Battlegroups Report 5

Greetings and welcome to a new edition of the Battlegroups report! There are a couple of new features this time around, so read and enjoy!

NEWS FROM THE BGS

Wing XI recently spanked Wing III in a competition. Good work, Immortal! Part of the competition involved the winner picking a new nickname and motto for the loser, so Wing III will soon have both courtesy of Wing XI. Wing IX and Wing X have both been busy with internal competitions, as has Wing VIII.

In discussions with the BG Flag Officers, the idea for a Battlegroups Message Board has come up. Personally, I think this is an interesting idea, and will pitch it to the ‘powers’ if there’s enough interest. Right now we’re the only battlegroup without an MB.

I’ve also submitted the requirements for RelCOM again. Hopefully they’ll be posted soon.

STANDING ORDERS AND PROCEDURES

In my last report, I talked about the procedures to be followed for transfers and promotions. If you didn’t read it, it’s posted online at the TC site. I’d strongly suggest that you look it over if you’re a CMDR or higher (or want to be one). This time around, I’ll be addressing required reports and medals.

When doing your weekly reports, you need to cc AD Cyric as well as the regular chain of command. He’s been tasked with keeping track of reports and the like. Also, it’s expected that you WILL post your reports to the TC database. I really want to see people making use of this feature. Not only is it handy for your own people (so they can check on reports they missed), but it’s a great way for potential recruits to check out your Squadron, Wing, or ship and see what things are like there. It’s another tool, and a good commander uses all the tools he has available.

Medals. You may have noticed the recent MB discussion regarding the BS and SS awards for FCHG rankings. If you have any questions about these awards, make sure you check with OPS before making such an award. Also, when recommending someone for a medal, I think it’s a nice touch if you put some effort and thought into the written recommendation. Be clear about why you’re making this award, and be sure to point out and praise each accomplishment that earned the medal. A copy of this goes to the pilot when he gets the award, and it’s good for morale if they can see that their CMDRs are aware of and appreciate their accomplishments. If you have any questions about this, feel free to ask your chain of command or get in touch with me directly. As some of you already know, I write a mean medal recommendation.

Then there are impact awards. For those of you who don’t know what these are, an impact award is a medal awarded right after a pilot accomplishes something extraordinary. Typically these are ISMs or PCs. I happen to like impact awards, as they allow you to make an immediate reward for something, but you need to remember one thing about them: if you give an impact award, you CANNOT count that action for any MSE awards. For example: you have a pilot who flies 40 missions in a week. If you award a PC for that activity at the end of the week, you CANNOT count those 40 missions for any MSE award at the end of the month. So you’re faced with a Command Decision: do you give the impact award, or wait and give the pilot a bigger medal at the end of the month? The choice is yours, but remember that actions or activities can only be counted ONCE when it comes to medals.

Finally, the MSEs and the “Of the Month” awards. We’ve all gotten a bit lax in the MSE department, and that needs to stop now. I expect MSEs to be in my inbox (complied into a single zip file) no later than the fifth of the month. If a CMDR is keeping up with his paperwork (and both SM/II and SM/III were very clear in this regard), having MSEs done by the end of the month shouldn’t be a problem. I also like to see COM and WC comments on the MSEs. Not only is this a good way to let me know where you think your ship is and how it’s doing, it also lets me know that you’re reading your CMDRs’ MSEs. I’ve been going easy on this in the past, but from now on people will be held accountable for this.

Another reason I need the MSEs by the fifth of each month is so that I can decide on the Pilot, Commander, Squadron, and Wing of the Month awards. Yes, there’re back, and yes, there will now be a Wing of the Month! What does it take to earn these awards? Well, I look for more than numbers. Just flying a ton of missions each month isn’t necessarily going to earn you any “of the Month” awards. I look for overall performance and contributions to the TC, as well as a marked improvement from the previous month. WCs and COMs should make their “otM” recommendations with their MSEs.

TACTICS CORNER

This is a new feature of the BGs Report, and will highlight some of the missions of our various Squadrons. The Training Manual discusses these to a degree, but not in the depth that may be required in the future (say for a competition). In each report I’ll select one type of Squadron and go into some detail about how I view its mission and role. Comments and discussion are welcome.

In this report we’ll take a look at the Reconnaissance Squadron. The Training Manual says this about the Recon Squadron:

To locate and inspect any craft in an area and stop (IF necessary) until reinforcements can arrive to assist in capture/destruction, OR to probe a known targets defenses (RE:Enemy!) in preparation for further action by the Wing.

Having served in a number of units in RL whose real mission was reconnaissance, I can tell you there’s much more to it than that.

Simply put, a recon unit is supposed to FIND and IDENTIFY (if possible) the enemy and then REPORT that information to its command elements. What happens after that depends very much on the larger mission. For example, a Flight from Crossbow Squadron (Wing IX recon) is sent to check out a system. In that system they detect some craft that are quickly determined to be pirates. Crossbow’s first obligation is to report that sighting, either by using secure long-range communications or through a direct report. What happens next depends on a number of things: the size of the enemy unit; the overall mission goals; the actions of the enemy unit; and the competence and skill (or lack thereof) of the Crossbow element’s commander. Sometimes it’s a good idea to attack a smaller enemy force, IF you think you can wipe it out before they can communicate your presence to their superiors. Other times it’s a better idea to hang back and watch, always concealing your true strength and motives from the enemy. In some cases, your orders will require you to break contact and return to the fleet at once. But you won’t always have the luxury (or handicap) of specific orders. Then it’s up to you to make that call. How badly does the fleet need this information?

One often overlooked Recon mission is to take out the other side’s Recon elements. Any time you have an opportunity to do this, and it doesn’t compromise your basic mission, take out those scouts! In the above example, if the Crossbow element commander determined that the ships he spotted were pirate scouts (due to unusual sensor equipment, communications gear, or the type of ships encountered), an immediate attack would be in order. This is especially true if the fleet was moving into the area.

Recon Squadrons can also be used as screening elements or to delay enemy advances. This is an especially dangerous role for Recon units, and requires a good sense of tactics and timing. Basically you’re trying to slow down and confuse a force that will normally outnumber yours by a wide margin! You do this by using your superior mobility, tactical sense, and ability to operate independently of the main body of the fleet. Hitting an enemy fleet in the flanks or rear, especially along its line of supply, is a great way to do this. You can also pick off isolated ships or squadrons that have been sent wandering into space to find you.

In my opinion, the Recon Squadron should have the best CMDR in the Wing. It’s a difficult job; one that calls for a gifted leader with the ability to train and develop his pilots. More so than any other Squadron (with the exception of some of the Special Ops units) they will operate away from the fleet and often out of range of quick support. There’s an old military saying that sums up scouts to a degree: “There are old scouts, and there are bold scouts, but there are damned few old, bold scouts!” That means don’t be reckless, pick your fights, and always make sure your primary mission (gathering intel) is complete.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Starting with the next BGs Report, I’m going to add a section called “Rant from the Ranks.” This is a chance for FMs and FLs (and maybe some of higher rank) to sound off about the TC and the BGs. What do you think works? What do you think needs work? Got an idea you want people to hear about? The Rant is where you can tell us all about it. I’ll be editing them if necessary (mainly to protect those who rant from any CoC or AoW violations, and all such editing will be indicated in the final text), but any such editing will be cleared with the author before the report comes out. If you’ve got a rant, send it to me at krax@ehnet.org. I need all rant submissions by Wednesday of each week.

That’s all for now. Keep flying and having fun!

BGCOM/VA Krax Tarnisar/TIE Corps Battlegroups