ImpSB Sector Group Organization: How To Improve It

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

Earlier, I mentioned the concept of a Garrison Legion, as found in the Renegade Legion series. Here's some more specific thoughts...

The Army Order of Battle as described in the Imperial Sourcebook is configured more as a mobile striking force, where the entire force can be loaded up and transported from point to point within a sector. At the battlegroup / corps level, all the units are configured for mobile operations to one degree or another.

The Garrison Legion concept, however, is decidedly immobile. While it has vehicles, its intended purpose is much more occupational and defensive. A good example is found in the supporting elements:

Artillery - Combat Legions include an Artillery Regiment composed of three Artillery Battalions and one Air Defense Battalion, as well as a Rocket Artillery Company under the command of Legion HQ. Garrison Legions flip that ratio, with three Air Defense and one Artillery.

Engineers - Combat Legions include an Engineering Battalion composed of three Combat Engineering Companies and a Construction Engineering Company, while Garrison Legions have three Construction Engineering Companies.

Military Police - Combat Legions have a single Battalion of MPs whose primary purpose is rear area security, traffic control, etc. In a Garrison Legion, the Military Police contingent is a full Regiment, with one Battalion of Military Police and three Battalions of Riot Control troops.

In Renegade Legion, Garrison Legions are by far the most numerous on the TOG side; their military doctrine calls for one Garrison Legion for every million planetary inhabitants. In other words, a planet like Earth (current population of ~7.7 billion) would be garrisoned by roughly 7,700 Garrison Legions. For the purposes of this re-write, I'm thinking of reducing the ratio to either 1 per 10 million or 1 per 100 million. It'd still be a massive number of units, but it would at least be somewhat more manageable.

Basically, Garrison Legions would be permanently assigned to a particular planet (or if not permanent, at least for extended periods of time), and would be either centered in major population areas or dispersed into smaller detachments if the population is split over a wide area. They'd be primarily stationed in permanent facilities (barracks, bases, etc) and concern themselves mostly with patrolling and securing their immediate area of operations (although transport would be available to shift units about the planet's surface as needed).

On the other hand, Combat Legions (Armored, Mobile, Assault or Light) would be primarily a mobile force, shifting from hot spot to hot spot as needed, and would be much more heavily tied to the transport ships of the Navy's Assault Fleets. Basically, Garrison Legions would keep the more populated worlds secure (or serve as a fire break until reinforcements from the Combat Legions could be sent in to back them up), leaving the Combat Legions to do most of the "real" fighting.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

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[Raven Redstar]

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

Found an interesting tidbit on my question as to Draft vs. Volunteers. In The Far Orbit Project, there a section on the ship's crew, and their motivations for being in the Navy in the first place. The two largest categories are Volunteers and Draftees, with a tiny (and shrinking) percentage of "Navy Natives," who joined the Navy because it was "the family business," so to speak.

Of the two, Enlisted are predominately Draftees, and Officers make up the majority of the Volunteers. Senior officers and enlisted are a fourth category called Careerists, who stayed in the military after their term of service expired. It is also strongly suggested that, while the initial draft has a time limit placed on it, the Empire can arbitrarily extend someone's draft period "for the duration of the emergency." This policy can backfire, however, as evidenced by the fact that most of the mutineers were draftees or forcibly retained.

So, it's not unreasonable to assume a similar situation in the Imperial Army, with the bulk of the enlisted men being draftees, and the bulk of the officers being volunteers, with a decent degree of overlap. It's likely that the Sergeants and other non-commissioned officers are Careerists, who whether volunteer or draftee, chose to stay in the Army after their official term of service ended.

This scenario, I think, nicely bridges the gaps between an all-volunteer system like the US and an officer-centric draftee system like that of the former Soviet Union. Seeing as how the ImpSB appeared a more officer-dependent system, yet specifically mentioned the Imperial Army valuing its non-coms, having an all-volunteer non-com system between the officer corps and the enlisted draftees makes sense.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Naaman]

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

So, if that's the standard for personnel in the Army and Navy (and, by extension, their attached Starfighter Commands), how would the ranks be assigned in Stormtrooper and CompForce Assault units? Considering the sorts of casualties both units can expect to take, it's unlikely that any sort of political appointee would consider it rewarding to take a combat leadership position in either one. Pure meritocracy, perhaps, where troopers who exhibit leadership skills in combat get tapped for the OCS-equivalent of each group? Obviously, political reliability would also be a factor, but considering the borderline fanaticism in both groups, that would seem to be a prerequisite either way.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[CRMcNeill]

Also, Naaman, do you have any thoughts as to how the Support Units differ at varying organizational levels? For example, how would an MP unit's duties and responsibilities differ depending on if they were part of the HHS of a Brigade, Division or Corps? And if you have any similar thoughts on other parts of the HHS, feel free to expound.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Naaman]

Headquarters functions are vsry much a "support" thing.

However, there are a few exceptions. Example: a commander will hand select his security detail from among ALL the troops under his command (generally within the limits of appropriate MOSs) to act as his personal security detail.

