having trouble with the tank, but note that they usually do not have their squadmates clear the area of infantry before sending him in. Another good maneuver to utilize after engagement is to have the infantry squad flank from the left, right, or even split up themselves and descend upon the enemy. The enemy most likely would either be occupied with the tank, or busy sprinting and would be split up. Thus significantly weakening their combat potential.

The second fashion would to have the infantry lead the way and then move up the tank. This is for the more cautious leader or a more defensive situation(more likely to be countered by the enemy). It would be a wise idea to either have a RP down somewhere near, have the SL stay near the rear, or even as a tanker himself. In this situation, the infantry moves in to clear the area and then enables the tank to move in and hold the ground from any counterattacks. If the SL is a tanker, it would be a wise idea to utilize him as the driver, otherwise the SL is likely to be bogged down with hunting for targets and shooting instead of commanding. The only true dangers to losing the SL's spawn is enemy tanks, H-AT, and AT mines.

APC Attachment
The APC attachment has a similar premise to the tank attachment, but should mainly be used in a more cautious/defensive fashion. It is almost always a bad idea to have the APC lead the way followed by infantry. Also note that since the APC has a spawn point, make sure it is placed in a beneficial area for the rest of your team. As the APC squad should take a more defensive role, it is fine if there is only one crewman for it. Thus, always have the infantry move up first followed up by the APC when moving through urban areas, and always give it a good line of sight(by this I mean through distance, not viewing the entire map).

Another often forgotten aspect of the APC is it's role as a transport. For instance, it would be a very wise idea to move your squad to one location, set up a rally, and then have the infantrymen engage from that location, or relocate along with the APC. This enables different angles of attack and insurance when either is destroyed.

C2. Close Air Support Attachments
This is one of my favorite utilizations of mixed squads. First, it provides vastly superior firepower, able to deal with nearly all situations. Infantry then provides the valuable recon which is very accurate(incomparison with relaying orders). After the enemy takes a pounding, the infantry can then move in to hold the location. Perfect use.

Attack Helicopters
This is one of the easier ways to utilize a mixed squad. Smaller choppers also provide good support as they cannot be locked onto. The SL will act as a foward observer, marking enemy locations with the destroy marker(for instance). Make sure there is a specific marker for the chopper. You don't want to simply use attack, otherwise the infantry will also move in on it, when you only want the chopper to.

Utilizing a chopper is very easy. Simply send it ahead to scout the area or dish out some damage. At the same time, utilize yourself and your squad to survey the area as well. If the situation is clear, the squad may then move in, safe and sound. The chopper will then provide security. This is excellent for assaulting a "suburban" location that is surrounded by open terrain(think Oilfields). The helicopter forces the enemy to keep their heads down from the assaulting force. With open ground around the location, the chopper has very good sight and speed to respond to enemy reinforcements. The only way the opponent may spawn on the flag zone is either with a bunker, supply truck, or APC. The helicopter can deal with this perfectly.

However, the enemy will notice that the chopper is a menace. All sorts of AA and machine guns will be utilized to take it down. The other job of the infantry is to provide security for the chopper in return. Good pilots will be able to take out the enemy threat themselves, but those with Rifleman AA kits will prove to be troublesome. Thus the chopper must occasionally use itself as bait to determine the enemies location. For instance, utilize buildings and hills/mountains to determine the enemies location. If on the west side of a building there is no lockon, yet on the east side of a building there is, then the AA must be positioned to the east of the building. With more triangulation, send in the infantry.

Fixed-Wing Aircraft
This provides a little more trouble to utilize. A helicopter can hover over a location and move more slowly, while planes cannot. And since planes are moving at higher speeds, they are less accurate, but can take out a larger area. Good news is they are even less common. In the same situation with helicopters, the squad is more of a recon/observer team. When utilizing planes for CAS, have the plane make a few gun passes to make sure the area is cleared out. Having this type of air support is very useful in open terrain, such as Kashan. When marking a location for the plane to attack, it is also beneficial to mention the direction of movement of the vehicle if any, and the angle of attack the plane should take, if any.

[D]GENERAL COMBAT TACTICS
As I cannot teach shooting, I cannot teach MOUT. I will however put up a link to one when I get home. Most of these are general tactics and tips, thus being versatile and useful often, but I will still list out general situations.

[D1]Smoke Out!
Smoke grenades are often misused in PR. Often are they thrown at the feet of the operator or location where soldiers are moving through. While it does do a decent job at covering the area and soldiers in the location, it is not as efficient. First and foremost, smoke grenades are often used in street-crossing or dune-hopping situations. What is the flaw of this situation? You are charging blindly into an area. Granted people usually check out the location before they smoke and run, this is a real-time situation. The enemy, conscious or not of your situation, may have ended up on the other side of the smoke. Another problem is people tend to sprint through the smoke, thus impairing the situation even more. This leads to a massacre. A second common misconception, albeit smaller, is the further the traveler is from the center of the smoke, the less likely the traveler is covered. Thus the enemy can see your silhouette in the smoke and still take free shots at you. (From my graphics perspective. I run most stuff on low so I'm not sure about you people with better graphics)

The optimal way to utilize smoke is to launch it as close as possible it is to the enemy. The further the enemy is, the harder it is to land a proper screen; the closer the enemy is, the more useless your smoke is. So beware of distance. A majority of the time one would be better off throwing a frag grenade, if it can reach that far. However if you want to travel, be it flanking or simply evasion, smoke grenades work fine. This is one benefit of having a grenadier in the squad, for the grenadier can place smoke grenades significantly further.

Assuming the smoke grenade is thrown closer to the enemy, this fixes the two major errors indicated in the previous paragraph. You still will maintain sight of the location you are traveling towards, and this will leave no silhouette in the smoke. The best part is, a third factor comes into play in this use. Think of standing next to a barn. It’s very hard to see anything 180 degrees infront without moving. However, if the barn is further, the cone of un-sight is significantly smaller. The closer the smoke screen is to the enemy, the less they can see.

Another popular use of the smoke grenade is in an assault of a fortified position. In this situation, your team still has the benefit of smoking the enemy. This either will flush them out of their defensive positions, or enable your team to advance and clear the position. However, be wary of what team and kits your team possesses in comparison to the enemy. For instance, playing USMC vs anyone, it would be a hard won fight for the USMC in very close range.

[OiSkout]

Phew, added a lot of stuff recently, and still got a long ways to go. Especially with general tactics. Too bad not too many people play SLs haha.