These troops would then be removed from their line element and formally assigned to HHD/HHC/HHS.

Fof MPs, if you want to know more, this is actually what I did during my time in Iraq.

Also, MPs are "specialists" with regard to personnel security, and it MAY be within a commander's domain to pull MPs from a subordinate commander to serve on the higher ranking officer's detail.

Officers may also be free to pull their own troops, as they see fit. For example, an infantry brigade commander will often have a platoon of MPs under his command in each of his battalions, or maybe just one at brigade level.

Even though MPs are availabe, the mission or the commander's personal preference will affect whether he uses them or uses his fellow infantrymen.

Specialized personnel such as snipers who are actively assigned as such (as oposed to merely being sniper qualified) may be assigned to HQ and attached or loaned to specific elements at any subordinate level. Though, designated marksmen will belong to squads.

Does that answer your entire question?

Much of this is due to limits on training and scheduling, etc... it's impractical, for example, to send 1 or more troops from every platoon/squad/etc to sniper school (or other special qualifications). The imperial military may or may not suffer from such limitations.

[Naaman]

Oh, I forgot the secon part of your question.

Support elements at various levels will generally have "command" over the same element at the lower level. A platoon leader will, for example, gather all info on, let's say, his troops dental records, and send that info to company HQ. Company will verify correct info, and forward to batallion. Battallion will gather all such data from all companies, and forward to brigade, etc. Personnel at the corps level are MOSTLY general officers and master sergeants and above. They are effectively just there to ensure all the Ts are crossed and Is dotted, while enforcing "garrison policy" and coordinating garrison-level functions (such as distributing deployment orders that come from higher commands such as the US Army's ForceCom).

Cooks assigned to levels as high as corps will often have assignments to make special personalized meals for the general and corps sergeant major.

Different eschelons of communication may also have to go through higher HQs. For example, if a soldier has a problem with his email account, his company/battalion S6 may not have the credentials to rectify it. So he may have to go to brigade or core (or higher), etc.

[Naaman]

Support elements generally include the following, which may or may not make sense in a SWU.


S1: Personnel records (Admin clerks)
S2: Security (intelligence/information protection)
S3: Operations (training/scheduling: these duties are generally performed by high ranking personnel of the same MOS as the line troops).
S4: Supply
S6: Communications (radio techs, IT, etc).

In my unit, "5" was the designation for the XO who was basically the OIC of the company S3, but S5 usualy refers to "planning" which is pretty much what S3 does anyway.

Cooks fit in there somewhere, or perhaps they have their own "S shop" be we never had a special designation for them.

[CRMcNeill]

[Naaman]

Oh, I see. I miss understood your question.

Regarding MPs, at company level, they basically train, enforce, or deploy in standard rotational intervals.

Battalions don't function as a cohesive unit: MP battallion HQ is just support staff.

An MP company on an enforcement rotation will work for brigade, with the brigade commander being the highest ranking MP in garrison, but there is a provost marshall below him who oversees all enforcement activities. The provost marshall is effectively the chief of police, while the brigade commander has a more standard military role.

MPs on enforcement rotation will control all access to garrison as well as enforce all applicable laws (to include army regulations--such as uniform wear and appearance--and the corps commamder's "policies"). All personnel (including civilians) who are lower ranking than the secretary of defense are subject to MPs' authority, who enforce on behalf of the corps commander. In the case of an actual crime, then even the president would be subject to arrest (in theory).

But politics are real. People with lots of influence in the Army, or with high ranking people at garrison will often name drop or play the "mayor's wife" card. Within 24 hours, a company commander or provost marshall will then instruct his MPs to leave so and so alone (or whatever).

MPs assigned to the corps level will either work directly for the corps commander driving him around to meetings or errands, or will work with intelligence elements as a sort of physical security presence, making sure that no unauthorized personnel gain access to sensitive information, or that troops do not take sensitive info places it is not supposed to go.

Core MPs are rarely even seen in garrison, since they work in secure facilities. They have nothing to do with the line units, and do not report to them at all. They are in a completely different chain of command, though they certainly would have experience in both enforcement and deployment already (corps assignments are "prestigious" and tend to be given to MPs who have already "paid dome dues" during their time in service).

[Naaman]

Oh, and at brigade level, there is also a detachment of MPs who perform more advanced enforcement functions: investigators (plain clothes, but still soldiers), traffic, canine, and SRT (SWAT).

These MPs have additional qualifications in one or more of the above functions.

CID is also part of the MP corps, and is basically the Army's version of every federal law enforcement agency in the US combined (to include secret service) CID is kind of like the Army's version of the FBI, and they also provide personnel security to government officials in the Army chain of command up to and including the secretary of defense.

A CID agent is also a federal agent in the civilian sense of the word, and enforces/investigates crimes in which the Army has any invested interest (this can mean that cooperation with civilian authorities happens from time to time). MPs enforce at their own garrison. Regardless of where a CID agent is posted, his jurisdiction is Army-wide, and nation-wide as well (same as a federal agent).